The American School System: Two Sides of One Coin

The American school system is a controversial topic for many, especially for our student communities. Despite its many beneficial aspects, including the opportune academic programs, tuition cost, and diversity, there are still many current enforcements that have burdened many students as of the present day. What makes the American school system a positive experience? For starters, it is often a free tuition, paid and provided for by our American government, usually until the twelfth grade. Because of this, each and every citizen in the United States can attend school freely, without having to worry about balancing paying for their own education whilst balancing daily necessities. In addition to that, there has been eventual incorporation of costless transportation and several programs that annull fees for any students who are going to school on low incomes. Many students have also expressed their appreciation for how America emphasizes having their students use only the best of the best, with the inclusion of modernized technology, updated textbooks, and extracurricular activities. These new additions provided by the American school system have helped lighten the burden for many students undertaking the academic requirements in order to graduate, earn a degree, and even land on a good job that requires proper education. What needs to be changed in our American school system? Often times, students entering high school, attending high school, or even starting college express several concerns about the sudden increase in homework. Consistent productivity for homework has become an increasingly stress-inducing issue for students, including myself. In addition, the idea of meritocracy is still very much enforced in our school system. It’s not a matter of how well you can do in school; it’s a matter of how much money you or your family can invest in your academic tuition. Some families in low-income neighborhoods often do not have enough time to pay off bills, resulting some students may even be working an after-school job. Due to these circumstances, it can become hard for students that are economically disadvantaged to balance and improve in their academics. Testing has also become less of an important review and more of the memorization of material. A lot of the time, students will take in information solely for the good grade and not for the retaining of those important academic concepts. Our American school system, although justified in its own ways, still lacks and requires much improvement. As students of the American community, we must stand up at representatives of the learning community, for the sake of ourselves and the future generations to come.