Diana Shays

Tracie E. Gardner
Ramifications From Bad Education
Modern Social Problems
Fall 2016
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When one is asked, What is the most pressing social issue our country faces today?,

one might immediately consider poverty, politics, unemployment, or even global warming.

Indeed, these are serious matters that our country faces today and that impact our society greatly,

but think about how these problems come about. How does one become a politician? How are

we informed about global warming? Where is poverty seen the most? Who is unemployed and

for what reason? All of these questions stem from a greater issue that comes prior to one being

the next best politician or one living an unemployed life in poverty; it comes from getting

properly educated! Education is the beginning step we take to learn about how other social issues

arise, but education is controlled by political and financial powers that decide the salient points

one should learn, not by ones personal learning needs. Unfortunately, some students are not

given equal opportunity to properly learn in a school setting for reasons such as huge racial gaps

dividing students apart, materials and resources for school not always being accessible to every

student, school programs singling kids out, making them feel inferior to others, and disabilities

setting students back. Therefore, I believe education is the most pressing social issue our country

faces today.

Education has recently become a prominent social issue that has not changed within the

span of the last 50 years, and we can attribute this problem to poverty. Fifty years ago, we

educated mostly working-class kids and up, and we did not expect those at the bottom of the

socioeconomic ladder to graduate (Strauss, 2013). In America today, by law, we educate all

students regardless of their socioeconomic status; this includes the disadvantaged and poorer

classes. This economic shift in education was not a progressive change that occurred over the

years to benefit every student. Indeed, this change advanced rapidly. There was no plan in the

educational system fifty years ago that addressed policies and potential issues that would likely
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arise due to the poorer and working classes joining schools to learn. Kids who are a part of the

lower and working class need more support in order for them to thrive as students.

Unfortunately, not all kids have access to extra resources needed for this necessary support.

Tutors, workshops, and out of school classes, not to mention, textbooks and school supplies all

cost money that lower and working classes might not have. Additionally, parents found on the

lower end of the socioeconomic ladder are less likely to be involved in their childs education

and do not realize that the importance of their interaction with their school is crucial for their

childs success. As children, we mimic our parents from the moment we are born. We absorb

everything they teach us like a sponge. If our parents are uneducated, the pattern follows through

each generation and it is next to impossible to educate the ones who follow in our footsteps.

In the United States, people can expect to go through 17.1 years of education between

the ages of 5 and 39 (Education). I have only experienced fourteen and a half years of school so

far, but throughout each level of furthering my education there have always been special levels of

schooling that set me apart from the normal and average kid. I have always attended public

school by choice, but the elementary, middle, and high school I attended had talented and gifted

programs that made me feel inferior to others because I was not a part of them. I was not a part

of these programs because I could not pass a standardized test that the state of North Carolina

required me to take, or because the material in class was too complex for me to learn. The

talented and gifted label is one bestowed upon the brightest and most advanced students

(Lynch, 2015) meaning, this program separates peers who stand out from those who lack

advanced knowledge, for individual learning. Instead of inspiring kids to excel, the talented and

gifted title can lead to anxiety or failure due to the pressures that come with the label such as

being placed in an advanced class or being looked up to by peers for guidance in school. Being a
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role model is never a bad characteristic to possess, but taking a standardized test and receiving

outstanding grades does not always necessarily mean you are ready to advance to another level

and help those who struggle behind you. In theory, the ideology for these talented and gifted

programs are sound, but the practice is unattractive and American public schools need to

recognize different ways to reward different learning talents. There is no one size fits all

learning style that will benefit every student, and once our educational system becomes aware of

that, there will be a positive shift in growth within our schools.

When I was around age ten, I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity

Disorder. Unfortunately, ADHD set me apart from the average kid and I had a more challenging

time learning simple things like times tables, reading books, and solving complex word problems

in math. Recent surveys show that approximately 11 percent of children 4-17 years of age (6.4

million) have been diagnosed with ADHD as of 2011 according to the CDC. Regardless of your

race, ethnicity, parenting style, family issues, or your addiction to watching TV, ADHD is simply

a brain-based disorder that is genetic. Sadly, some teachers disregard the needs of a child with

ADHD and the child is once again set up for failure. Think about a class setting and what is

required of a child to do: sit still, not be disruptive, pay attention, follow the rules, listen quietly,

etc. These are all examples of what a child with ADHD has a hard time doing. Yes, there are

accommodations that can be made for a child with learning disabilities, but these

accommodations can fail for a variety of reasons. Sometimes students can feel inferior for being

diagnosed with a learning disability, which can further harm a students grades. Students might

not always be granted with accommodations because they are not qualified for them. Even if a

student has accommodations that are already set up, there is a good chance these
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accommodations are not valid for standardized testing that a state might require of a student to

take; once again, damaging a students education.

