Why is the US Public School System Struggling?

 

Many people have their own personal theory or pet “enemy” to blame for what has happened to our education system.

 

Some people think that public schools struggle because of incompetent teachers. I don’t think so. Most teachers care about the students, and are highly trained and competent.

 

Maybe schools are struggling because too many parents don’t care about their children, or they spoil them. That is probably a factor.

 

School boards are often the scapegoat, and take heat on many issues. However, these people are usually volunteers or semi-volunteers who have real jobs and children. In a smoothly running district, the board tends to rubber stamp the superintendent’s recommendations.

 

Perhaps schools are suffering due to lack of funding. Yikes! How many more dollars can we afford to give schools? That is the subject for many future articles.

 

Maybe we can privatize the bus drivers and food service workers to save money. That would help, and I do believe that schools should have stuck to their core mission of education from the beginning. Instead, they now spend time and money operating non-core businesses such as recreation centers, day care, transportation and food service.

 

However, at this point, emotions on the privatization issue are running high. Communities are committed to keeping these important jobs within the schools. Privatizing these areas will create savings, but people just aren't ready for districts to go this far.

 

Many think that public schools have too many highly paid administrators.

 Unfortunately, knowledgeable administrators are needed in school districts due to regulations, bureaucracy and lawsuits.  The system is very complex.

 

Aha, I figured it out! Pure and simple, the public school complex “system” is the problem.

 

The system creates paperwork and headaches at the expense of the children. Different factions all compete for their own interests within the system.

 

No one group is at fault, yet rarely are any of these groups able to work together. It is a very adversarial system.

 

The system has forgotten that educating children is a school district's priority. Instead, the system has decided that guaranteeing good jobs for adults is more important.  

 

This is why charter schools and homeschools are thriving. For the most part, they have focused on educating children, and they do not have a “system” to get in the way. To me, it’s so simple. 

 

For more information, see:

  

US Students Ran 11^th in Science; 9^th in Math: Should We Go Back to Basics?

 

Should Teachers Strike Illegally?

 

'Charter Schools Work’ says Education Department  

 

Spoof: Top 10 Reasons to Criminalize Homeschooling