Why is Public Education in the United States Failing

Why is Public Education in the United States Failing? Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Abstract The purpose of this research proposal is to set the stage for a study aimed at addressing why public education in the US is failing. The analysis focuses on the understanding that public education in the US fails on three fronts that include input factors, process factors, and output factors. The challenges facing the public education system of the US are paramount, especially if assessed through a comparative analysis against other nations such as Singapore and Finland. The literature review showcases inadequate solutions to the US case. As such, this study sets questions that it will address to resolve the challenges. To address the question, the research will deploy a phenomenological methodology. Through phenomenology, the study will seek primary data from stakeholders like administrators, teachers, students, and parents who are directly impacted by educational needs in the UK. The study will use a diverse sample group for more representative findings. Through a coded thematic analysis, the study will address the questions besides offering solutions to the failing public education system of the US. Why is Public Education in the United States Failing? Part 1: Justification 1 Introduction The nature and quality of public education in the US have been under immense scrutiny lately considering the assertions that it is failing. Part of the debate about the possibility of failing public education in the US stems from the multiple challenges that it experiences presently (Sweeney-Heltt & Schwartz, 2023). Limited swift adaptation to the changing knowledge and skills landscapes is among the most cited challenges that public education in the US is facing. Leadership also remains a key factor in the success of any viable system (Merida et al., 2015). However, an objective determination of how and why public education is failing is still needed. Perhaps, more emphasis should be put on assessing the whole US public education system through its inputs and outputs (Loh & Garbe, 2022). The purpose of this research proposal is to set the stage for a study aimed at addressing why public education in the US is failing. To address the above purpose effectively, the study intends to collect and review data on possible causes of the problem including systematic inequities, inadequate teacher support, outdated curricula, and funding disparities. The other area of challenge that the study will exploit is the viability of standardized testing in contemporary knowledge and skills acquisition and dissemination settings. Finding solutions to the failing education in the US public schools should be a priority set on identifying the causes of the problem, prioritizing the causative factors, and implementing lasting solutions. 1.2 Problem Statement The US public education system is facing a range of problems to warrant its need for immediate interventions. Primarily, the success of an educational system is gauged on its academic achievement gap indices (Loh & Garbe, 2022). The public education system is performing dismally if assessed on the academic achievement gaps. The latest results from National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) findings indicate that only 33% of fourth graders in the US public schools are proficient in reading. Also, only 32% of eighth graders are proficient in both reading and writing. Further, just 34% of eighth graders and 41% of 4th graders are proficient in math (Loh & Garbe, 2022). In standardized testing scores, there are also achievement disparities stemming from differences in cultural backgrounds (Augoustinos & Hills, 2021). That is because White students outperform Hispanic and Black students by an average of 20-25 points in testing scores. Funding inequalities as well as teacher shortages are the other problems with which the public education system of the US has had to contend. The US educational system in public schools relies heavily on funding through local property taxes. With such a funding strategy in place, it is notable that learners from low-income school districts receive at least $1000 less on average annually if compared to learners from affluent school districts (Arewa & Hurlburt, 2022). The states have also showcased a reluctant attitude toward addressing the ensuing financial crisis in schools. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities reports, in 2020, states spent 29% less money per student compared to the amounts that they allocated to education before the 2008 financial recession. The problem of funding inequalities is compounded with teacher shortages and burnout. The public education system of the US has some of the highest employee turnover rates in the world. Approximately 44% of new teachers in public schools quit their jobs within 5 years (Augoustinos & Hills, 2021). Also worth noting is that teachers in the public education domain earn about 20% less than people with similar qualifications in other fields. The low pay could be a primary cause of high turnover rates. More challenges can be cited to warrant the need to re-strategize public education in the US. The dropout rates are high in the US with 5% of high school students dropping out annually (Augoustinos & Hills, 2021). Additionally, overemphasis on testing has been cited as a cause of the dropping quality of education. That is, when tests are overemphasized, learners are likely to spend an average of 20-35 hours per year focusing on the tests. Such emphasis limits the creativity and critical thinking skills of the learners thereby lowering the quality of education. In infrastructure, it is notable that 53% of the US public schools need modernization, renovations, and repairs (Loh & Garbe, 2022). The other challenges that public education faces in the US include disparities in discipline and access, leadership challenges, and poor recovery from challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic (Agarwal, 2020). Bearing the nature and scope of the above challenges, it is notable that the public education system of the US will fail if no action is taken. Efforts must be put into addressing the problems immediately and with a focus on future operational efficiency in public education. 1.3 Central Question and Research Questions The central question for this study is “Why is public education in the United States failing? To address the above question, this study will focus on the following research questions? 1 Which input factors affect the quality of public education in the US? 2 Which output factors enhance the failure of public education in the US? 3 Which strategies or interventions will be needed to save the US public education from failing? 1.4 Nature and Importance of the Study This is an exploratory study. That is, this study explores an issue that demands an immediate intervention. The study intends to showcase the causes of the problem thereby setting a platform for finding solutions to the problem. This study is important because it intends to save US public education from imminent failure. The findings of this study will also set a literature basis for future studies and reference in matters concerning possible failures. 1.5 Definition of Terms * Public Education: Education that is funded by the government and paid for through taxation. * Achievement Gap: Disparity in academic performance between different student categories. * Standardized Testing: Assessments designed to explore learner achievements in various academic areas. * Curriculum: Courses, lessons, and content delivered to students in schools. Part 2. Literature Review 2.1 Introduction This chapter focuses on published pieces of literature relevant to the research topic. The literature review process was systematic and focused on developing sources that are complete and relevant to specific research questions. The first step of the review constituted the development of a research question followed by keywords. The results were filtered based on a set inclusion/exclusion criteria that emphasized factors such as date of publication, methodology, and nature of the publication. A range of online libraries such as ProQuest, Google Scholar, and JSTOR were used in searching and screening the sources. In this chapter, focus is put on key topic areas including quality education framework, comparative analysis, and the emerging literature gaps. 2.2 Quality Education Framework Delivering quality education comes with an insightful balance of a range of factors. The framework for quality education outlines input factors, output factors, and process factors as integral to delivering the needed results in public education. If viewed as a business model, education is a system in which outputs can be gauged based on the inputs and processes with which they were accompanied. 2.2.1 Input Factors There are multiple input factors that stakeholders in education must consider to focus on quality outcomes. First among the input factors are the resources. Delivering quality education comes with the need to invest resources extensively (Miller, 2020). That is because effective learning environments require adequate fu...