Why are American students falling so behind? How did we stray so far away from the education system necessary to succeed in the real world? Poor test scores on global examinations led researchers and educators to believe the United States is getting less and less competitive when it comes to education. The PISA, Program for International Student Assessment, results show us that, compared to about five years ago, we’re down — down in math, down in science, and down in reading. The sad part is, is that we were in the process of moving up between 2006 and 2009 and that direction has now reversed itself. There are many factors that play into where these results came from, one being that we have a state and local system of education, where every state is different. We have an educational system where no one’s in control. We don’t know whether it’s the local school board, the state government, or if it’s the federal government, and everybody points their fingers at somebody else. We also have very powerful teachers’ unions, the AFT (American Federation of Teachers) and the NEA (National Education Association). Both of those unions are fighting for their members, as you could expect, but who’s fighting for the students? And you can’t help but wonder whether the students are being forgotten in the whole scheme of things. Personally, this topic affects me directly. As a person who has been through the K-12 system I have seen education change into something much different than it should be. I have been actively apart of the transformation, thrown into different techniques full of trial and error. I felt like a Guinea Pig testing out different methods of teaching styles, different forms of standardized tests, different learning styles, new, up-and-coming educational experiments. This never-ending cycle eventually led me to where I am now. It led to my choice of career and my desired passion. This subject matter affects my future as an upcoming elementary school teacher. My individual drive to teach and learn sets me apart from others as far as qualification to write on this subject. The fact that I have sat and participated in over 100 classrooms in the U.S. is prerequisite enough for the conclusions I’ve drawn.

As recently as 20 years ago, the United States was ranked the number one in high school and college education. So, what in the world happened? Hundreds of years ago, most learning happened at home. Parents taught their children or, if their families could afford it, private tutors did the job. The Puritans were the first in this country to point out the need for some kind of public education. They established schools to teach not just the essentials-reading, writing and math- but also to reinforce their core values. The idea of a progressive education, educating the child to reach his full potential and actively promoting and participating in society, began in the late 1800s and became widespread by the 1930’s. Much of the boom in American education during the second half of the 20th century was driven by the Montgomery G.I. Bill, which provided scholarships and student loans to veteran service personnel returning from World War II. The United States. was the best in the world for decades. The ranking of 18th-20th comes in 2009, only in the past 15 years have we started to decrease in educational performance. Over that time, complacency and inefficiency, reflective of low priorities in education, and inconsistencies among the various school systems contributed to a major decline. The PISA test was brought into play in 1997 and its sole purpose is to compare “education attainment” across the world. It has a total of 59 countries involved where the U.S. has fluctuated from top to bottom to now in the below average level. There is lots of evidence that American higher education could be doing significantly better. But how? How did we stray so far away from those education traditions? How did we allow our great nation to slack off? You’re about to find out. 

How do U.S. students compare with their peers around the world? Recently released data from international math and science assessments indicate that U.S. students continue to rank behind many other advanced industrial nations like Singapore, South Korean, Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Finland. Many factors play into why we are so behind, factors like: Student diversity, coming from all parts of the world, mostly Mexico, student backgrounds, whether kids come from highly educated or low educated families affects the current state of education, teacher quality is at an all-time low, the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) test scores are a huge indicator that the United States is far behind its global counterparts, early childhood/elementary school students should be pushed harder to get them ready for the rigors of high school, college and work, state legislative funding is not going to the right places for education, and lastly tutoring is taking the place of what schools should be doing for students. Parents pay thousands of dollars on extra help the school should provide.

I knew America was slacking when it came to education but I couldn’t even ball park the figures or where we as a country stand exactly on the global spectrum if I tried before reading and analyzing different articles on the subject. Paul Peterson, a professor of government and director of the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University, outlined the different forces that play into why American students are falling behind. “Students who come from highly educated families are more likely to do well than those from families in which no parent has a high school diploma. The percentage who are proficient among U.S. students from high-education families are 43 percent in math, 42 percent in reading and 40 percent in science, as compared to 18 percent, 17 percent and 12 percent in the three subjects, respectively, among those coming from families with low education levels.” Here I could see precise numbers and percentages that prove just one reason as to why American students are behind. America has students flooding in from all over the world, from different countries and backgrounds. The United States has two achievement gaps to be bridged; the one between the advantaged students and the disadvantaged students, and the one between students here in America and students around the world. Neither goal needs be sacrificed to attain the other. 

Tara Holm, an associate professor of math at Cornell University and a 2015 public voices fellow of the OpEd Project, gives us ample reasons as to why American students are falling behind, specifically in math. Holm argues that, “We are pretty much the only country on the planet that teaches math this way, where students are forced to memorize formulas and procedures. And so, kids miss the more organic experience of playing with mathematical puzzles, experimenting and searching for patterns, finding delight in their own discoveries.” She is saying that math in the U.S. is different than math anywhere else in the world. No wonder we’re falling behind- we’re not even learning how to be proper mathematicians like other countries. 

The latest report and results of an international test and what this test tells us about the current state of education in the United States is shocking. This year’s report leads to the conclusion that the United States’ poor math results may be worth paying attention to for at least one reason. A 2011 study found that PISA scores are an economic indicator: rising scores are a good sign that a country’s economy will grow as well. The state of education in our nation effects everyone! Quality of education has a direct correlation to the state of our economy. The test scores from the PISA, Program for International Student Assessment, are up to date and are within my reach to study. After looking at these results via graph this source provided, the U.S. is struggling to keep up, and cannot compete anymore with the world. Something needs to be done. We must address the lack of knowledge and skills that are proven by our nation's terrible PISA performance, swallow our pride, and get down to business. 

