Education reform has been at the forefront of media headlines for decades, but little has
been done to improve on the failing system. In order to reform public education in the United
States we need to provide better pay and support for teachers, incorporate more vocational and
career skill training, implement better safeguards for schools, and restructure our national budget
to support students and teachers. “Our schools are crumbling, and educators are leaving the
profession in droves, unable to pay off student debt or make ends meet on stagnant salaries.”
(Litvinov, 2018) Providing a better atmosphere for teachers and students can help improve the
declining United States education system.
Over the last 20 years, a lot of things have changed in the classroom and on school
campuses across the United States. One subject that seems to remain the same or backslide is
teacher pay. In an article published by National Education Association, we can see that despite
the “raises” teachers get they are making less money than 10 years ago. “In inflation-adjusted
terms, however, salaries have declined by almost 4 percent over the past decade.” (Walker, 2022)
Even after the red for ed movement moved across the nation, the pay incentive for teachers has,
as it seems, been put on the back burner once again. Something else that has changed in the last
20 years is support from parents and school board members. When I graduated high school in
2002, you rarely heard of someone talking back to a teacher much less blaming them for your
shortcomings. In today’s society we can see it on a weekly basis where the teacher is the one to
blame and not the student. If my child were to come to me a complain about a bad grades, I
wouldn’t drive to the school and blame the teacher, I would ask them if they did all they could to
receive a good grade. Teachers need to know that they have the support of the parents and staff to
discipline, if done correctly, and guide students to achieve their goals.
Go to school and get a degree if you want to be successful. That is a phrase that many of
us heard growing up and something that stuck around until recently. Four-year degree programs
have seen a decline over the last decade, “undergraduate college enrollment dropped 8% from
2019 to 2022” (Brinkley, 2023). A major contributing factor is the cost to attend a four-year
college, but some students are wanting a faster route to the job force. Vocational schools saw an
increase over 11% during the same time four-year colleges saw a decrease. Allowing high
schools to implement programs such as welding, auto tech, diesel engines, HVAC and basic
construction can help fast track kids that know a four-year college is not in their future. I know
that some schools are not equipped to or have the budget for adding such programs. In central
North Carolina, many high schools have partnered with local community colleges to help assist
with these programs and offer associate degree after completion. The downfall is that many
students do not have prior knowledge of these programs until their senior year or last semester of
school. Providing these opportunities and information to students and parents during their
freshman or sophomore year would greatly benefit many.
One could do some research and find the earliest recorded school shooting was July
26,1974. For myself it wasn’t until the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, that school
shootings because a known term. Since that deadly day, there have been 386 school shootings
according to the Washington post. What can be done to prevent such acts of violence from
happening and how can we protect our children in the event it happens at their school? A lot of
people would push the blame to the gun manufacture or blame it on video games, the problem
starts a lot closer to home. The majority of school shooters get their guns from home or a close
relative and most gave some warning sign before the incident occurred (How can we prevent gun
violence, 2021). Firearms safety should start in the home or be offered at a local level to ensure
parents and students are aware of the laws and receive basic firearm knowledge. If a student
were to bring a firearm to school, the parent or legal guardian should be help accountable for all
damages. NC 14 315.1 states that if a minor has access to the firearm and uses it in the
commission of a crime, the parent or legal guardian will go to jail. There are also countless
military veterans and retired law enforcement officers that would be willing to work with schools
to ensure the safety of all.
Where does all the tax money go? This is a question we have all asked from time to time.
We would like to think that our money is being used in the right places but sometimes that is not
the case. In an article on failing school systems, one headline reads “School spending is stagnant,
even in our improving economy.” (Lynch, 2017) State legislators appear to be tightening their
spending when it comes to public schools. How is the school system going to improve without
appropriate money from local government? The public school system has seen attendance drop
with private schools have seen an influx of students. According to the US public education
spending statistics, 3.5% of taxpayer income goes to public schools, while defense spending is
over 20%. Being a military veteran, I would agree that a 1%-2% cut from defense spending
would be more beneficial to schools. When talking about the leaders of tomorrow, we need not to
cut corners or pull tax dollars from educations.
In conclusion, I believe there is a lot of work ahead in United States with education
reform. While defense spending is necessary, our education has been on the decline over the past
20 years. Our focus needs to change if we are to improve our education system and ensure that
References:
Litvinov, B. Á., Tim Walker, Cindy Long, Amanda. (2018).E10 Challenges Facing Public
Education Today | NEA. Www.nea.org. https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-
articles/10-challenges-facing-public-education-today
Walker, T. (2022).EAverage Teacher Salary Lower Today Than Ten Years Ago, NEA Report
Finds | NEA. Www.nea.org. https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/average-
teacher-salary-lower-today-ten-years-ago-nea-report-finds
Binkley, C. (2023, March 9).EThe labor shortage is pushing American colleges into crisis, with
the plunge in enrollment the worst ever recorded. Fortune.
https://fortune.com/2023/03/09/american-skipping-college-huge-numbers-pandemic-
turned-them-off-education/
How Can We Prevent Gun Violence in American Schools?E(2021, September 20). Everytown
Research & Policy. https://everytownresearch.org/report/how-can-we-prevent-gun-
violence-in-schools/
Lynch, M. (2017, April 3).E18 Reasons the U.S. Education System is Failing. The Edvocate.
https://www.theedadvocate.org/10-reasons-the-u-s-education-system-is-failing/
