Education System in the U.S.: Critical Evaluation

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Students’ life
Supposed reasons
Current suggestions
Evaluation of current grade inflation
Professors’ mismatch in educating
Attention on the multiculturalism
Conclusion
Works cited

Introduction

Current education system of the United States undergoes several problematic issues which provide a delay for the educational process. The community of the US professors and teachers is amazed with the fact that in the era of high technologies and higher demands of time and society the level of the education even in the most authoritative educational establishments is lower than expected. Such phenomenon is not surprising while stating that most of the professors or teachers are likely intended to grade their students according to personal preferences and division of a class into those who are in favor and those who are outside. On the other hand, students do not pay much attention to education as it is. Furthermore, the real losses of the American nation may fall into slow but stable degradation of the further generation and nation as a result. The reality of today’s campuses is far from being excellent. The structure of the paper touches upon three standpoints for the critical evaluation of the current situation with education in the US. The paper researches the story by Tom Wolfe I am Charlotte Simmons and the article Grade Inflation: It’s Time to Face the Facts by Harvey C. Mansfield, which from different sides promote an assertion that the higher requirements for would-be specialists can be achieved in higher standards of education and personal motivation within students and professors inside and outside educational establishments.

Students’ life

In the example of the story by Tom Wolfe appears a logical statement that the reality of present day students in terms of their life in the campus is rather diverse. Education is considered to be the major goal of student life. There should be primordial stimuli for education. Parents, first of all, should make children aware of the perspectives which education can give. Such an idea determines the framework for youth in terms of suggested privileges and facilities in future. This is not just spending time in vain during classes. It is a place where time and conditions as well as inoccupation with possible work redound to the fulfillment of the knowledge background in theoretical and practical approaches.

The thing is that there is a lack of motivation within modern students. Positive motivation to study and succeed is almost trite within them. There are too many types of leisure activities which students are involved in. This objective provides a paradox. It is outlined with the fact that with many opportunities to learn (materials, database, high technologies, great support of the government with appropriate help etc.) students’ life is not concerned with education, first of all. Wolfe’s story describes such situation in Charlotte’s initial desire to study contrasted with a desire to be similar to the crowd (Wolfe 44).

Supposed reasons

According to the plot of the story a reader may guess about why Charlotte chose such a way of her living at a place where the main goal should presuppose the urge for learning and gaining knowledge base. Actually, the reality of today’s educational background and its significance for American students is outlined with a mere visiting of classes and more time spent for parties and just leisure activities concerned with hobbies or sports. Students seem to be less motivated in finding a better place in life due to the perspectives of education. Charlotte is a very clever girl with huge perspectives in the educational establishment which she chose. Here reliability of what is rather important for life is interrupted, in fact, by the appearance of such students as Jo-Jo in the story. A paradoxical situation emerges when instead of looking at their own example for others, young people choose to be similar to those who are “lost for education”. There is an episode in the story which possibly explains why students stop in their further intellectual development: “People envied her, but she felt a little distant” (Wolfe 45). This moment is the point when an individual should take a decision as to plans for future. Light-mindedness and unserious actions should be taken away. A higher goal for life should be pointed out. In most cases students think that life is long and yet they have enough time in order to get an education.

Current suggestions

From the other side, the public should be concerned about the cultural and educational program for making students aware of their future. It means that the educational system of the USA should mandatory take into considerations cultural and informational needs of contemporary youth with points on their entertainment as well as education. Such a bilateral approach would give students an opportunity to feel the difference. It does not mean that they, like robots, should stop doing what they did long enough before. It would provide an idea of why knowledge should be so valuable for would-be specialists. However, the objectivity of grading should be correlated. Grade standards are to be fixed as of applicable criteria. This will be definitely applicable in prevention from probable grade inflation.

Evaluation of current grade inflation

According to the idea of grade inflation maintained by the Mansfield, it is necessary to admit the tendency of such reality in terms of the American standards for the provision of competitive and rather strong and higher approaches toward education as it is. Choosing a very grave object for the discussion, namely Harvard University, Mansfield cannot but use in his article a vast extent of criticism while noting that today’s grades in universities “deserve to be a scandal” (Mansfield 1). This assertion is not accidental. The real evaluation of the situation in modern American society leaves much to be desired. The good marks became more significant than good knowledge. In other words, most of the students pursue better readings in their studies without real conviction in such levels of knowledge respectively. Here comes a dilemma which in terms of contemporary students sounds in the following way: grades are estimated without applicable knowledge of a student. In practice such obvious absurdity will definitely cause the decline of professional standards when the rest of the world will only improve educational standards and motivation. For the country with a great international influence such idea can be valued as fiasco. This starts with professors’ primordial evaluation of students as of personal sympathy.

Professors’ mismatch in educating

Nevertheless, most professors are likely to obtain low populism by grading students according to their supposed prerogative position within the rest. Such fact is fairly marked by Mansfield as a hint for non-professionalism: “In later life, students will forget those professors; they will remember the ones who posed a challenge” (Mansfield 1). Here comes an essence of the life prospects for would-be specialists – less knowledge and experience base cannot prove really high standards of the educational establishment, as it is announced. In other words, by such actions professors lessen the prestige and priority of the establishment where they work. This danger seems to be invisible for the contemporary staff in universities, but still a human factor cannot be omitted. “Loss of faculty morale” is considered by Mansfield to be the drawback of today’s professors. This idea signifies mere recalibration of grades which is suggested to be the optimal decision for grading contemporary students. Nevertheless, the teaching process promotes the development of students in an upturn way, because the statistics proves that modern students do not become smarter or quite eager for learning in comparison with previous times.

Attention on the multiculturalism

One of the most apparent features of the discussion, raised by Mansfield, touches upon the idea of how to behave under circumstances of multinational society. Every individual seeks for understanding. In this respect one obstacle may contribute to grade inflation. This bar is concerned with possible biases: “You had better watch what you say and how you grade” (Mansfield 3). That is why when the whole atmosphere of the educational process is patterned with the points on humane background toward representatives of different ethnicities or cultures; it definitely favors the stop of grade inflation.

Conclusion

Thus, points on students’ life in terms of educational process confronts with little extent of personal interest in education within students. Mismatch of professors’ attitude to students and points on multicultural coloring of the American society serve as a background for grade inflation. Both works under analysis cannot but signify the contemporary problems in American education. Each of them provides a scope of factual framework with minor suggestions as of possible solutions. The themes and the ideas of them are rather argumentative and convincing for an observer. Thus, the reflections on the works should be presupposed with a deep concern for the national growth of educational and scientific thoughts, as a result. Such a goal should be definitely at the core of main governmental programs.

Works cited

Mansfield, Harvey C. ‘Grade Inflation: It’s Time to Face the Facts’. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2001. Hyperlink: Web.

Wolfe, Tom. I Am Charlotte Simmons. Dayton, Ohio: Jonathon Cape, 2004.

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