As mentioned before, the state of North Carolina requires every student to take a

standardized test called an EOG. EOG stands for End-of-Grade test and they are designed to

measure student performance on the goals, objectives, and grade-level competencies specified in

the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (North Carolina End-Of-Grade Tests at Grades 3-

8). This specifies the learning standards for each grade level, and make it clear what skills the

student should be able to display. These are generalities that the state of North Carolina makes

for every student, but in practice these come off as unfair! This is the controlled and political

power that decides the salient points a child should learn and know in a class setting.

Not every student is wired to learn the same way, and to make a test that is used as a

gateway to promote you to the next grade level comes with many repercussions. In terms of the

scoring outcome for the EOG test, the grades vary due to non-instructional factors (Eubanks,

2001), that can vary from one school or district, to another; Factors such as parents educational

background, type of community, and poverty level account for more than 50 percent of the

difference in test score (Eubanks, 2001). Questions on these standardized tests can be culturally

biased and highly ambiguous, and can be answered as a reflection of ones own personal life

experience, especially for a child who has problems in the home setting. An example of a

question that can be answered in a personal manner asks students to judge what might be an

absent fathers response to a family disaster that took place in Colonial America (Eubanks,

2001). Clearly, a child can parallel his or her own life experiences into his or her answer choice

especially if that child comes from a home of abuse.

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In order for education to become less of a social issue, there are many important steps

that I, as an individual can take to mend our failing educational system. To start with, I can

continue to further my education and obtain a degree after I finish college. I myself am a part of

the minority population in the United States, and proving to others that I can earn a degree

provides a greater promise, to similar pupils like me, that privileged kids are not the only ones

that can be successful. Another way I can help better our educational system is by exciting the

younger generations about education, by volunteering at schools nearby to promote the

importance of a college degree. Advocating for a better education to the younger population

allows for a greater impact to move forward and change the dynamic of our current educational

system. The last way I can improve education in the U.S. today is by spreading awareness not

only to adolescents, but to teachers and parents too! As a student, my voice is a key component

to give way to change because I can expose the most pressing issues my generation faces today.

Informing others benefits everyone and it promotes growth for a positive change.

To conclude, these issues that have been mentioned are only a small fraction of examples

that support evidence to our failing educational system. There are numerous other factors that

play a role here, but I find these examples are the most predominant. Clearly, there have been

attempts to change education to benefit the needs of a student, but these attempts only tend to be

a temporary fix. Introducing newer ways to better the educational system in America starts with

gradual change. I find that it is necessary to begin with hearing the younger populations views

on the subject matter because they are experiencing these challenges firsthand. In the event that

that the younger population were to come forward, I believe that school programming can

modify the current structure to better programs such as, the talented and gifted organization to

equally include those with less advanced learning abilities with those who have exceptional
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learning skills. Furthermore, it can benefit school funding to provide students with fewer

resources to afford the additional help they need. All in all, we cannot afford to continue our

current educational system being a product of an expired age. Our society is always changing

and education is not limited. Humans learn through experience and not all knowledge is

contained in books. Students should be rewarded for creativity, not memorization. Listening to

one another can provide human empowerment and hopefully one day, education will not be

viewed as the most pressing social issue our country faces today.
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References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children With ADHD. Retrieved from

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html#ref1. Accessed 11 October 2016.

Education. OECD Better Life Index. http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/education/.

Eubanks, G. (2001). Does Testing Make The Grade? Duke Magazine. Retrieved from

http://dukemagazine.duke.edu/article/does-testing-make-the-grade.

Lynch, M. (2015). 10 Reasons The U.S. Education System Is Failing. Education Week. Retrieved

from

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/education_futures/2015/08/10_reasons_the_us_educatio

n_system_is_failing.html.

North Carolina End-Of-Grade Tests at Grades 3-8. Accountability Services Division. Public

Schools of North Carolina. http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/eog/.

Strauss, V., & Weiss, E. (2013, October 26). The Real 21st-Century Problem In Public

Education. The Washington Post. Retrieved from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/26/the-real-21st-

century-problem-in-public-education/.