Education policy in USA - Term Paper Example

?Education Policy in USA Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Thesis ment 3 of the Education Policy of USA 4 Significance 5 Future Prospects 5 Policy Options 6 Policy Recommendations 7 Conclusion 8 Works Cited 9 Introduction The education sector in USA is mainly captured by the private institutions, especially in the higher education segments. The education sector in USA comprises of world’s some of the most reputed educational institutions which makes it a desired destination for educational migration in the international platform. Consequently, with growing demands, rising educational costs and industrial fluctuations of USA, in the recent years the education system of the country has been going through a rough phase. Correspondingly, the government has been taking measures to preserve high degree of efficiency and transparency in the sector (OSU, “Section II- American Education”; Tuby & Et. Al. “U.S. Higher Education Outlook Mixed in 2012”). Thesis Statement This thesis intends to illustrate the challenges faced by the Educational Policy of USA. The thesis also intends to discuss about the measures taken by the government of the country. Furthermore, the thesis also aims to recommend few measures that could be effective in reforming the education policies of USA. Description of the Education Policy of USA It has often been argued that education policies adopted by USA have not been as effective as expected during the planning phase owing to the persistence of several problems. One of the critical issues in the educational policy of USA can be identified as the lack of adequate number of teachers as compared to the number of students. Consequently, there is unevenness in the student-teacher ratio that is affecting the education system of the country. Furthermore, it has been analyzed that the rise in tuition fees of the collages is also an important issue to be worth discussing in the education policy of USA. It has also been viewed that the graduation percentage of USA has been decreasing in the recent times, probably because of the rising high education prices. Evidently, the government has been concerned about such issues, and thus, USA today aims to be the best in providing education in the world and lead the world in terms of college graduates by the year 2020 assisting educational institutions and states with requisite funding in order to minimize financial burden on schools which in turn is expected to cut education expenses in the country (AASCU, “Top 10 Higher Education State Policy Issues for 2010” Policy Almanac, “Education”; Policy Insider, “U.S. Dept. of Education Continues Funding School Improvement Grants”). Significance The issues mentioned above are quite significant in relation to the development of the education system of the country. For instance, less student-teacher ratio would mean that students could be able to learn more efficiently and increase their chances of success. It has also been viewed that the success or the development of the students largely depends on the teachers. Additionally, the issue of rise in tuition fees has also affected the higher education in USA by a significant extent, especially among the low-income group and middle-income group students. Although the government has been allocating requisite funding to the schools, the occurrence of recent financial turmoil as well as the recessionary conditions in the economy can be identified to have widened the issue of rising education costs in USA. Hence, as education acts as a backbone of societal development, USA needs to intervene and solve such issues as failure to do so would de-motivate people from pursuing higher education courses and thus hampering the overall progress of the society on the whole (AASCU, “Top 10 Higher Education State Policy Issues for 2010”; Hopkins, “Colleges with the Lowest Student-Faculty Ratios”). Future Prospects It has been observed that the performance of the education policy of USA in the recent years has not been quite positive at all levels. Even though demand for school level and k-12 education has increased substantially, recruitment of an increasing number of students from lower and middle income groups in the higher education has been a matter of concern. It has been observed that the government has been taking measures in order improve the education system of the country through funding policies at state level. It is worth mentioning in this context that with the increasing concern rendered by socialists in USA and the active intervention from the government, the education sector is likely to foster in the near future mitigating these issues. Notably, the gradual widening and opening nature of educational policies adopted by USA and the rapid inclusion of technology aspects can also be regarded as a major attribute to drive the success of its education sector (AASCU, “Top 10 Higher Education State Policy Issues for 2010”). Policy Options The educational policy of “No Child Left Behind” has been one of the best practices towards the reformation of the education sector in USA. The purpose of this policy has been to encourage the schools in USA to provide similar as well as effective results in terms of students’ recruitment and encouragement of open learning sessions rather than rigidly following a formal way of education in a cost effective way. This was further expected to encourage disadvantaged students to obtain the virtues of education and be assisted in pursuing higher education courses, mitigating the issue of decreasing number of students in the higher education segment. Owing to these advantages and effectiveness, the “No Child Left Behind” Act should be continued for a longer period of time (U.S Department of Education, “Education in USA”). Again the policy of Charter School Program is also another better educational policy in USA. It encourages the teachers, administrators as well as other members of schools to actively participate in the development of the schools and ultimately the development of the students. The policy also encourages the use of high quality models of teaching that would be effective to meet the needs of the students in today’s highly competitive environment. Hence, it is suggestible that the government should continue this policy as it would be beneficial to mitigate the limitations of formal learning systems and encourage the participation of both teachers and students at a larger scale (Maryland State Board of Education, “The Charter School Program”). Policy Recommendations It has been observed that the student teacher ratio in USA is quite unbalanced which are not explicitly aggressed in majority of the education policies in the nation. Thus, there is a need to increase the number of teachers which can be accomplished by offering them with better pay opportunities, retirement benefits and employment facilities. Teachers should also be assisted with better training assistance so that they can recruit a greater number of students (The Washing post, “Top 10 Educations Issues for 2010”). Conclusion One of the disadvantages of these recommended policies is that it would result in a considerable increase in financial expenses of the government. Although as has been noticed that the lack of stability in the student-teacher ratio along with the quality of the teachers is affecting the development of the education system in USA, the recommended policies could be still considered as effective which addresses these issues in particular rather than focusing on increasing the number of students solely as considered in the previous education policies in USA. Works Cited AASCU. Top 10 Higher Education State Policy Issues for 2010, 2010. Web. 2nd April. 2013. Hopkins, Katy. Colleges with the Lowest Student-Faculty Ratios. U.S News, 22 Jan. 2013. Web. 2nd April. 2013. Maryland State Board of Education. The Charter School Program, 2010. Web. 2nd April. 2013. OSU. Section II- American Education, 1999. Web. 2nd April. 2013. Policy Almanac. Education, N.D. Web. 2nd April. 2013. Policy Insider. U.S. Dept. of Education Continues Funding School Improvement Grants, 2013. Web. 2nd April. 2013. The Washington Post. Top 10 Educations Issues for 2010, 2010. Web. 2nd April. 2013. Tuby, Kimberly S. & Et. Al. “U.S. Higher Education Outlook Mixed in 2012”, 2012. Web. 2nd April. 2013. U.S. Department of Education. Education in USA, 2003. Web. 2nd April. 2013. Read More