How American Education System Prepares Students to Thrive

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How American Education System Prepares Students to Thrive

Introduction

The contemporary education system in the United States includes many different levels and methods of education. Learning begins in early childhood and continues through all stages of growing up. However, there is an essential question as to whether a school or even higher education graduate is fully prepared for adult life. This paper seeks to analyze the effectiveness of Americas educational system to determine if a student is ready to succeed in life after graduation. Many nuances and advantages make most students readiness for life in the future promising because of the quality and despite the systems sophistication.

Educational Processes

In a general format, the educational system in the United States can be divided into three types: public education institutions, private schools, and home education. The public sector is supported and subsidized by local or state governments. Private institutions are usually not funded by the government and have higher tuition costs. This paper will focus on the public sector as the most common. Every state necessarily has at least one public university and college, and many are significantly large.

From the age of six, American children enter primary school, commonly called elementary school. After that, they attend secondary school, first middle school, and then high school, up to and including the twelfth grade. After that, the student may enter college or university, and their successful completion is considered completion of higher education. Grades are used as a measure of student achievement, which can vary depending on the state and requirements of the particular institution. This differentiation raises one of the problems of the study the frequent lack of objectivity in students grades and further inconsistency with them when applying to a university, for example.

For all the diversity of educational approaches and the universality of the curriculum, student requirements vary depending on the state or institution. As a result, many high school graduates may face adulthood even earlier than anticipated and be even less prepared. For example, this may be due to the decline of higher education institutions because of insufficient scores on the admissions test. Sometimes it is equal in preparation to have the highest score in a discipline at a general education school and the average score in the same discipline at a private school with advanced study of the subject. Thus, a person who is confident in their further education can find themselves on the sideline and be forced to dive into finding a job and an independent life earlier than they expected.

The educational system has a division of ranks in the higher education process, but this study focuses specifically on school education and its ability to prepare a person for adulthood. Moreover, the practice of within-school academic tracking is still utilized in the United States educational system, negatively influencing student self-esteem (Kruse and Kroneberg 433). Furthermore, the topic of student preparedness is essential because many citizens do not have the desire or financial ability to continue their education after high school.

Educational Theories

Educational theories in modern school education can be divided into five types: cognitivism, constructivism, humanism, behaviorism, and connectivism. They are rarely used individually because, more often, some construct that best suits the situation and is chosen by a teacher or approved at a legislative level is used (Cookson et al. 16). Usually, the teaching guidelines contain details of each of these theories, so the potential impact of each on the graduates future will be assessed.

Cognitivism emphasizes the students own thinking, pushing them to independently analyze and evaluate the information they receive. This theory is essential for life after high school because regardless of the material learned before graduation, a persons success will depend mainly on their ability to perceive, understand, and analyze data. Constructivism prioritizes the students ability to actively engage with the world through experimentation or attempting to solve an existing problem and then building on his or her previous experience. Such a skill is critical in later life but less practical immediately after graduation most childhood experiences are illiquid in adulthood.

Humanism is undoubtedly one of the most valuable techniques for human self-accomplishment. However, it can be ineffective if a graduate is placed in an inhumane setting or an environment where their potential may not be fully unlocked (Bleakley 248). Behaviorism, at its core, has stimulus-response phased learning and can likewise be globally helpful in the students maturation after graduation. Thus, a person accustomed to this learning method can stop taking the initiative and stall in their self-realization. Connectivism, on the other hand, emphasizes the ability of students to independently obtain and update information, which is very relevant in the digital age (Gonzales 697). When successfully combined with cognitivism, such a method can offer every chance of success for the graduate.

Educational Models

There are many different learning models, including lectures, inquiry-based learning, seminars, cooperative classes, hands-on activities, or classes with individual projects. The most valuable and preparatory to adulthood are cooperative classes, in which a group of students learns to make decisions together and implement them into a learning process. This type of socialization is excellent practice for the future of the work or academic community and teaches one how to fulfill oneself in society. Working on an individual project allows students to learn to concentrate on their strengths and abilities and, in many ways, simulates many possible situations they will face after graduation.

Additional School Aspects and their Effectiveness in Preparation for the Future

Every school in the United States has athletic activities that contribute to students physical development and can likewise help guide them toward careers and fulfillment. For example, four students from Georgia High School became famous because they successfully made it to Ivy League soccer, which helped them immensely in later life (USA TODAY High School Sports). In addition to soccer, popular sports include track and field, basketball, baseball, and soccer. Even if students do not plan to tie their lives to sports, regular practice can teach them a lot.

Discipline, commitment, and teamwork are qualities that come from playing sports and are valuable in any profession. Many of these graduates work for the police, firefighting, or emergency services. A good example is Charles Adams, who became famous after his desire to coach a soccer team while working as a police officer (Streeter). He had a passion for sports in high school and returned to it many years later, already having a successful law enforcement career.

