A Nation at Risk

In the beginning of the Nation at Risk article, it talked about different risks in the American world. One of the things was the American industries aren’t top of the line anymore. Things are being replaced by other countries overseas that can make products better and cheaper. This takes jobs away from Americans and takes us off the top of the developing world in some areas. The biggest risk is the intelligence of the American people. It’s important to have citizens that can all reach a common understanding of complex issues. Unfortunately, our education system isn’t always set up for everyone to succeed. Throughout the article it brings up many different educational points that the American people are lacking in. All of this was back in the 80’s. So how have we improved?

Some states made a step in the right direction by switching to a standards based education. It was a bumpy road and mistakes were made. That being said, it was a smart choice that could work towards fixing those mistakes and gradually improve. The biggest thing for me that I notice was the cost of getting an education. Getting a solid and up to date education can cost a lot of money. Even average schooling can be costly. If this isn’t a problem that gets addressed soon, then any progress we’ve made could hit a plateau simply because it will cost too much to get an education. On top of this, performance in high school hasn’t gotten any better since the 80’s and it could have actually gotten worse.

There is still so much that needs to be done about the education system and I don’t know if we will ever be able to solve all of the problems. If we fix one, there’s no guarantee that two more won’t take its place. I’m hopeful, however that we will be able to make improvements in the system but only if we really put the time and effort into it. It will likely cost a lot of money too.