The Path to the Future; Education Reform

        Why is it that the youth of America are under educated? Why is it that 3rd and 4th graders can’t identify President Lincoln, arguably the most recognizable president other than George Washington. It is a travesty when students from America are no longer the first choices for the most challenging of jobs. What used to be an American market is no more. And what has America done as a response to this? It has cut school funding, cut teacher employment, and demonized the industry as lazy and unresponsive.
        So lets recap, student educations are far worse than they used to be, our elementary students cannot identify presidents and the United States is barley competing internationally. Yet, we cut school funding, cut teacher employment and simply call the industry lazy. That’s so counter intuitive that its irresponsible. In the last 20 years for example spending on higher education has only increased 21 percent, that’s just over 1 percent a year and does not even closely equal inflation. While in comparison spending on corrections has increased by 127 percent over the past 20 years and already 5 states spend more on corrections currently than they do on education. So what in fact is the United States promoting, education or jail time. The numbers seem to indicate the latter.
        Education should be at the forefront of every political agenda, because education is what drives this country and its future. While our children are becoming less educated the rest of the world is becoming more educated. And this has a direct correlation with the increasing wealth divide seen in the United States
       Wealth divide in the United States is the highest among industrialized countries. In fact the United States has the 39th highest wealth divide in the world. For a country who preaches equality and opportunity for all, that is hardly the case. This is seen everyday across our nation, schools where the rich reside are always equipped with the newest text books and the best teachers. While the inner city schools are subjected to books which are outdated and typically receive teachers who are either just graduated or cannot perform within the circumstances. Those who continue and attend college and universities are typically those out of the rich neighborhoods and they are also those that will receive the best jobs. There are outliers in every community but that is exactly what they are outliers.
       Education must be readily available for all who live in the United States. And we cannot pretend that political stunts such as “No Child Left Behind” actually benefit the situation. What needs to occur is more investment and more time. Encouragement to those who want to educate the next generation and not resentment. Change must come, education must once again reign supreme and lead to the “American Dream”. It is the responsibility of the American people to lead this change. The question is will you be part of it?