‘F’ stands for failure

Cartoon drawn by Vincent Parras

“That used to be us…” That phrase has been said often recently about the overall state of the United States, and it’s true— especially in education. America’s education is on life support, and if not fixed the plug will soon be plugged.

The U.S. used to be the envy of the world for its great education decades ago, but now many countries, such as China are now at the top.

The reason for these countries being at the top is that their students are actually being prepared for college the moment they enroll in school. If the U.S. does not change how students are taught, the country will continue to fall behind.

There have been many so-called “solutions” such as tinkering with teaching and acts of Congress that have ultimately failed. A new law or one-size-fits-all approach will not fix education. One of the only ways to fix education is to totally change America’s culture to value serious education, passing it on from parents to kids.

Currently, states across the union, including Texas, have cut education when it needs all the money it can get. To cut funding for education is possibly the most uneducated decision a government can make.
Along with cuts, many teachers across the country have experienced lower salaries. Teachers are basically working a minimum wage job that requires a college degree. This is not right. At many schools in China and other countries, teachers are paid as much as a doctor or a lawyer. If schools paid teachers more, maybe there will be better teachers teaching the next generation.

With a weak education system there is no way the country can dig itself out of this recession. Once K-12 and higher education are both fixed, the country’s economy will once again grow due to a better-skilled workforce. Education and the economy go hand in hand— one falters and the other will as well.
The current approaches to education try to treat all students the same. Students need to be treated as individuals with their own ways of learning. This individualization is the only way all students can learn.

Getting students college-ready requires a wholesale change to education in the United States. Exact solutions aren’t easy, but more of the same is not it. The purpose of a school is to grow and prep students for college and life.

Once America’s education is fixed, there is no stopping this once-great country from becoming the envy of the world again.

“That will be us…”