Clubs and Camps

A great variety of school clubs and camps can be found in every educational institution, and they are just as useful. The most important thing a student needs to do initially is to show interest and get involved in a club that matches their hobbies. It can be an art or music association, cooking or mechanics course, or communication group. Some clubs address the very notion of future success, such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of Collin County (BGCCC). High school graduates who have been a part of this club share stories of the success they have achieved by participating together in this faith-based association of hobby clubs. In such associations, which are not necessarily religious, children become more aware of the meaning of patriotism, honesty, fair competition, and belief in oneself, in addition to the specific skills of the clubs specialty.

Even if the club itself does not contribute in any way to helping a graduate with a job or recommendation, a number of the skills it teaches are of great help in later life. For example, after a music or choir club, the graduate has the opportunity to realize himself by creating his musical group or joining an existing one. Moreover, the skills that the cooking club enthusiast acquires will surely help him not to remain unemployed after graduation. More importantly, if a graduate links his career to his interests, it guarantees him less chance of burnout and greater self-confidence in his adult life.

School Counselors

School psychology is one of the most important aspects of a persons formation and is of great importance for a persons realization both in school and after graduation. Some students show little curiosity in specific disciplines or are unwilling to participate in clubs perhaps their passivity is due to personal or family problems (Abdulkadirolu et al. 1533). Unfortunately, bullying is still a widespread problem, and the whole educational community is working hard to fight it (Farrell et al. 836). The main function of school counselors is to help children who cannot open up and thoroughly socialize.

When such a specialist helps students regain or gain self-confidence, he or she thereby gives them a chance to succeed in adulthood. A childs psychological state is much more flexible than an adults. If issues that arise are not dealt with in time before graduation, it will be much more difficult for the student to find composure after graduation (Mette and Riegel 37). Undoubtedly, in the very process of school education, each teacher is a counselor, but in some cases, the correct help of a certified specialist is needed.

Current Issues and Problems that Students Face

Unfortunately, in nowadays turbulent times, there are several issues that can prevent a student from feeling confident after graduation. At the top of the list, as in many other aspects, is the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures to combat the disease have varied, but almost all have included lockdowns, extra vacations or quarantine, and remote learning. The system worked to normalize its functioning, but many students in this period suffered from a lack of socialization. The quality of learning in the remote format is still inferior to the regular format. Hobby and sports clubs have as well experienced severe limitations.

Moreover, another significant problem is the lack of teaching aspects of adult life in schools. Many graduates find it difficult to obtain various documents or pay taxes. Sometimes graduates accustomed to an abundance of tests cannot pass a face-to-face job interview due to a lack of such experience. Therefore, some of adult existences peculiarities should have been discussed more during school classes.

Conclusion

Despite all the challenges that occur after graduation, the American education system does its best to fill in most gaps in students knowledge to prepare them for emerging into the open world. With schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and hobbies, a person is sufficiently ready to succeed in adulthood. If a student is willing and active, self-actualization will be achieved due to modern societys constant development and digitalization.

Works Cited

Abdulkadirolu, Atila, et al. Do Parents Value School Effectiveness? American Economic Review, vol. 110, no. 5, 2020, pp. 1502-1539, Web.

BGCCC, Success Stories. Boys and Girls Clubs of Collin County, Web.

Bleakley, Paul, and Cindy Bleakley. School Resource Officers,Zero Toleranceand the Enforcement of Compliance in the American Education System. Interchange, vol. 49, no. 2, 2018, pp. 247-261, Web.

Cookson Jr, Peter W., et al. The Tapestry of American Public Education: How Can We Create a System of Schools Worth Choosing for All? Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute, 2018.

Farrell, Albert D., et al. Evaluation of the Olweus Bully Prevention Program in an Urban School System in the USA. Prevention Science, vol. 19, no. 6, 2018, pp. 833-847, Web.

Gonzales, M.M. (2020), School Technology Leadership Vision and Challenges: Perspectives from American School Administrators, International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 697-708, Web.

Kruse, Hanno, and Clemens Kroneberg. More Than a Sorting Machine: Ethnic Boundary Making in a Stratified School System. American Journal of Sociology, vol. 125, no. 2, 2019, pp. 431-484, Web.

Mette, Ian M., and Lisa Riegel. Supervision, Systems Thinking, and the Impact of American School Reform Efforts on Instructional Leadership. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, vol. 21, no. 4, 2018, pp. 34-51, Web.

Streeter, Kurt. As a Coach and a Cop in Minneapolis, Where Would He Draw the Line? New York Times, Web.

USA TODAY High School Sports. How a Georgia High School Produced Four Ivy League Football Players. USA TODAY SPORTS, 2015, Web.

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