The world has changed for the past decades. The birth of the internet, as well as mobile communication, marked the beginning of a new generation. It has opened up new possibilities to everyone across the world. It has become a major component of change, an advantage to the economic and political level of every country.
However, with this new beginning comes different risks. The educational system of the United States became at risk. There has been a significant decrease in its level of education. In fact, according to studies, “The U.S. education system is not as internationally competitive as it used to be.” It has even slipped ten spots in terms of both the high school and college graduation rates for the last three decades.
What could be the possible causes of such decline? When before, US has been the top performing country when it comes to its educational system, why has it slipped years after?
One of the possible causes of this, according to some professionals, is the growing gap between the rich and the poor. The socioeconomic status of each student in the US has bearings to the type of education they will have. Apparently, the wealthy students are given more opportunities. Parental Wealth, specifically, has become even more influential in the United States than anywhere else in the world.
Another factor could be the funds of the government to the schools all over the United States. There is no proper equity of funds to the different schools. There is a significant investment gap especially in college, which then increases over time. The country’s economy has been a significant factor in this. It was a known fact that when a person is a degree-holder, he has a greater probability of landing a better job. However, though it has become clear that going through college will open students to more opportunities, only a few of them can go because only a few can afford to go.
A point, in fact, is the data for the college level education which shows that only forty percent of the Americans earn their college degree. This has not changed for decades while other countries have caught up to and even passed. Brazil, China, Korea and Mexico are just some countries which have significant progress in terms of their degree-holders.
Also, in America, there is just a small number of students earning a degree in critical areas. Fro these, only a few are prepared for a rigorous study in those fields.
It is necessary to point out, however, the fact that not all college degree-holders can find jobs that are in line with their degree. Many of them have what some would call a “mismatch”. This happens when the degree-holder gets a job that is different from what he has finished in college. There are almost 3 million unfulfilled jobs in the country. However, those who are qualified for these jobs have applied to other jobs.
The academic system, its national standards, might also be one factor of the country’s educational regression. Other countries are modifying their education system to cope with the passing of time. However, for some years now, the education system of the US has been idle, letting other countries to pass it and even become better.
The education in the US is falling. However, if only these issues are given their right solutions, the US educational system might come on top again.