The Effects Of Educational Reform On High School Programs

Educational reform is a subject frequently being evaluated, and it is currently needed more than ever. Due to high school programs such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, teaching has been emphasized through a series of tests. The problem with this, is that â€Å"a teacher can prep students for a standardized test, get a bump in scores, and yet not be providing a very good education† (Rose 21). Meaning, instructors may be knowledgeable on how to raise test scores, but their students can remain uneducated; There is not a direct relationship between the two. Furthermore, this way of education highly impedes non-cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, which are now needed for the current job market. In fact, a jump of twice as many†¦show more content†¦Because a great amount of college education is being wasted, the United States is now facing a delay in intellectual and economic growth. Educational reform is needed to cultivate oncoming students, but inst ead off focusing on past mistakes, what the future holds additionally needs to be addressed. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) jobs are what is needed for the future, and these jobs require critical thinking. Therefore, a child’s education needs to stop being compressed into purely cognitive skills and personalized to properly develop a talented individual. In order to better educate students for the 21st century, students must be allowed room for creative growth and be able to take control of their own learning. All students should leave the classroom and participate in STEM- based apprenticeships or internships. In order to fix the deeply flawed school system, standardized testing needs to face an extreme reduction. These tests have become an obstacle course, rather than a solution to better educate students. Dramatically cutting these exams will also then free up a lot of time; the months typically utilized for preparing for these tests can be nearly elimi nated and used as time available for opportunities outside of the classroom. The second step is to offer more electives relevant to the 21st century job market, such as computer programming, robotics, and video game design. These courses are STEM related and will teach students how