(Every year,
foundations, think tanks and various other organizations produce lengthy papers
detailing what‘s wrong with the state of education in our public schools and
colleges, and what can be done to improve it. Yet nothing happens. Billions of dollars
are spent on technology but the scores don't budge, and the same (if not more)
percentage of students continue to drop out of school or take forever to
graduate. The tomes that the education experts and the educational-industrial
complex produce to rectify public education have one thing in common: they
rarely reflect what the students themselves think! It is as if they are
convinced that students aren’t capable of analyzing what’s wrong with
education, yet the pundits are full of suggestions as to how to foster critical
thinking among them. The irony is obvious to everyone except to the tome
producers! This is the second and final article in a series on what students
think is wrong with our educational system and the meaningful and practical
steps that can be taken to improve it. You can read the first part here.)
Jamie
believes that what ails higher education in America is the high cost of
tuition. If students can be stress-free and debt-free, their interest in
mastering the subjects, and hence their scores and graduation rates, will rise.
Tying learning outcomes to real-world standards and offering year-round classes
will also help.
Deisy
thinks that investing huge sums of money on educational technology has not
matched the expectations of its proponents. Laying off teachers while
installing the latest gadgets in classrooms to “improve and enhance” education
has set education back. Online classes are not as effective as regular classes.
In fact, for many students, online classes do not work at all. As Deisy sees
it, we need to get back to the basics. While technology can help, schools
should invest more on hiring good and inspiring teachers and less on hiring
managers and administrators. We all lose if schools are treated as businesses.
Education may have a business part to it but it can at best be secondary. As
long as we focus on the true purpose of schools and colleges, which is to
educate and help students develop critical thinking skills, they will do well. “If,
instead, all we focus on is “innovation” through technology, there will hardly
be any progress.”
Michael sees textbooks as a barrier to higher education, both in costs and content. “I have compared our community college books to texts used at San Jose State University, and they are very different in rigor and complexity. I believe community colleges don't prepare you enough for state universities. For example, most community college students don't realize how much harder universities are, that they will have to adjust so rapidly. This leads to students failing and wasting money on units that are not completed.”
Keenan
is reluctant to blame teachers alone for what is wrong with our education. Most
teachers are dedicated, selfless souls who contribute much to shaping minds but
are poorly compensated in return. Unless students take responsibility for their
own learning and motivate themselves, not much will change. “I take
responsibility for my life. It saddens me to see that many of my friends look
for excuses when their results do not match their expectations. Hard work and
good study habits are critical.”
Eduardo
doesn’t agree with the pessimistic view many hold about the American education
system. “I believe our education system is outstanding compared to other
countries because it gives us a lot of opportunities and a lot of financial
help if we need it. There’s always a way or another in which you could receive
a decent education. I have had access to good education and have received help
when I needed it. Thanks to our system, I am well on my way to becoming the
first person in my family to go to college and have a good carrier.”
Krithika feels that more money should be spent to increase the number of certain classes offered per semester. “Almost every semester of my community college career, I have been faced with the dilemma of filled classes, and have had to delay taking the classes until the following semester. Important classes such as the biology, physics and chemistry classes are offered every semester but each is offered only one class per semester. This is frustrating because the classes get quickly filled and there is a restriction of only about 35 students, so those who did not get the classes that semester need to wait to take it in the future. Lack of more classes forces students to extend their education at community colleges to more than two years. This creates a cyclical effect where students who have more units in a college get priority during registration and often fill up classes so that incoming students are forced to wait.”
For
Gurleen, the real problem is that schools have become a chore for many, a
boring place where nothing of importance happens and time and money are wasted.
She is baffled by this mindset. “School is where you get to expand your mind,
where you are inspired to become life-long learners. After
all, education is a journey, not a destination. If we can encourage kids
at a young age to love school, then they will be more willing to go to college.
In community colleges, things are a little different. Students have many
choices but they also are beginning to confront the harsh realities of life. The
coursework itself is not challenging, but balancing work and school is. I know
that over the years I’ve had to put school on the back-burner because medical
expenses, bills, work, family life had gotten to be too much. I
know this is the case with many of my peers. Unfortunately, not all teachers
and colleges are accepting of that. Instead of making life easier for students,
who have to juggle responsibilities, they make it harder. In 2011 I was
rear-ended driving to school. The accident left me out of school for 3 weeks. I
was given Fs for all my classes that semester because it was too late to drop
the classes. Instead of helping me and allowing me to get Ws, the college
ruined my academic history. After I recovered, I went to talk to a counselor
who told me my major, nursing, was too impacted and that I should just drop out
of school for a while. It is never acceptable to tell students to drop out of
school, particularly when they have to miss classes due to medical reasons.
Counselors nowadays are asked to see 600 students or so per semester. Because
of this, they can only see students for no more than 15 minutes. If teachers,
counselors and administrators become more understanding of what students have
to go through day in and day out, things will improve. The graduation rate will
go up significantly.”
For
Garcia, the real problem lies with parents who force their children to enroll
in colleges even when they are not ready, either emotionally or intellectually.
“Success in community colleges is largely based on independence and
determination. Students with these skills tend to be the most successful. If a
student doesn’t have these traits, he or she should do something else, either a
job or some kind of internship, where these skills can be developed.”
Maybelle
believes that peer-to-peer transfer of knowledge is the key to success for
community college students. “Students who are good with a subject should help
those lagging behind. Teachers can help set up blogs or social media to
facilitate these types of interaction for their classes. In this age of social
media, learning from peers can really advance education and increase graduation
rates.”
As
Emily sees it, one of the most frustrating things in college is trying to get
the classes you need. “One of the best things colleges could do would be to cut
down general ed requirements. Many of these requirements are unnecessary and
pre-historic. They have no relevance in the lives of students. That way we
could get our degrees in two years and move on with our lives. The other thing
that must be addressed is student loans. Student loans are out of control. The
cost of tuition has gotten so high that many students cannot even think of
attending college. My parents are well-off, but since they had to put my sister,
and now me, through college, they are just about broke. College education
should not be so expensive.”
For
Courtney, education will improve only if the attitude of people in charge of
education – teachers, counselors, deans, administrators – changes for the
better. The number of caring and competent teachers and counselors are too few.
Unless they learn how to address the needs of students in a caring and professional
way, as opposed to indulging in favoritism and carelessness, very little in
education will improve.
Danilo finds the whole system of teacher evaluation deeply flawed. “Some
of my teachers in high school were flat out horrendous because they were not evaluated
properly or often enough. I would end up getting discouraged because I believed
my teachers were not doing a good job teaching and I wasn't learning as much as
I should. It was very frustrating.” Danilo wants a more rigorous system of
teacher evaluation. Even more, he wants colleges to act on the evaluations. He
feels that the evaluations are only for show, just going through the motion,
that colleges are not sincere about removing teachers who aren’t doing their
job. “We have to remove incompetent teachers
from our schools and colleges and hire the best possible teachers, irrespective
of age, experience or gender. If we do that, education will progress by leaps
and bounds.”
Christy thinks that technology can be a good educational tool but the way it is used now does more harm than good. “Everything has become so internet-based that professors have lost touch with their students and their academic goals. Teachers have started viewing their actions in the classroom as a “job”\ rather than a passion. They no longer interact or connect with their pupils. However, learning is a two-way street between the teacher and the student. Great teachers make learning a joy but unfortunately there are too few of them. Colleges should hire the best teachers because a single bad teacher can easily ruin lives. Perhaps when colleges are hiring teachers, they should include one or two student representatives to interview the teacher as well.”
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