American Education: Why are we so behind?

Question

Why is American Education so behind compared to other countries?

Yes, yes, I know that a lot of schools are changing their cirriculums and students now need four years of every major subject area but it still seems that students are not being pushed hard enough. There are other countries out there where 12 year olds know higher level math skills than the average American! And then we are basically told we need to go to college to make something of ourselves but then we have trouble finding a job? What gives???

Answer 1

I am wondering the same things.  Is it just family values?  

there's got to be some simpler answers here, I know it's very complex but maybe a simpler viewpoint at times helps illicit action and change.

USA:

Easy to make money and live comfortably + declining values + replacing values with notoriety, fame, fortune, get rich quick = lazy

Europe + China + Japan:

Not easy to make money and live comfortably + strong values + replacing/integrating some traditional values with "america's economic case study" = success

Answer 2

Honestly, we're not that far behind. Most Asian countries are ahead of us but they've ALWAYS been much more strict on education than any other country. European nations are about at our level and most other countries are actually below us. We're the ones providing education for alot of countries, believe it or not. We do alot. Some of it just goes unnoticed. I know in Virginia Beach, 5th graders are getting to know Algebra while 5th graders in Louisiana public schools don't start that untill roughly 8-9th grade. Different regions, different level of curriculum.

-Later Gator-

Answer 3

The short answer:  Priorities and values.



  The disintegration of the family unit.

   "Teaching to the test"

   A "do less, get more" attitude.

   Knowledge is no longer the prized possession it once was.

The above list is by no means a complete one, but bottom line....

    priorites and values..

Answer 4

When you have a parallel culture such as we do, called entertainment,

and that culture is instilled in us from childhood, forget competing with

the rest of the world, we're to busy ripping ourselves off . . .

We've lost our ability to be studious, we'd rather rebell against the very

things that make us who and what we are, and that's education . . .

What is most tragic is that americans have no idea how good they

could realy have it, we're ashame to be cultural and so things like

a good book of poetry or soft classical music or a day at a museum,

are unthinkable, and anyone who advocates those things or engages

in them, is made fun of, those things are thought of as weaknesses,

other countries are simply catching up to us, doing things we use to

do and now take for granted, does that p**s us off or what? . . .

Things we don't even realize that exzist, right under our noses, in our

own country, if anything, we should be excellarating accademically,

due to the fact that we are so  privileged with the freedoms to create,

let alone all the latest technology at our finger tips, and yet all we're

interested in is freaking each other out on places like you tube and my

space, trying to bring out the worst in our selves and each other cause

we seem to have this distorted notion that beauty and self knowelege

is a weakness, that school is a place we have to go for awhile, as

though it were a punishment, as though the only thing we can't wait

to get out of school, is ourselves . . .

" American Education: Why are we so behind?" . . .

Cause we have more important things to concetrate on, such as our

parrallel culture, the one that dictates to us what shall be the next

acceptable distorted pervison, vs the unforgivable sin, of thinking for

ourselves . . .

Answer 5

tv and video games..

Answer 6

I think if you have trouble finding a job, that's on you. There are many things available for people to do, including starting their own business or owning a franchise, that you can't blame it on your education or lack thereof.

I would like to see a source on what you have. I remember learning that we are the second worst country in education if you go by the tests, but that is because we allow EVERYONE to test whereas other countries only let their best and brightest test in these country's aptitude tests.

You must ask yourself this, though: if America is so behind in its education, why do we continue to produce/invent many businesses/inventions found world-wide, and why do people from all over the world leave their families to attend our colleges and universities?