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The Urgency for US Education Reforms

The once unchallenged US supremacy in the technology, science, and innovation is being

surpassed by other countries in the world. This trend shows serious problem with one of the

dimensions that undergirds the US success, education. Often, American take justified pride in

what the country’s education has achieved and contributed to the country, the foundation of the

US education system is being chipped away by the growing deluge of mediocrity that threatens

the nation’s future. What was inconceivable several years ago is now happening; other countries

are matching and overtaking the educational achievement in the US. The past efforts to fix

education system have failed because reports have amply shown that the current US educational

sector needs reforms because the country now finds itself in an insecure position as it lacks of

well-trained people, students lags behind in STEM, and functionally illiterate adults.

To illustrate why the US education must be reformed, it is imperative to highlight that

past attempts at fix the education have failed. In the past decade, the education reformers have

emphasized on the need to teach students science, mathematics, and reading skills. There has

also been heavy reliance on the information from the frequent tests in reading and mathematics

subjects to guide curriculum and learning objectives. All this coupled with the common core

standards and test scores ushered in the period which there was high expectations on students. It

went without saying that place of residence would not determine students’ future or fate. None of

these reform efforts that begin with President Bush have worked or achieved the intended
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objectives (Wexler). To illustrate this point, the education outcomes for students from poor

background and high-income household have widened. Even though the rate of high school

graduation is said to have improved in the last decade, the sad truth is that the spike in graduation

rates is partially explained by the fact that schools are under immense pressure to award

diplomas to half-baked students. Additionally, it might be true that some students from poor

background have benefited, the overall scores on the national tests have stagnated. Consequently,

the past education reforms have not yielded as much.

Perhaps, a better picture of why the US education sector has failed is supported by the

fact that other countries have matched and surpassed the US education achievement, which

carries serious consequences on the country’s technological leadership. A perfect example of this

that other countries outperforms the US in the STEM education system. To be precise, there has

been a steady decline in the STEM proficiency in the US from 1980s, which threatens the

country’s technological leadership (Athanasia). A recent study about ranking 4th and 8th grade

level international students on mathematics scare, the US students ranked way below other

participating countries including Russia, Singapore, and China. Additionally, the National

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report found no significant improvement in

mathematics score in 12th grade students from 2015 to 2019 (The Nation’s Report Card).

Outrageously, the student performance declined for all students. This decline in STEM

proficiency jeopardizes US competitiveness in the emerging technologies such as the artificial

intelligence. This shows that the US education system is not suited to prepare youth is STEM

subject areas. Early education in mathematics and science subjects at the K-12 level provide

learners with achievement in the STEM area to enable the US retain its technological

competitive.
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The US educational system has also failed to provide students with basic literacy skills

that promote adult. People think that the US is among the countries with quality education

system because the country’s expenditure per students is one of the highest globally. It follows

that one could expect US students to higher literacy skills in the world. Regrettably that is not the

case going by the literacy levels among the adults with 18% of the country adult population is

considered functionally illiterate (Haderlie and Clark). It is shocking that among the developed

countries, the US ranks poorly in reading scores. Besides, the literacy rates among in the country

have staged for long time, which shows that the US education system is underperforming.

Individuals learn and master literacy skills at the young age in schools. Simply put, the school

exposes them to ideas and materials that enable them learn reading and comprehension skills.

Consequently, poor literacy skills suggest that the US education system does not provide

opportunities for individuals to develop these skills at the tender age. This problem results in

cascade effects because functionally illiterate people are unlikely to read to children, an issue

which hinders literacy development of their children. This implies that unless education system

is reformed to improve literacy skills, illiteracy is likely to be passed down generations with

catastrophic consequences such as unemployment.

It is crystal clear that the US education is no longer working going by the students

lagging behind others from other countries in STEM areas. What is more, the education system

is failed to promote functional literacy. This compelling anecdotal evidence supports the need for

new education policy. To be precise, the policymakers should stake back and admit that the

current education policies and practices have spectacularly failed students. It is time to look for

innovative education reforms to enable the US maintain its technological leadership position.

The target should STEM education to enable students learn deeply in the science subjects.
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Perhaps, the policymakers should seek insights from the Asian and European countries whose

students outperform US students in STEM areas to get advice on potential solutions that could

help improve educational outcomes.

Works Cited

Athanasia, Gabrielle. The US should strengthen STEM education to remain globally competitive.

Center for Strategic & International Studies. https://www.csis.org/blogs/perspectives-

innovation/us-should-strengthen-stem-education-remain-globally-competitive. Accessed

08 March 2024.

Haderlie, Chloe and Clark, Alyssa. Illiteracy among adults in the US. BALLARD Brief.

https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/illiteracy-among-adults-in-the-us. Accessed 08

March 2024.

The Nation’s Report Card. Results from the 2019 mathematics and reading assessments at grade

12. The Nation’s Report Card.

https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/mathematics/2019/g12/. Accessed 08

March 2024.

Wexler, Natalie. The end of education reform, or a new beginning? Forbes, 28 Dec. 2019,

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliewexler/2019/12/28/the-end-of-education-reform-or-

a-new-beginning/.