Public education in the United States offers free education up to the 12th grade, but a postsecondary college education is not. The legal public education system in the United States was created to accommodate the evolving requirements of revolutionary Industrialization. The system previously considered a time of growth has evolved, and in the present economic environment, that system is no anymore capable of meeting evolving demands. Therefore, to transform public education in the united states of America, the education stakeholders in the country need to adopt data systems that will help parents and teachers track the performance of the learners, reduce congestion in public schools, raise the standards for teachers in public schools, increase funding to public schools and lastly leave critical decisions to be made by the community rather than the school systems.
The lack of data systems in the education system and parental involvement is a global concern. Online programs usually depend on parents to provide the assistance that their teachers may find challenging or difficult to provide from a distance. However, parental involvement in online classes can differ tremendously, and instructors are concerned about the quantity and quality of parental support learners obtain. Consequently, some online courses necessitate the schools to issue learners with an in-person facilitator who collaborates face-to-face with learners (Borup, 2018). However, an active on-site instructor can relieve some of the obligations imposed on parents; they are not intended to replace parental involvement. Therefore, adopting data systems that enable parents and teachers to track learners’ performance is important. According to Borup et al. (2019), once a learner has registered in an online program, facilitators and instructors should enable parents to sign into their student’s online course and track their progress. The system urges that there is a need for public schools in the USA and around the globe should use data systems not only to track performance but to enhance the teaching process.
Most public schools were overcrowded and lacked adequate facilities to foster better education. Some classes can have up to one hundred learners in urban areas, exceeding the Department of Education’s recommended forty-five students per class. Students in those schools compete for space inside and outside class (Aid, 2017). In addition, the typical class size in American public schools in the 2011/12 school year was around twenty-one students in elementary school and nearly twenty-seven in secondary school. However, according to research, classrooms currently have nearly thirty, and in some instances, forty learners. Instructors and other supporters of smaller class sizes argue that classroom sizes determine instruction quality and that smaller classroom sizes enhance student performance (Barrington, 2022). Therefore, to reform the education system, there is a need to decongest these schools by adding additional facilities and funding. To guarantee school decongestion, the education department could buy land in regions where schools were overcrowded. Furthermore, building more schools was the best approach to overcrowding, not adding portable classes or instituting year-round schooling.
Subsequently, teachers living under poor conditions and using inadequate resources can paralyze education in public schools. According to Barrington (2022), teachers’ salaries are not good, and in several states, the salaries have gradually declined in previous years. Indeed, studies show that between the 2009/10 school year and now, the average salary for secondary and public elementary school teachers fell by almost five percent. In addition, Colorado and Oklahoma saw 16% and 17% decreases, respectively; Massive teacher boycotts also occurred in these states in 2018. Since the teachers lack enough motivation in their work, there is a need to improve the condition of education providers. This can be made possible by raising standards for the teachers (Lewis et al. 2020). In addition, creating effective mentoring and onboarding programs to boost teacher retention is essential. This may assist in reducing the constant turnover of new teachers. Mentors can assist new teachers and those having difficulties by offering instructional support. A supportive environment can raise teacher morale among new and seasoned educators.
Public schools in the USA are underfunded annually. Funding is constantly a concern for schools, and it has become one of the most pressing concerns confronting the American public education system. More than 90% of K-12 schools are funded by local and state governments, primarily through income taxes and sales (Barrington, 2022). However, research indicates that funding has not accelerated in line with the requirement, with many states still disbursing relatively lower funding than before the Great Recession. Lower funding translates to fewer teaching staff, training programs, and scarce resources. This means that the children lack the necessary resources to make their learning seamless (Weisburst, 2019). To efficiently execute the right to education, states must guarantee that a good percentage of the national budget is disbursed to education financing and that the funds are utilized effectively and equally to ensure education for all while also addressing disparities.
For a remarkable period, critical decisions have been left for the school systems which are not effective. Leaving critical decisions to the community will be effective as the community knows the learners’ interests (Louis & Kruse, 2021). Therefore, key decisions should be made by the community. To generate improved education systems and instructional strategies, All stakeholders should collaborate meaningfully through partnership, decision-making, and, thus, cohesion. Additionally, efficient collaboration among all stakeholders necessitates effective communication and productive performance. Consequently, schools that participate in accurate shared decision-making allocate time for educators to meet and places for them to gather and discuss (Louis & Kruse, 2021). Nevertheless, the cumulative impact of representative democracy and cohesive participatory structures that focus primarily on instruction and curriculum concerns will likely result in classroom change. Furthermore, school timelines are frequently modified by organizing common planning duration to enable teacher interaction.
In conclusion, the crippling education in public schools has been a significant concern for the key stakeholders. Lawmakers are constantly battling to improve the American public education system; they are not positive. Over the years, there has been a significant amount of disagreement, which has left the public education system in distress. Most of the above concerns are obvious and have been there for a long time. In contrast, others are recent and have arisen due to technological advancement, new policies, and overall change over time. There are numerous issues in current public schools, but recognizing them is only the first step. Given the numerous challenges ahead, it is time for teachers, parents, and legislators to join together and start working toward solutions – for the current advantages of all students in public schools. Therefore, implementing these policies will significantly help in tackling the problem.
References
Aid, A. (2017). Breakthrough Solution to Reduce Congestion in Public Schools.
Barrington, K. (2022). The 15 biggest failures of the American Public Education System. Public School Review. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/the-15-biggest-failures-of-the-american-public-education-system
Borup, J., Chambers, C. B., & Stimson, R. (2019). Online teacher and on-site facilitator perceptions of parental engagement at a supplemental virtual high school. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 20(2).
Lewis, S., Savage, G. C., & Holloway, J. (2020). Standards without standardisation? Assembling standards-based reforms in Australian and US schooling. Journal of Education Policy, 35(6), 737-764.
Louis, K. S., & Kruse, S. D. (2021). Creating Community in Reform: Images of Organizational Learning in Inner-City Schools 1. In Organizational learning in schools (pp. 17-45). Taylor & Francis.
Weisburst, E. K. (2019). Patrolling public schools: The impact of funding for school police on student discipline and long‐term education outcomes. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 38(2), 338-365.
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