Why Do Our Youth Still Suffer Academically?
As the world’s technology advances and our information highways become revolutionized through the internet, information is easier to obtain now more than any other time in history. These days, teachers can easily incorporate different educational tools into their classroom routines such as websites, online videos, and PowerPoint presentations. With just the click of a button, or more popularly, a simple Google search, students can gain a seemingly unlimited amount of knowledge about whatever topic they wish to learn about.
Today, most children and young adults receive a great deal of information through our ever-changing forms of media. However, despite the overload of information and educational outlets supplied by the media, many Americans, particularly our youth, still struggle academically.
According to the US Department of Education, since 1983, more than 10 million Americans reached the 12th grade with the inability to read at a basic level. During the same period, more than 6 million Americans dropped out of high school altogether.
A dilemma such as this is likely to make people question America’s commitment to education. How can a nation which provides seemingly unlimited educational information to its citizens have undereducated children?
As easily as most people would like to blame our country’s education issues on our school systems, inadequate government funding, or even an overall apathy toward the importance of education in this country we fail to realize that this problem is bigger than a blame game. There are numerous factors which play a role in a person’s academic development. We need to understand what factors develop the attitudes which cause students’ academic failures as well as success.
One of the most influential factors is in the educational development of a youth is his/her family background. Statistics from the Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, a journal on Developmental Psychology, have shown that a student’s parents’ educational levels and views on the importance of education usually have a major impact on the students’ views on education as well.
Another thing which we must consider is the learning environment of students. In many major Americans cities, particularly in our urban areas, schools are shameful. There is a lack of discipline, schools are over-crowded and poorly funded. These conditions often inhibit student’s learning abilities as well as their attitude toward learning.
Another major part of a student’s learning environment which is often overlooked is the teachers. It’s obvious that teachers have a tremendous effect on a student, especially when that student is of a young, impressionable age. A problem in many major American cities is that teachers fail to relate to students of different cultures than theirs and sometimes don’t have sympathy for students who struggle in school.
Dr. Cornel West once said, “You can’t lead the people if you don’t love the people. You can’t save the people, if you don’t serve the people.” It’s time for Americans to apply that same standard to the education of our youth. We have to make sure we intend to lovingly serve our youth and help to ensure their academic success.
We cannot continue to rely on the government to increase funding in order to educate our children. The job of the government is to REGULATE, not EDUCATE. Government funding can’t motivate a student to learn like his parents can. Government funding can’t change a student’s perspective on school subjects such as history and math like a dedicated teacher can. Government funding can’t make a student proud of his/her academic achievements like his/her community can.
It will take a collaborative effort of parents, teachers, communities, and most of all the students themselves to make sure that our youth haves the proper environments and mindsets to reach their full potential.