High quality early childhood education is key to ensuring that students are prepared for the rigors of school and the realities of a 21st century workforce. Quite recently I volunteered at an elementary school here in South Carolina. A bright bunch of 1st graders captivated my attention. Their teacher, Mrs. Ebert was one of the finest educators I’ve ever met. She truly set an example of what the model teachers looks like and does. She credits her success to the 23 years she’s spent in a first-grade class. She allowed me to look through files that indicate the growth her students showed over the year, its uncanny. She can take a student and totally turn them around in a matter of weeks. She stays in constant communication with parents and ensures student success. Unfortunately, not all teachers share Mrs. Ebert’s passion and skill. I look back to my first-grade class and see no positives. My teacher was careless, cruel and brand new. I learned nothing and felt so behind in the rest of my schooling experience because of this. My spelling suffered, I was a low-level reader, and became utterly discouraged because of this hiccup in my schooling career. I can see why I scored low on state tests, I didn’t have the tools I needed to test with ease. I view myself as a prime example of what poor teaching can produce. I’ve crawled from the depths to get where I am today, and it is because of the poor instruction I had as a kid I want to become a teacher who can produce greatness.

The problem with state legislative funding is that it’s not going to the right places for education. Federal education funding is distributed to states and school districts though a variety of formula and competitive grant programs. While the federal government contributes about 13 percent of direct funding for elementary and secondary schools nationally, the amount varies considerably from state to state. Funding goes into iPad’s and laptops for students, not quality teachers or student needs. 

Another issue with public schools is their lack of qualified teachers. Some teachers are not equipped to train students on what they need to know leaving students and parents on edge. Why are high schools not offering the math training that parents are paying outsiders to provide? This is yet another one of the many deficiencies public schools have unfortunately earned and another issue of schools and teachers not doing their job. I, myself had to have a private tutor just last year to finish high school when my high school should have provided me with what I needed without my mom and dad having to pay thousands of extra dollars to ensure my success. 

The state of education in the U.S. and whether or not it is where it should be is arguable in that educators might have different reasons than parents or students as to why American students are falling behind. They could argue that lack of interest from the students plays a big part in low test scores. They could also argue that culturally diverse classrooms bring scores down. Parents could take a different approach and argue that teachers are not qualified enough to produce the right environment of teaching students, or teachers don’t care enough to see their students succeed. Students themselves could argue that they aren’t learning what other students around the world are or grades aren’t all that matter. Many different approaches could be taken to argue this issue; it just depends on who you ask. Allie Bidwell, education reporter for U.S. News & World Report, will tell you that these low-test scores “Is not only a great loss to the American economy, it’s obviously a very great consequence to people’s future, poor educational performance limits access to employment and widens social inequality,” which I totally agree with. Education or lack-of it will affect a countries economy and future employers immensely. Writer and editor for the Washington Post since 1999, Joe Heim, argues that the only way to get back on top will be to “redesign schools to take advantage of very highly educated and trained teachers, schools need to be organized so that teachers work together in teams in a very disciplined way to get better and better at teaching and to constantly improve the performance of their students.” I also agree with this statement, teachers do so much for students but some do not and those are the ones screwing with students’ academic career. These different perspectives highlight my own, I find myself having a lot of the same view points and morals as these source authors. Others could argue that not all of the United States is failing in education, and to that I can concede. The American states Minnesota and Massachusetts got education right. These states scored exceedingly well on the PISA and the rest of the country should be looking in to how they did it and what teaching skills and learning dynamics they exude. I will also state that if schools had the right funding we could accomplish more. I’ve seen many argue that U.S. public schools are not failing. That they are among the best in the world. To that I would agree partially. There is not even a competition between U.S. schools and poor middle eastern countries schools. American schools are Heaven to the rest of the world but we are just not using this amazing schools to their full potential. I’m not saying we are at a total loss but there is room for improvement. One could also argue that the state of education doesn’t affect me as a person, to that I would refute: it might not affect you personally but at the end of the day the state of education effects important factors of life that every human deals with day to day, the economy and jobs.

In conclusion, America is overall in a constant downfall. Education is the foundation of this country and people need to be aware of this lack of responsibility by students, teachers, parents, and school board members. We as a unit need to, figuratively, fight back in order to become a global competitor again, educationally, and it definitely takes a group effort. Our nation needs to step it up and everyone must do their part in building education back up. Educators of all grades and content matter must be willing to put in the extra work, extra hours, extra love and compassion. Students must open their mind to new knowledge and yearn to learn. Parents must stay on their kids at home and set good educational examples. Administration must hold teachers accountable. The government must fund. Many pieces of the puzzle must be put into place to see any sort of change. We cannot keep turning our heads to the issue at hand, we need to recognize it, come up with a game plan and enforce it. I am willing to be a piece of the puzzle, I am willing to go above standards, I am willing to be a part of a positive change. Are you? We should strengthen public education not undermine it. We should roll up our sleeves and fix the real problems we have, not invent fake ones.

America is a great and mighty country full of opportunity and inspiration. Many amazing minds abide here and fortunately chose to teach. This county would be nothing without its passionate educators, we just need to make sure they are the right educators. In the words of the late poet, Kahlil Gibran, “If he, your teacher, is indeed wise he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind.”
