Taylor Koontz

AP English 11
April 1 2015
Education in America
In todays society, there is a great debate of whether Americas education
system is a success or a failure. The topic has been brought up more frequently in
recent times as society seemingly keeps progressing while the school system
remains lagging behind. Problems in the American school system including racism,
extreme levels of competition, and poorly taught classes must be fixed in order for
students to feel comfort and enjoyment in learning. Until then, the education
system will continue to lack in advancement while other elements of society
progress.
The main issue within the American education system is the extreme
pressure it places on its students. Competition for valedictorian, salutatorian, and
other academic achievements put high levels of stress on students that can cause
anxiety, depression, and exhaustion. Margot Talbot, who has written for newspapers
such as the New Yorker, examines the impact of naming a single valedictorian,
multiple, or not having one at all in her article Best in Class. In large schools with
high academic rates, students who do well in school may not be recognized at all.
Talbot questions, Is a student ranked at No. 1 in a given class really the best?
(Talbot) Her questioning of the valedictorian ranking system provides thought on
what the best solution could be in order to provide fair praise for academically
successful students. Getting rid of the valedictorian altogether would be a solution
that not only would cause less stress on students, but provide more opportunities
for teens that arent at the very top of their class to still be recognized and
appreciated on graduation day. Talbot explains, Valedictorian is an antiquated title,
and I think it has more negative connotations than positive ones (Talbot.) Therefore
we should diminish the valedictorian tradition in order to modernize the American
education system.
Another issue widely portrayed in the American education system is poor
teaching done by teachers within the classroom. Francine Prose, book reviewer for a
number of magazines and periodicals, wrote I Know Why the Caged Bird Does Not

Sing to emphasize the lack of quality involved in the required reading in American
high schools. She states, Only rarely do teachers propose that writing might be
worth reading closely. Instead, students are informed that literature is principally a
vehicle for the soporific moral blather they suffer daily from their parents (Prose.)
Teaching books that have been teaching students morals, life lessons, and themes
for decades is not only redundant, but simply not relatable for young adults
anymore. More current, updated books are needed in order to engage the students
into actually reading the literature within the curriculum, instead of going on
Sparknotes, leaving the physical pages untouched. Sherman Alexie Jr, author of
Superman and Me, grew up on an Indian Reservation in Washington. He was
discriminated against by his classmates on a daily basis, however his love for
reading became a positive impact on both himself and the Indian community around
him. When discussing his experiences in the classroom, Alexie claims that Indian
children were expected to be stupid and fail in the non-Indian world (Alexie.)
However, he read books at recess, then during lunch and in the few minutes left
after I had finished my classroom assignments... I read with equal parts joy and
desperation. I loved those books(Alexie) If we could provide books in the
curriculum that teens find a strong, real connection with, they will have a stronger
desire to read and may learn to love English literature.
Students and teachers may argue that the American education system has
improved because there is a higher rate of graduates and more kids are going to
college than before. They claim that schools have become a more pleasant place to
learn because there is now equal opportunity for everyone. However, this stance
fails to recognize the fact that there is still the same racial discrimination going on
now that there was in previous decades. In A Talk to Teachers, James Baldwin
discusses the racial discrimination that is still occurring in our school systems today
He states that for a child, It isnt long- in fact it begins when he is in school before
he discovers the shape of his oppression (Baldwin.)
The American education system is far behind compared to its international
counterparts. The lack of admiration and understanding of English literature as well
as feelings of self-depreciation among students due to intense competition can only
be blamed on the school system itself and its refusal for change. In order keep

America an intellectual, productive nation, we must fix the way our education is
being administered to our youth.