Education is important. It is the backbone of our society and our future generations. It's also one of the current hot topics in the U.S. today, with documentaries, magazines, and newspapers giving it major attention.
TIME is just one magazine that covered this issue extremely well. They dedicated their entire National Service issue to Education. Check out their two articles here: Waiting for "Superman": A Call to Action for Our Schools & How to Recruit Better Teachers.
According to the first article, the US is ranked as the 5th country in cumulative K-12 education spending per student in '06. However, out of the 30 developed countries surveyed, the US students ranked 24th in science literacy & 25th in math literacy. So how is it that classes are smaller, per-pupil spending has increased, but student performance has not improved? We have a 16:1 student to teacher ratio in 2007, compared to 22:1 in 1970; a 123% increase in per-pupil education spending in the US from 1971-2006 yet a 0% change in academic performance among 17-year-olds from 1971-2004 in a national test for reading. **
These statistics are a bit ridiculous if you ask me. I can't fanthom spending more, lowering class sizes, and having no change in academic performance. Clearly, there is something wrong here. Is it the kids? Society? Principles? Materials? Textbooks? Teachers? While I'm not trying to play the blame game, because I'm sure the reason is a combination of these issues, I do want to focus on something that is a growing problem.
In the US, teaching has begun being seen as less of a prestigious career and more of a community service, done for a year or two. Unlike becoming a Doctor, Lawyer, or successful CEO; teaching is seen as hard-work for little pay and even less recognition. This is where their second article comes into play. The recruitment of better teachers is definitely a MUST! While there are plenty of great teachers out there; there are more who are lazy, not dedicated, and just keep the job for the benefits.
Another reason people don't look at teaching as a serious career is because of pay. A survey of college students, proves that they expected garbage collectors to make more then teachers. Wrong. The average annual wages of kindergarten and elementary-middle-and high school teachers are $47,100 to $51,180. The bottom 10% make $30,970 to $34,280 BUT the top 10% make $75,190 to $80,970 annually**.
Now, I personally know some teachers who are currently starting their careers, and I wish them the best of luck! They will become great additions to the teaching force and touch many student's lives, I'm sure. These are the people who give me some hope of a better future with a better education system.
However, we must also play our part at home. We must focus on our kids' education and strive to help them throughout the years. For those of us who are educated and successful in our careers, we can also offer support in schools and mentoring programs to help show students the advantages of continuing education and doing well.
An excellent example I can think of is the seriously dedicated and driven group of individuals that make up LYHEP (Latino Youth for Higher Education Program) in New York City. These young professionals have come together to develop a program that is focused on promoting higher education among Latinos and other minorities within our community. To learn more about them, check out their website here: LYHEProgram.org!
Lastly, TIME does a great job of wrapping up their coverage with an article on other ways people can help out our education system. Make sure to check it out here: How to Help.
**Statistic Sources: Organization for economic cooperation and development; National Center for Education Statistics; Bureau of Labor Statistics.
