Published: August 14, 2006
by: Stewart Bohan
Do you feel U.S. high schools support the academic, social needs, and interests of today's students well? Why or why not?
In the upcoming year, $2876 million dollars is scheduled to be cut from academic and social programs in public high schools across the nation. This is a staggering number, considering the recent decline in test scores. To be sure, there are still many programs that tend to the needs of the students, but with all of the future cuts, this may not be the case in the future. I feel that unless changes are made, the students will continue to receive less academic attention with every passing year. The decrease in attention to gifted programs, the inadequate teacher qualifications, and the lack of funding for social events are taking away support from the students, making them less likely to succeed in the future.
Right now, the school systems are doing a great job at catering to the average student, which is a good thing. For far too long, the majority of attention from teachers went to helping the groups of students at either end of the spectrum, and everyone else would be lost in the shuffle. But with No Child Left Behind, more money and resources are being diverted to helping average and slightly below average students. So in that aspect, the school systems are supporting the academic needs of some students. The funds, though, are being diverted from gifted students who need some of the resources as well. For instance, only sixty percent of the nation's high schools have Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate programs for their gifted students. Because they do not receive appropriate funds for gifted programs, they cannot sponsor these programs, and support the academic furthering of the gifted students.
Part of the problem with the funding is the extra pay required for new or more qualified teachers. Some schools simply cannot afford that. There does seem to be some hope, though; in 1961, 15% of public high school teachers did not have at least a bachelor's degree, while now it is just 1% of the nation's teachers. The numbers for teachers with master degrees has also greatly increased. Unfortunately, there is a poor distribution of these teachers. The less qualified teachers end up in inner-city, urban high schools, and are many times unable to handle many of the problems that come with these schools. This gives the inner city schools even less support, and does not help advancing the academic interests of the students
further.
Finally, there has been a decrease in the social activity of many schools in the nation, including my own. With all of the budget cuts, the first step the high schools take is to cut back on tends to be extracurricular classes and activities. Dances, socials, and other out-of-school events are outlets for students who spend the whole day in a classroom. The thought is that if students can socialize outside of the classroom, then they will be better able to pay attention during class itself. Plus, it is just good to get some social interaction and learn how to interact with groups of people,
and take one's mind off of the school. For instance, my own school is down to two dances a year, and maybe two or three other social activities. It just seems that there is no time or money anymore for these activities, which is a shame.
All of that said, I do believe that the high schools in America are able to provide a great amount of support in many areas, especially considering the amount of students, and compared to other nations. But, as always, there is room for improvement so as to support all types of students, and foster the best academic and social environments possible.
Stewart Bohan is 17 years old and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Links:
[1] http://www.connectforkids.org//node/4601
[2] http://www.connectforkids.org//node/4670
[3] http://www.connectforkids.org//node/4671
[4] http://www.connectforkids.org//node/4672