Education Reform

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Education Reform
Jonathan Aviles
Montgomery College

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Education Reform
The United States has a vastly growing society and economy, in which people need to
have had graduated from high school or college in order for them to succeed in their future. The
current education system in place today is not helping students develop the skills needed for
todays thriving society. In a YouTube video by the channel called American Enterprise Institute
(2014) it is said that having quality education can make a big difference in the United States. An
education reform is needed in order to help out students for their future and also for the benefit of
the economy and society of the United States. Not everything in the current education system
needs to be changed, some things can remain the same or maybe just tweaked a little. While
other areas like accreditation, school subjects, teachers, and money need to be reevaluated or
readjusted in order to help out students.
Investigating in these areas of the educational system, it was found that the system has
some problems and should be modified in order to help out students. Firstly, accreditation is an
evaluation of standards which are given to colleges, universities, or other institutes. Accreditation
will assure students that colleges and universities have meet these standards at a quality level.
Accreditation rates the colleges and universities as a whole and not really the programs, lessons,
or classes that can be taken at these schools. Secondly, school subjects is another area that has
some problems. In todays education system students are forced to take more of one certain class
or subject than another in order to pass onto the next grade. Like throughout the four years of
high school children need to take English and math all four years in order to graduate. With those
subjects students are also required to take three years of science, three years of a language, two
years of arts or musical, one year of technology, and half a year of health. This unbalance of
subjects suppresses creativity in students since schools make students focused more on the big

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main subjects like English and math. In todays society creativity is needed more than before
since there are more entrepreneurial people and businesses. A third area that has a problem are
teachers. Teachers are pretty much the foundation of the schools, theyre the ones that teach the
students with their lessons that are prepared for the day and help them out whenever someone is
confused or has a question. Even some teachers dont have the right qualifications in order to
teach a class or subject. These teachers can be learning about the subject as the class goes on, just
like the students. Not only do certain teachers not have right the credentials for a certain class but
they also dont have they experience others do. Those teachers wont have their own teaching
techniques since they are basically starting off on something they dont know. While others who
do have their credentials, have their own style that can be effective to students. Now a days
students just try to memorize as much information for a test then actually learning it. A final area
to look at that has a problem is money and investing in the education system. Money can
become a problem because the federal government is investing more money into schools and not
much progress is being made. The government is spending money on tools such as new
computers and tablets. By doing so the federal and state government is just losing money, they
should focus more on the actual quality of education for students so they may actually learn and
not just try to memorize for a test and forget. School systems have also adjusted their funding
priorities to support testing and testing materials rather than enrichment, recess, and resources for
all the students (Croft, Roberts, & Stenhouse, 2016, para. 53). The money should be invested
into helping students for their test, not the test themselves.
The education system in the U.S. has areas that need to be look upon and revised. The
problem of accreditation is that it can affect students greatly. Accreditation is mainly intended to
assure students that colleges and universities meet certain standards of quality (Burke, Butler,

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2015, para. 5). Accreditation can also block a student from receiving financial aid for college or
universities. If a student wants to attend a non-accredited school, then he or she wouldnt be able
to receive the financial aid. Another problem with accreditation is that it standardizes colleges as
a whole and not for the classes or specific courses. Leading people to attend and pay for these
expensive colleges or universities and being taught quality information. This makes students
either struggle in the class and pass with a low grade or even end up failing the class and having
to retake it again. School subjects is another area to look into and should be modified. The
subjects and courses taken in high school are not balanced and can affect creativity within a
student. As stated before subjects like math, science, and English are focused more than other
subjects like health, art, or music. Focusing on certain subjects in school cannot only reduce
creativity but the adjustment can also stress out students. Students not taking art or music cant
relax their minds and create what they want in art or relax to a beat of a song. Blocking off this
creativity is not beneficial since in todays society creativity is needed and more important than
ever, since there are more entrepreneurial businesses that thrive on creativity and originality.
Another area to look into are teachers and professors. While most teachers have the
qualifications in order to teach a class or a certain subject, some do not. These teachers that do
not have the right qualifications arent effective at teaching students, which can cause a domino
effect. Students who take a course with an instructor that isnt too familiar with the subject can
lead the student for failure. The student will have to end up retaking the class again another year,
waste time, stay behind, and maybe even lose money. Failing a class can also cause stress into
the students making matters worse. These teachers do not have the experience other would have
gotten throughout their journey in order to get the degree needed to teach in their major. Teachers
and professors, may teach people to teach, but historically, their most important role has

