The American education system has become a lightning rod for debate. Whether it’s the lack of pathways to better opportunities down the line or its outdated structure in need of reform, the same question remains: is it preparing students for the modern world? In short, no and let me tell you why.
The roots of the education system stretches back to the Industrial Age, which was a time of demand for competent factory workers. In order to prepare students for these basic roles, the government created a structured school system where teachers focused on teaching fundamental skills to students such as reading, writing and arithmetic. Now, flash forward to present day, very little has yet to change in the schooling system, and it continues to limit the opportunity for creativity.
Another big criticism of the education system is the overreliance on memorization and standardized testing. Memorization only leads to students focusing on recalling facts instead of truly understanding the material. In addition to this, when asked to memorize large chunks of information, students often forget it just days later. Nicholas Kassabian ‘27 agreed with this claim, as he remarked, “After I cram studying all night for tests, I forget half of the material before I even hop on the bus to school in the morning.”
Additionally, although standardized testing is meant to measure academic progress, these tests often fail to reflect a student’s true understanding. The stresses of standardized testing lead to students performing worse than they typically would under normal, non-stressful circumstances. When asked about this, Grant Hong ‘27 agreed, “I perform better not under test conditions because the pressure and the stress from these conditions make me more likely to make careless mistakes, which I often do.”
Furthermore, these teaching approaches also fail to prepare students for the complex, real-world situations they will encounter after finishing school, where creativity, problem-solving and collaboration skills are far more valuable than learning test-taking strategies or memorizing flashcards.
As mentioned earlier, another significant issue with the current education system is the disregard for different student learning styles. Every student has a unique way of learning, yet the education system only has a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching. Some students prefer visual learning, while others grasp concepts better through a hands-on activity or auditory instructions.
By failing to account for these differences, schools often alienate the many students who don’t fit the “traditional” mold of learning, leaving them feeling confused and lost despite being just as capable. What’s even worse is that the gaps in knowledge grow over time, as these students fall even further behind and are never given the chance to retain the material.
The American education system was built during a time where the workforce demanded competent factory laborers but has failed to adapt since then. As a result, the current education system perpetuates a cycle of underachievement by continuing to neglect learning differences across students.
In our modern day and age, the ability to think critically and creatively will take you farther in life than test-taking skills or memorization. Therefore, in order to meet demands of the modern world, the education system must be fixed to better fit today’s generation of students learning styles.
