American Education, Research Paper Example

American education has seen many generations walk to, through and past its doors. Americans saliently embrace the American Dream as a reflection of American Exceptionalism. When the United States federal policy first embraced “educating the masses,” England was among the nations that criticized the U.S. for adopting this goal. Over the last century, education in the U.S. continues to be decentralized with some federal “umbrella” oversight, leaving most of the duties and responsibilities of educating at the local level. Research shows that American children continue to drop out of school, and do “worse” than their predecessors, even as more money is spent per capita on education. Policy makers and scholars alike delve in to the many facets of American Education, at times independently or uniformly justifying or crucifying American education.

The perception of education in America is a key and integral part in American dream, education policy, social stratification, networks, and inequality with both the Hispanic as well as the black parents in America attributing great value to education. The America economy is high technology oriented making education to be the gateway to the achievement of middle and high class status among its citizens. Consequently, parents have taken the initiative to involve their children in training and change their attitudes concerning education. Education has been linked with success in contemporary world according to the perceptions of most Americans (Herbst 114 – 123).

American education therefore has a direct link to the American Dream, education policy, social stratification, networks, and inequality. However, problems with education inequality have been encountered in terms of disparities experienced by a section of students relative to others. This has been based on a measure of success in education on the basis of test scores, the rates of school drop-out, completion rates in colleges, entrance numbers and students grades. This kind of inequality has further been attributed to geographical, socioeconomic as well as racial reasons. America has been documented to invest sufficiently in education but their achievements are of lower levels relative to other countries with mush lower investments in education. Although per student spending has been increased, students’ academic achievement has stagnated. Inequality in education is a factor of economic and racial lines and this is the greatest hindrance in America. Segregation has been dominant on the basis of residential location, language and socioeconomic status. A big gap exists between the white students and the black minority which escalates the social as well as economic inequality and thereby affecting the achievement of the American Dream, education policy, social stratification, networks, and reducing inequality. Inequality in education therefore has a significant implication in majority of political as well as social issues in America. There is a need for a drastic reform in history, society, and culture if American education will have influence on the American Dream, education policy, social stratification, networks, and inequality.

Education also plays a vital role social stratification by serving as a panacea of reducing poverty and inequality. The government has a duty of investing heavily in human capital because people costs make up approximately 2/3 of the entire cost of a product. Majority of the immigrants in to America have been “Americanized” through education (Parkerson, Donald & Parkerson 242).

American education has a relationship with the education policy in the country because a lot of efforts have been made in the improvement of public education with attempts by the government to increase the spending on education. According to Obama administration, there is need for empowering the parents, the state policymakers, the governors and the local leaders in strengthening public education. Improvement of public education has been a goal of the federal government over the last century through continuous increase in spending on education coupled with creation of new programs.

The education system in America has however not achieved international competition standards and there have been shortcomings in the U.S workers that have posed a significant threat in the ability of the country for competition with the rest of the countries. This great competitive weakness scenario has been attributed to a deeply escalating achievement gap among socioeconomic groups with its roots on the early stages of academic career of the students and progresses to their last stages. Higher achievements have been documented among wealthier students and the persuade of the wealthier parents being predominant as compared to any other region among developed countries. The spending rates on education are significantly high in America but the greatest shortcoming is equitable distribution of this spending. The lower income generation has been deprived the high spending in education, which is a reverse scenario in other developed countries in the world. This investment gap has continued to increase in higher education in America (Parkerson, Donald & Parkerson 242).

The Americans have therefore failed to appreciate the importance of human capital and most specially the education inequality as the most critical driver of economy in the long term. Consequently, the government faces a challenge of expanding higher education in consideration of the rich and the poor and the tight budget so as to develop a direct link between American education and the American Dream, education policy, social stratification, networks, and inequality

Works Cited

Herbst, Juergen. School Choice & School Governance: A Historical Study of the US & Germany, 2006.

Parkerson, Donald & Parkerson, Jo Ann. Transitions in American Education: A Social History of Teaching. Routledge, 242 pp., 2001.