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been to provide credentials (Cassuto, 2015, para. 6). Another major component to reevaluate is
the money and investing into education. Money that has been invested into education by the
federal and state government is being lost. Money is going into new programs or course that can
help benefit the students in order to succeed in school, but sometime the students dont end up
doing so well in these new courses and end up failing the class or program. Alongside that, the
state government is also buying new technology to help the students with their learning. Even
with this new technology students still tend to fail some classes and having to retake them over
again. Money itself wont really benefit the students to succeed in school. The government
should invest into stable programs, classes, or even school work, so that students may succeed in
order to graduate from school.
While there are problems in these four categories, there are some solutions to fix them to
improve the education system so that students will be able to succeed in schools, colleges, or
universities. Some solutions for accreditation would be to end accreditation agencies and abolish
accreditors. Accreditation agencies are controlled agencies which certify higher educational
institutes. Alongside that, abolishing accreditors can also be beneficial. They are the people that
grant accreditation to colleges or universities. Getting rid of both can help out people who want
to attend college or universities because instead of rating the college as a whole, it should be
rated on how the classes are at that institute. A solution for subjects in school can be balancing
them out. Among balancing out subjects in school the adjustment can help enhance the creativity
within students as well as reduce stress. Balancing subjects out can help a student look into what
he or she would want to work as or become in the future. The balance could give different
opportunities and experiences. In addition, two solutions for teacher and professors are to hire
new ones and set new requirements in order to help the students out. In the first place teachers

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should already have had at least a degree in the field or subject they are teaching so that they
arent learning with the students as the class goes on. Setting new requirements for teachers can
help with the hiring process in which when a teacher or professor is hired they should have
experience in their field so that they may pass on the knowledge to the younger generation.
Finally two solutions to for money are to invest less and create or have a budget. By doing so
this cannot only save money but can help put more focus on the curriculums, programs, course,
or school work to provide quality and interesting education for the students. The government
should only go over the budget for an emergency or if the new curriculums are showing positive
results and then maybe increasing the budget little by little.
The education system has its weaknesses but there are solutions in order to strengthen it
and improve on it as well. Accreditation needs some adjusting to better the college and university
experience. Stopping accreditors will help in stopping higher education institutes from being
evaluated as a whole. Instead they should be evaluated on how the courses or majors are. So that
future students can do research to see which would be more beneficial for them. People should
realize how important school subjects play an important role.
Balancing subjects in school can benefit students for their future and also the economy
and society. As stated before, the current school curriculums make students focus more on
subject like math, science, and English. Readjusting the curriculum so that balancing school
subjects would help out students a lot. Students will be able to have a more creative mind set,
which can help benefit them in the current society. Not to mention a creativity mind set would
help them out with common day problems that occur and being able to think outside the box so
that they may overcome a problem. This new balance would give students the opportunity to try
out different subjects so that they may learn more and choose which they would want to major

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in. The chancellor of a university in the Midwest wanted an education reform and After much
planning, discussions, and voting in each of the institution's undergraduate colleges, the
university launched a new, outcomes-based general education program in fall 2009, replacing the
previous subject-based program (Hachtmann, 2012, para. 5).
In addition to accreditation and subjects, there are also solutions for teachers and
professors. Teachers and professors need to have a degree in the field they are teaching. This can
help students out by them being taught by someone who has knowledge in their subject. Not only
can a degree in their field help but also being able to plan out class lessons and balancing out
school work and homework so that they dont cause students stress with a pile of work sheets. If
a teacher wants to switch into a different subject he or her should first go back to school and get
the right credentials in order to teach in that area.
Finally solutions for money and investing are to invest when needed and not spend too
much money on technology. Technology in schools distracts students from the actual learning.
As a result, investing money on technology should be limited to only replacing old computers in
labs, printers, or programs for classes. Trimming the budget can also be an important solution,
that way less money is being lost to schools that show no sign of improvement from students. By
trimming the budget it would also mean laying off teachers in schools since the teacher-student
ratio is off. Also cutting back on supplies that students can buy outside of school.
Additionally there are benefits to the solutions given of accreditation, schools subjects,
teachers, and money. The solutions stated above can help benefit the increase in quality
education for students and society. By stopping accreditors and accreditation agencies in higher
education institutes, students will be able to have more opportunities for school. One is being
able to receive financial aid for college or university. Many high school graduates that want to

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attend college sometimes cant because of accreditation. Students would only receive financial
aid if they attend a college that has been approved by accreditation. By ending accreditation
students would be able to attend college with financial aid, so that they may have a better future.
Balancing subjects in schools would also have great benefits for the economy, society, and
especially the students. The balance would improve students creativity which can help out with
everyday problems. Creativity can also help them out when they graduate from high school.
They would be able to do well in the current society which thrives creativity, since in todays
economy there are more entrepreneurial businesses or organizations. Balancing subjects can
help lower students stress levels. If a student is concerned about a certain project or paper due for
a class he or she can calm the mind in an art class or music where they can express themselves.
Not to mention this will also cause a decrease in negative behavior and class disruptions, since
students would have a calmer mind set. Not only will this give students a variety of subjects to
choose from but also it can help them to determine in which they would want to do as a career or
major in. There are some initiatives that are intended to define curriculum standards, coordinate
policy with expected outcomes (Smith, 2016, para. 8). The benefit of reevaluating teachers and
professors in schools would help improve in students education. Teachers with degrees have
more experience than those without. Professors and teachers would be able to pass along the
knowledge they had collected over the years of studying. Students will actually learn the subject
and may become interested in it. These new teachers with degrees can provide quality
information for students so that wont have to try and memorize lessons or definitions for a test
then forget it the next day. Finally there are also benefits for spending less on education. Two
benefits are it saves money and a budget can help prioritize what is necessary over what is not.
First cutting back on education spending would help save a ton of money because students are

