When Ronald Reagan's administration released
A Nation at Risk in 1983, he declared America's public schools were getting caught up in a "rising tide of mediocrity." (Williams, p. 9) Upon this publication, Americans responded with grave alarm and the issue was addressed as a national crisis. Since then, many attempts at reformation have been made, though each new alteration has proven futile. Again in 1995, reports were released by Al Shanker, president of the American Federation of Teachers, stating that, "time is running out in public education." (Williams, p. 9) The truth is: our educational system is failing the future of America. Disparities in our system exist, and there is no way to skirt it. We are supplying our children, the future of America, with under-qualified teachers. We quickly jump to government funding to solve the problems of our public schools, but this money ends up in the inept hands of school administrators, where students see little to no benefit. We are narrowing the curriculum and under-educating our youth. In addition, through the use of standardized tests, we are creating a society "reminiscent of Maoist China" (Williams, p. 11) in which children are discouraged from deviating from norms, while creative development is stifled.
This combination of our own suffering educational system coupled with the growth of schooling in newly industrialized economies will surely have a powerful effect on our nation. The educational expansion of opposing nations will lead to a huge economic and industrial explosion leaving our own country at a major loss. For years, despite changes, even our brightest students have been out-performed by their international counterparts in both math and science. (Williams, p. 13) This provokes major uncertainty in the future of America's public education as well as our own national economy. Though we have consistently been the undisputed superpower of the world, it is true to say that the future of America may soon lie in the hands of an uneducated citizenry. Without any prominent changes our nation will surely suffer:
"Simply put, the United States and its democracy cannot afford to conduct education business as usual if it expects to remain strong in the emerging global economy-especially at a time when not only are our students consistently outperformed by their counterparts overseas, but our government is becoming increasingly preoccupied with paying the retirement and health costs of a graying society." (Williams, p. 10)