Problems in education in the United States

If we look at the landscape of education in the United States, it appears the mandates and policies implemented over the last 50 years may not have been as effective as initially hoped. The United States still lags behind many other countries when it comes to quality education. But why is that the case? In Against School, John Gatto argues that American schools stunt student learning and teacher engagement through compulsory practices that produce mediocre thinking. Mike Rose provides support for Gatto’s claim in I Just Wanna Be Average as he recalls the low expectations for certain high school students versus high expectations for others. We might even say that Sara Goldrick-Rab, in City of Broken Dreams, shows how such prescriptive schooling eventually impacts student performance in college. These selections from Chapter Two offer compelling analyses and arguments of what is problematic about education in the United States. Your goal is to do the same. Write an argumentative essay in which you reflect on what you believe is a significant problem in education that needs to be addressed. You will need first to identify the problem and then discuss why you think what you have chosen is a problem and why and how it needs to be addressed. As you develop your ideas, remember to analyze the situation to show that it is a real problem; just saying it is a problem is not enough. You should discuss the cause of the problem, identify those whom it impacts, and explain the impact, and discuss potential solutions. As you brainstorm to identify a problem you want to write about, you might think about the following areas: A particular curriculumfor example, required courses in elementary school, high school, or college, or the particular skills taught in one of those courses Learning environmentfor example, physical classrooms, access to technology within classrooms, or online learning experiences Disciplinary practicesacademic practices within a particular major or field of study DO NOT CHOOSE all of these. One of the biggest mistakes students make on this essay is listing four different problems in their thesis. Do not do that. Pick one issue and state your argument. You do not need to list all of your main points either in the thesis. You should provide relevant and sufficient information and data to support your assessment. Be sure to fully consider the scope of the problem by analyzing it thoroughly and evaluating it carefully. You are not responsible for providing a solution, just showing that something is a problem. If there is opposition to your points, you must include them and offer rebuttals. Your paper should include all of the following: You should have an introduction that moves from general information to more specific information ending with the most specific information: a clear argumentative thesis that makes a case for the problems you are going to show in your paper. The body should be comprised of several 8/11-point paragraphs. You should have four body paragraphs NOT three. End the paper with a conclusion that gives your final thought and does not just merely restate your thesis and main points. Your essay should be at least 1250 words. Follow MLA guidelines. Incorporate three (no more and no less) credible sources. (see the Finding a Topic and Sources for the Argument and Persuasive/Proposal essays (Essays 2&4) in the Writing Tips and Essentials module) Have a properly formatted Works Cited page. Use The Little Seagull Handbook’s MLA section to help you. Use the paper pre-submission checklist BEFORE submitting the essay. ENG 101 Updated Paper Pre-Submission Checklist.docx