Vault: The Death of American Education
By: Tristin Kilgore
Originally Published: July 10th, 2023
The American education system needs drastic, totalizing changes to save the future of the nation’s youth. As University students, we have a front row seat to one of the main catastrophes in American society. Our students have fallen behind. The same system that once produced the greatest inventors, mathematicians, artists, and leaders has fallen to produce students with scores either below or near the global average. Children are not motivated in their schooling. A common trend is that students believe almost nothing they learn each day will be useful to them in their careers. Education for the youth of a nation is supposed to achieve a few main objectives. First, to create a mutual understanding between students on a linguistic, cultural, and moral basis, so that they can integrate into society. Second, schools must build students who have the basic skills and knowledge of the world to function and be productive in society and their careers. Lastly, the education system is supposed to find the talented geniuses, from whatever class they may have originated, and give them the opportunity to rise and change the world. However, the American school system is failing on all counts, and parents know this, with more than one million children leaving U.S. public schools between 2020 and 2021. And yet none of the solutions proposed has been able to remedy this.
As traditional education systems have receded and begun to be increasingly criticized in the United States and abroad, new progressive and experimental education has tried to replace them. The issue is that school districts and states are unable to implement this type of education in its full scope. Instead, what is created are classes in which the teacher takes a backseat and little learning gets done compared to previous styles, or students work independently, and teachers’ reading slides to students is replaced with students doing that themselves. This solves none of the problems of the American education system and very well could create a situation that is the worst of both worlds. A lackluster attempt at implementing change will not be able to resolve this crisis in education. It is only when students see the future benefits of education that we will be able to refocus both students and teachers alike on success and resolve these issues.
Another fundamental problem that this has created is the collapse of a shared worldview in American youth. Some thinkers claim that where we went wrong was when we stopped allowing students “to listen and understand; to question and disagree; to treat no proposition as sacred and no objection as impious.” This, however, may not truly be the issue, but it may be the cause of the crisis. If, as Heraclitus says, ideas are reality, then a society that has no shared ideas or moral basis will not have a reality to function in. Why was it that Plato and Aristotle or Locke and Rousseau could disagree? It was because they had a common experience, a shared moral basis, and were not arguing radically different worldviews. Qualities that Americans not only do not have today, but qualities whose lack is a direct consequence of the liberal education that many want a return to. This is not to suggest there should be no dialogue, but to say that if a nation is willing to question whether its society should exist or was founded on evil and oppression, then there is no way it can survive or remain united. The debate of Americans previously was over policy, not the moral basis of our worldviews or the existence of our Nation.
Today’s debate about bathroom policies is not a question about bathrooms but about whether gender exists. If the nation cannot agree on something as basic as whether there are two genders, the idea that a respectable debate will lead to a middle ground being found is ridiculous. There is no issue in debating whether Congress or the states should regulate a certain product. However, an issue will inevitably arise if you promote questioning everything that Congress and the states are based on. A man may claim to find reality alone in his thoughts, but ideas only truly bring reality into the world when an entire people share them and act on them, whatever their disagreements may be on the best way to implement them. The “dialogue” that some allege was everything that America was about has done nothing but destroy the reality that the nation had in its foundational ideas. Our education system must take a stance in favor of the truth and not leave it up to the interpretation and deliberation of teachers and administrators. It is up to education to restore these ideals to the forefront of the American consciousness or risk losing America itself.
For over a century, America has been looked upon as the leader in innovation, technology, and industry. She has led the world in medicine, literature, film, art, and physics, yet today we are falling behind. Our best students, who drove the great innovations of the past, are dropping in the international rankings. Data from the National Science Foundation found that the United States has increased the investment in innovation and science by five times what was spent in 1970, but our productivity, which is driven by innovation, is lower than it was 100 years ago. Only a refocus on building great students will be able to counter this decline.
This seems almost obvious. How can a nation survive without the men to lead it? It was due to the actions of great men in every generation that we can stand here today. Without Tesla, Newton, or Einstein, would we have any of the technology necessary for life today? We can look back on the storied Western tradition because our people dedicated everything to ensuring that Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas were able to formulate the founding ideals of a civilization. Our governance and laws are due only to the genius of Caesar, Justinian, and Napoleon. If America does not take heed of the message of history and ensure our geniuses, who bring us greatness, are given every opportunity and resource needed to succeed, we are destined to collapse.
This is not to diminish the necessity of the common man. Great progress only comes from the cooperation of both the leaders and innovators of society and those who are crucial to providing them with that ability and upholding society itself. If not for the men of the 13th Legion, Caesar never would have been able to cross the Rubicon and deliver Rome from the brink of disaster. However, those same legionaries would never march in triumph in the Roman forum if not for the guidance and tactical genius of their general. Our education system must ensure that the average student is prepared to channel their abilities into building the future and success in their own life. Every student needs to have their strengths focused on the creation of a better world.
To have the best educational outcome and experience for students, schools must foster an active and engaged community. Both inside and outside of the classroom, students must be active and engaged in discussing and demonstrating the ideas and skills that they are learning. This would allow students to remember the lessons more easily and stay focused in the classroom. The teacher must be active in the classroom, as we are trying to pass on the knowledge of the past for the sake of the future. Some argue for a progressive education in which students learn by their own prerogative and experience, but students cannot find this on their own. Why attempt to create experience from scratch when there are centuries of information, techniques, and experiences that our students can learn from? All our children need to be given an education that prepares them for their lives. This means the skills needed in their everyday life, and an understanding of the country’s history and culture. If schools abdicate the responsibility to make moral declarations and show students a true worldview, we will continue to see more confused, disengaged, and lost children who are unable to push themselves or the nation to a better place. The American education system should also give the ability and resources for the best and brightest students to succeed. We will be able to see a rebound in our education system when all students are given the chance to fulfill their potential and when they can push boundaries and change the world. Our schools must do everything in their power to help them. By implementing this and reshaping how we view education, the American school system will once again be able to produce the best students in the world who can improve the quality of life for everyone and lead our Nation to even greater heights.