We are having serious problems especially in public high school education in America. Where we used to be one of the best educated nations, we are now way down on the list of top countries in this regard. Our high schools are seeing a high drop out rate and the graduates are too often found to be ill prepared for college or for success in the world. What is the problem and what changes need to be made?
One problem has been demographic. Public high schools, especially those in large urban areas, have gone from being places where middle class kids got their education to places where poor minority children go for classes. Los Angeles public school district is now 85% Latino and 95% of the students get free lunch because of their family’s low economic status. Nowadays, parents that can afford it send their children to private or parochial schools rather than the neighborhood school down the street.
As a result, standards have been lowered.
Part of the problem has been inadequate funding for public schools in general resulting in large class sizes giving teachers less time to spend with each student.
Part of the problem has been the learning model which has stressed memorization instead of understanding, recalling instead of thinking.
But I think a large part of the problem is that much of what high school students are being asked to learn is irrelevant or uninteresting or both. Students are not seeing the longterm utility of much of the material they are being asked to remember. How does it help them in their lives?
Today, high school students, especially those who have any college hopes are expected to take certain courses in order to graduate. They must take four years of English including grammar and literature, at least three years of history, including American history, at least two years of a foreign language, three years of science and of math.
The English requirement makes good sense. It is our country’s language and our students should know proper spelling, grammar and diction. They should be familiar with the great works of literature which provide readers with new ideas and ways of thinking. This knowledge will help them throughout their lives.
It is also important to know and understand history. If presented properly, history can be an exciting story of our origins with lessons for the future.
And even though the English language has become the universal language, with people all over the globe learning it, it still seems like at least two years of a foreign language would be helpful. While French and German are no longer quite so universal, Spanish has become one spoken often in the States and might be good to know. I have always been a great believer in the value of classes in Latin. So much of our language and grammar come from Latin as do so many important languages like French, Spanish and Italian.
But what of the math and science requirements? How many of us have ever had cause to use algebra, calculus, geometry or trigonometry in our daily lives - even once? How many of us remember any of it? Those who go on to study higher math, science, engineering or technology will have great use of these studies, but will the majority?
The same is true for science courses in high school. How often do we use our chemistry or physics knowledge?
What if we offered eighth graders a math and a science survey course. The math course would include basic algebraic principals like writing equations and solving for x in linear equations. The geometry and trigonometry segments would include the basic concepts without all the theorems and corollaries. The science survey course would cover the basics of biology, chemistry and physics without the details and equations. Some students will show a great interest in pursuing these fields in high school, the rest will be offered alternatives.
The alternatives can vary from hands-on learning such as shop, weaving or auto mechanics to courses like logic, philosophy, psychology, sociology and economics. There could be courses in home economics including financial dealings, hygiene and nutrition. All of these courses are currently being taught in varying degrees in many schools already or once were, like shop and home economics.
I think that these changes would improve student satisfaction and thus increase graduation rates and would better prepare students for the future enabling them to think as well as remember.
But what about college requirements? What if they still require all the math and science for admission? I think that colleges should drop these requirements except for math and science majors. These would have been the students who wanted to take all the math and/or science they can get. One of my daughters had five years of math, including two years of calculus and five of science in high school. She had three years of biology alone. My other daughter had the bare minimum at a school that even offered simplified courses in math and science for her. The former went into nursing but the other is more of an artist, for whom math and science are irrelevant.
And yet most colleges today require applicants to have a full load of math and science and then require additional courses in college. When one of my daughters’ freshman class orientation at college welcomed the students, the speaker predicted that a third of those present would drop out after a year because of the math requirement. How is that helpful?
What is the purpose of education? I think that it helps students learn to observe and gather data and then to reach practical conclusions and recommendations. Education should teach us how best to learn so that we can make the most of our own potential while having a positive impact on the world we live in. I don’t think that education today is doing that. I think that it is putting up unnecessary roadblocks to learning and growth and failing to teach our students to think and understand.
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