Mockerman 1

Megan Mockerman
Mrs. Diana Watkins
Honors Composition I
21 October 2014
Issues Plaguing American Classrooms
America is below average. Although Americans pride themselves with
being "the best", the performance of Americans is not impressive when it
comes to academics. Internationally, American students have stagnant,
mediocre scores in comparison to their competitors (Layton). The deterred
success of American students is in direct correlation with the growing issues
of American education. Continuing research on Common Core to determine
the extent of its effectiveness and whether it is actually effective at all, along
with dismantling the current structure of how material is taught to students,
and linking schooling to society are just a few solutions to some of the
problems that plague the American educational system.
A problem with the American educational system that has recently
been integrated into classrooms is the Common Core curriculum.
Theoretically, nationally standardizing what is taught at each grade level
could be beneficial. It could provide equal opportunities for students
regardless of their demographics. This is one benefit that has prompted
states to adopt the standards. However, little attention has been paid to the
academic quality of the mathematics, literature, and writing standards [of
Common Core], despite the fact that [the standards] were not internationally
benchmarked or researched-based (Stotsky 1). Therefore, further
examination of Common Core reveals standards with a devastating impact

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on certain academic subjects and on local control of curriculum. The intent of
the Common Core standards is to make students college-ready. However,
this does not necessarily mean that academic standards have been
strengthened in the process. Common Core has been structured to focus on
more nonfiction and informational texts, which has been based off the fact
that college students read more informational than literary texts (Stotsky 1).
However, informational texts are not as challenging because they do not
contain the same syntax or literary devices as classic literary pieces. Placing
less emphasis on a range of diverse literary works that are generally more
complex in nature than on informational texts could lead to a diminished
ability to analyze texts, a skill that is necessary for success in college
(Stotsky 1). Moreover, the addition of financial incentives to the Common
Core standards is attracting states to accept the standards and make
education a national concern. The Race to the Top Fund offers competitive
grants to all states based on a number of criteria, one of which is now the
implementation of Common Core standards, and states can receive waivers
from No Child Left Behind requirements if they adopt college and careerready standards (Williams). Therefore, if states would like to receive more
funding for education from the national government, then adopting the
Common Core standards is not truly voluntary for states-- the incentives for
adopting Common Core are too attractive. As the standards are now, states
should think twice about implementing them into their schooling systems.
The long term effects, such as a diminished ability to analyze information, as

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well as the increasing influence of the national government in education, are
too great of disadvantages to adopt Common Core.
In addition to examining the curriculum that is now required to be
taught because of the implementation of Common Core, the manner in which
material is presented to students and the proficiency of instructors should
also be examined and improved. Alarmingly, over ninety percent of all
middle school students are taught by science teachers that are not proficient
in their subject (Heeter). Educational institutions need to make sure
instructors are proficient in what is supposed to be the instructor's area of
expertise so that instructors are equipped with the resources to effectively
teach material to students. In order to do this, teachers could specialize
within their area of expertise. In doing so, teachers would be able to
completely master a specific subject within their area of expertise as
opposed to having a general understanding of everything within their area of
expertise. For example, "some [teachers] might teach fractions to all upperelementary students as opposed to teaching a range of math subjects to one
fourth-grade class" (Mehta 3). Therefore, educational institutions could hire
multiple teachers that specialize on a specific subject rather than have the
task of finding and hiring teachers that have managed to master all of the
material that falls within their area of expertise. The instructors could even
attend workshops concerning the subject in which they have specialized,
which would further master their skills within their area of specialization.
Equipping instructors with the necessary resources to master the material

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would allow instructors to relay those resources to students. This in turn
would potentially improve the performance of American students on exams,
and increase Americas standing in the international academic realm.
Not only should the way material is presented to students be
improved, but the connection between schooling and society should be
improved as well. In order for students to be successful in their academic
careers, they must have an out-of-school support system that also aids in the
retainment of their knowledge. Too often students forget a significant amount
of the material they have learned during the school year over the summer. To
prevent this loss of information, an array of governmental and nonprofit
providers could help integrate the educational system with summer
programs, after school programs, and before school programs that would be
organized and provided to create an environment for educational preparation
and aid in the retainment of information (Mehta 4). If all students had the
opportunity be able to use this type of system in which they could apply
what they have previously learned in the classroom, then they would be
much more efficient in retaining the information and better understanding
the material. Rather than simply memorizing what is taught to them in the
classroom, they would have the chance to master the material. As a result,
students would gain more confidence in the classroom. Some students
decide to drop-out of school because they cannot see themselves furthering
their education. However, if students were given the opportunity to master
curriculum and gain academic confidence, then they would be much more

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likely to complete their education as well as further their education.
Therefore, the test scores of students could potentially improve with this
method and drop-out rates could decrease.
Despite multiple reforms in the past, the American educational system
is severely lacking. Therefore, students are not motivated to strive for
success in their academic career. States should elect not to adopt Common
Core standards due to the programs disadvantages regarding curriculum.
Hiring teachers that have mastered a subject within their area of expertise
would improve the manner in which the material is presented to students.
Therefore, the material would be better understood and applied. Creating
programs for educational preparation and retainment would improve the
confidence of students, and in turn, improve their performance. Analyzing
and solving these problems, as well as many others, that plague the
American educational system would improve student performance. This is
extremely important because American students are competing with other
students on a global scale, and if the American educational system does not
improve, American students will be put on the back burner.
Works Cited
2 Million Minutes. Dir. Chad Heeter. Perf. Neil Ahrendt and Apoorva Uppala.
Robert Compton Films, 2008. DVD.
Mehta, Jal. "The Futures of School Reform: Five Pathways to Fundamentally
Reshaping American Schooling." American Enterprise Institute for
Public Policy Research 7 (2012): 3-4. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.aei.org/outlook/education/k-12/system-reform/the-futuresof-school-reform-five-pathways-to-fundamentally-reshaping-americanschooling/>
Stotsky, Sandra. "Common Core Standards' Devastating Impact on Literary
Study and Analytical Thinking." The Heritage Foundation Issue Brief

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3800 (2012): 1-2. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
<http://report.heritage.org/ib3800>
Williams, Bob, and Joe Luppino-Esposito. "Financial Incentives Are The 'Core'
Of New Education Standards." State Budget Solutions. 18 June 2013.
Web. 14 Oct 2014.
<http://www.statebudgetsolutions.org/publications/detail/financialincentives-are-the-core-of-new-education-standards>