Essay Sample on What Ails American College Education System

Introduction

According to Michelle Obama during her speech at Bowie State University graduation ceremony, in one of the most demining assessments of the American education system, it was described as one that Americans have to 'scrap the blueprint and revolutionize this dangerously broken system.' This is necessary to salvage the future of American students and international students that seek higher education in the country. College education is deemed as the most vital level of education in America as it determines the career future of the students which automatically translates to their future. It is in this regard that there is a need to try and have a clear focus on the college education system, and to have a perspective on what needs to be done, and some of the urgent actions that need to be taken to ensure quality education is enhanced in these institutions of higher learning.

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According to Wilson (2014), one of the major problems facing the American education system is that it is a school-to-prison pipeline. It is an interesting position that half of all the young men of color who attend high school in urban secondary schools never earn a degree and, at least 60% of these dropouts are likely to end up in prisons (Wilson, 2014). It is an interesting position considering that it would be challenging to try and create a correlation between these statistics, but they are a reflection on what ails America and its education system. Surprisingly, the same view is observed among the Latino young men, and this raises the question of whether this is just unique to these immigrant groups, or on the whole education system. College education given its immense impact in the life of students need to be given the much needed attention to ensure that it is offered equally to students of all backgrounds. It is a fact that most of students from the black and minority communities contribute the highest percentage of students dropouts in colleges across the United States. As such, the college education system has failed in providing such an environment for these factors, and though it is not solely to blame, it does not mean that the education system is innocuous, it is a reflection of the inability to impart critical life skills, especially for children who need these skills.

The major problem that is facing the American college education system is that it has failed to develop the personality of the students. The three most priority areas for the Americans is the economy, countering terrorism, and creation of employment opportunities (Kohn, 2000). It is an aspect that speaks volumes about the attitude that most Americans have towards education. The profession, the lecturers, and even the whole system have been degraded, and no one understands the integral role that the education plays in the society. When one gives a critical analysis of all the priority areas of the Americans, they are all closely related to the quality of education that is offered in the institutions of higher learning. The corporate world and the entire industry of America is highly dependent on the students that graduate from the institutions of higher learning in the country. This is to say that if the colleges do not offer enhanced quality education in the country, then, the economy of America will have low qualified personnel.

Interestingly, the focus needs not be on increased funding to the education sector, but rather a need to redefine the educational systems. Compared to countries that have higher rankings on educational efficacy such as Finland and Singapore, there is an observation that 'teachers are afforded a status comparable to what doctors, lawyers, and other highly regarded professionals enjoy in the U.S' (Ravitch, 2016). Furthermore, being a teacher is through a competitive process, not just through the chaotic process that has been observed in the American system. What has gone wrong? The report on rankings shows a lot of issues that are unearthed, and they all point to an indicator, a paradigm shift (Liu & Cheng, 2005). For instance, there has been the application of a standardized process of testing the students, with little consideration for their abilities and unique capabilities. As such, the teaching profession in the US not only seems to lack the necessary skills but also it lacks the ability to motivate the students to reach their heights.

Money will and has never been a solution to the problem of the American education system. There are expensive private schools that are sprouting, and the higher education has become a preserve of the rich and those who can afford the monies required. It only plays into the narrative of America being a capitalistic society, and people still why the inequality gap is still increasing! Education should be a way of solving these problems, not aggravating them (Kozol, 2012).

Conclusion

Conclusively, how does the American education system think it will compete with other developed countries? It is apparent that reforms need to be implemented from recruitment of highly qualified lecturers in colleges as well as inept review of the syllabus to fit the relevance and requirements of the job industry not only in the United States, but in the entire world as well. No wonder South Korea and China are outsmarting the US in scientific innovations, and time has come to rethink all these issues. The higher education system in the USA may not be broken, but this illusion of its competency nature needs to be confronted, sooner rather than later.

Works Cited

Kohn, A. (2000). The case against standardized testing: Raising the scores, ruining the schools (eBook). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Kozol, J. (2012). Savage inequalities: Children in America's schools. Broadway Books.

Liu, N. C., & Cheng, Y. (2005). The academic ranking of world universities. Higher Education in Europe. https://doi.org/10.1080/03797720500260116

Ravitch, D. (2016). The death and life of the great American school system: How testing and choice are undermining education. Basic Books.

Wilson, H. (2014). Turning off the school-to-prison pipeline. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 23(1), 49-53. https://doi.org/10.1515/commun-2014-0010