Formal Education System as a Social Problem

Formal Education System as a Social Problem
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Formal Education System as a Social Problem
Introduction
Education is remains to be the key process that facilitates the learning of skills, ideals, and principles through telling stories, holding discussions, instructing, and conducting research that can be valuable to the society. Education is a crucial aspect of the lives of people globally. Individuals are shaped by what they learn when growing up. Education takes place everywhere in the world, such as, talking to each other, solving mathematics problems, and facilitating day-to-day activities. It is essential since it lays the foundation of who individuals become, since almost all the decisions we make stem from what we know. The system of formal education was designed to meet the economic needs following industrial revolution (Cropley, 2014). However, with the dynamic changes in the demands of the society, it is evident that the current system cannot serve the needs of a highly connected society. This paper presents a case that the modern society increasingly values innovation and creativity as the key economic drivers and recommends that the current issues associated with formal education in the United States need urgent fixing for a better future.
Formal Education system as a Problem
The system of formal education in the United States has become a social problem due to changes in the society. Education relies on memorization, exams, and mechanical drills as the standard approach. Consequently, it utilizes test scores as the only criteria for evaluating students. The formal system of education is practiced all over the world. This type of system is authoritarian in nature and most cases; it feels like a monopoly where the producers continue to sell outdated products because the consumer has no otherwise. It inhibits originality and innovation as the system is structured to evaluate memory compared to any other aspects of a person. Furthermore, the system does not utilize the art of storytelling, discussions, and research as crucial tools in effective learning. This system of education is not changing fast enough to address the challenges of the diverse global society since it was based on a system developed more than a century ago. Children are treated as a product and the role of education is to place, sort, package, and label them according to the system. The system does not see children as individuals who can thrive on their own. Since children learn in the same way, they are not allowed to develop their own specific talents and aspirations.
To appreciate the current education problems in the United States, a brief understanding of the history of education is required. Since the earliest times, for many centuries, children obtained education through self-directed play and discovery (Philips, 2015). Children were accorded with limitless freedom to discover and play because the importance of using natural learning methods was valued. Following the explosion of agriculture and industries, children would be made to work as laborers as the society saw the need to develop vast knowledge and skills industrial and agricultural methods. With increased industrial practices and a social class system in the 17th century, the idea of a universal and compulsory education system arose. In the mid - 17th century, Massachusetts became the first colony in America to mandate schooling for all its children as a way of controlling the colony (Wolk, 2011). Formal education became a new education system as employees in factories saw the system as a way of creating better workers who could follow directions and work for long, while national leaders saw the system as a way of making portraits and future soldiers. The 20th and 21st century formal education has become less harsh, but the system has remained unchanged as children molded for specific work in the society.
In the past few decades, the education system in the United States has undergone various reforms in facilitating learning. Formal education is the major cause of inequality in race, social class, gender, and ethnicity. Social inequality is the main issue with the American education system. Different schools differ in their funding and among other aspects. The lack of parental involvement is a serious problem in education for a child spends time between school and home. With the current economic conditions, parents are unable to give their children adequate time at home, hence do not play a part in their child's education as before. Schools in the country have become overcrowded, but since children need attention to acquire knowledge, the current stuffed classrooms make it hard for teachers to teach effectively. Additionally, the current system lacks the diversity needed to cater for gifted children. The program that separates children according to their intelligence is unattractive, monotonous not effective in exploring a child`s talent (Phillips, 2015). Another issue affecting education in the U.S. is the stagnant funding, even though the economy is continually improving. The most affected are the K-12 public schools, which are still funded in the same way they were fifteen years ago, even though the economy has improved since then. Furthermore, the system is using outdated teaching techniques (Rahmat, 2017). The new generation of children is less naive as they have a detailed view of the world from experiences at home and increased access to information. Moreover, the teachers lack motivation due to the fast changing social structure. The achievement gap is a continuing issue of formal education as children experience disparity in opportunity and performance.
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