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not showing progression in education. Some are failing and having to retake classes. Others
sometimes even dropout of college or high school and just go work instead. Because of this
money is being wasted, Rather than spending $25 billion in taxpayer money through yet another
federal education program, the federal government should empower states with more flexibility
and control over how existing federal education dollars are spent (Burke, 2015, para. 34).
Establishing a new education budget will help the government invest only what is needed for
schools like new computers since the old ones are out dated or better internet routers for better
connection. The United States government could focus more on constructing a new education
system to spend money on instead of spending money to see little results.
On the contrary there are some conflicting matters with accreditation, school subjects,
teachers, and money. Firstly for accreditation, it has to be kept since it helps set higher education
standards. If schools are not evaluated with accreditation then there would be no common
standards of what school is higher ranked than another. All colleges and universities would be
consider to be on the same level without accreditation. The evaluation of colleges can show
which one would suite the person better to attend too. This way students can get the best out of
the colleges they attend to and could help them out for future jobs that ask what college they
attend. As well as, public schools are held to high standards based on state requirements and
testing (Barden & Lassmann, 2016, para. 4). Secondly for school subjects, the current school
curriculum should remain as it is because it prepares students for what awaits them in college or
universities. Science, math, and English are more important because it teaches students the basic
skills that are needed not only for college but also for the real world. Thirdly, hiring new teachers
would mean more money. If new teachers are to be hired for better and more quality education,
they would need to be paid higher wages in order for them to make a living for themselves. Not

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to mention when a teacher or professor are hired they should already have the qualifications in
order to educate students. If they didnt then they shouldnt have been hired in the first place.
Finally, cutting back on spending on education will not help. Money will still end up being
wasted, while yes there will be students who will succeed, there will also be some that wont.
The money spend on education should be used to help students out, getting them tutors or extra
credit classes in order for them to succeed.
The current education system should be reevaluated in order to help the younger
generation succeed in the current society. In the article, Understanding the Limits and
Possibilities of School Reform by Lonsbury and Apple (2012), they talk about improving the
education system and the limitations of what can be done to it. The education system is not
perfect, it does have its complications and obstacles from making it an acceptable system. The
education system needs to be reconstructed. The flaws and weaknesses should be look over so
that people can benefit from it and not suffer from it. A new education system will benefit all.
Firstly it would help students out so that they are more prepared for the current society and
would help the economy and society for the United States. In New Orleans, students shot
upward after the reforms (Harris, 2015, para. 16). The country will thrive and become even
better than it is. An education reform would benefit all of the country and not just students in
schools, colleges, or universities.

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References
American Enterprise Institute (2014). Education for opportunity: 3 ideas for American
education reform [Video]. United States: Youtube.
Barden, K. J. K., & Lassmann, M. E. (2016). Charter schools and public schools in Texas.
Education, 136(3), 291+.
Burke, L., & Butler, S. M. (2015). Accreditation Should Be Reformed in Higher
Education. In R. Espejo (Ed.), At Issue. What Is the Future of Higher Education?
Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. (Reprinted from Accreditation:
Removing the Barrier to Higher Education Reform, Backgrounder, 2012)
Burke, L. M. (2015). Federal Spending on Education Should Be Limited. In N. Merino
(Ed.), Opposing Viewpoints. School Reform. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven
Press. (Reprinted from How Escalating Education Spending Is Killing Crucial
Reform, Backgrounder, 2012)
Cassuto, L. (2015, November 13). How do you measure a good teacher, anyway? It
doesn't seem like something you can do online. The Chronicle of Higher
Education, 62(11), A38.
Croft, S. J., Roberts, M. A., & Stenhouse, V. L. (2016). The perfect storm of education
reform: high-stakes testing and teacher evaluation. Social Justice, 42(1), 70+.
Frauke Hachtmann. (2012). The Process of General Education Reform from a Faculty
Perspective: A Grounded Theory Approach. The Journal of General
Education, 61(1), 1638.

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Lonsbury, J., & Apple, M. W. (2012). Understanding the Limits and Possibilities of
School Reform. Educational Policy, 26(5), 759-773.
doi:10.1177/0895904811425909
N. Harris, D. (2015). Good news for New Orleans: early evidence shows reforms lifting
student achievement. Education Next, 15(4), 8+.
Smith, A. C. (1997). Systematic education reform and school inclusion: A view..
Education & Treatment Of Children, 20(1), 7.

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