- Target:
- US Department of Education
- Region:
- United States of America
The US PISA scores are no longer in the top ten. Education is weakening and if we do not change this then we will be left behind. Looking to other countries and modeling their behavior can improve our system. Finland is one country that is doing well and has a creative system for their schools. Imitating them can get us to where we should be. Below I have listed some of the first changes we can make to improve our education.
Currently students are having troubles advancing through school. A No student Left Behind policy was placed but doesn't really do much for the student. It has been shown that some schools simply pass the student rather than go over what they need to know. This makes secondary education difficult and these students often don't go forward.
Standardized testing has become a hated word among students. They are pressured to do well for the school and teachers then go with the theory of teaching to the test. This ruins the school and a students learning. The students become robots without opinions. A student simply learns the best memorization technique in order to pass. It is estimated that one third of class time is used for standardized testing.
With so much time dedicated for testing, time for other important things had to be dropped. There is no longer creativity in class. Teachers no longer have the time to delve deeper into topics for a better understanding. Instead they focus on the minimum and forget about that extra activity that students love. Schools need to go back to that, and add more. When a students has a variety of ways to learn something they are more likely to have a better understanding that may be unique to them. This can be added to individual education.
We, the petitioners, call the the US Department of Education, for a change in policy, regarding how our education system is set up.
1. No Student Left behind policy - Needs to be re-addressed. This policy could be enforced with a mentor program. The petitioners agree with a change in policy where there is scheduled school time at the end of the day for students to work on their individual challenges or work on their unique skill set.
2. No standardized test prep - Standardized prepping often stresses students and takes away in class learning for the students. All standardize preparation should be optional and outside of class, along with provided by the school at no cost to the student.
3. More Creative Class Time - If standardized preparation was taken out of class then class then teachers would have more time to teach. This time should be used for a variety of teaching methods to get the best understanding for each student. A student's mind is unique and deserves a different approach to get the best response.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it