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Reforming Public Education in United States
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REFORMING PUBLIC EDUCATION IN UNITED STATES
Reform in public education, also known as education reform, is an initiative with the aim
of bringing about significant changes in the way schools are run. The motivations of reformers
throughout history have led to a wide variety of reform strategies. On the other hand, since the
1980s, educational reform has centered on shifting the current system's emphasis from inputs to
outcomes. In the United States, the public school system is widely recognized and supported as
the primary provider of K-12 education for American children and teenagers. The movement
toward reform has developed in numerous ways. Throughout history and into the present day,
debates over what information or experiences lead to an educated person or an educated society
have shaped the definition and practice of education. Educators, as well as the school as a whole,
can make alterations to their practices by introducing new requirements into the curriculum and
evaluating students' progress over time. To transform public education in the united states of
America, the education stakeholders in the country need to adopt data systems that will help
parents and teachers track the performance of the learners, reduce congestion in public schools,
raise the standards for teachers in public schools, increase funding to public schools and lastly
leave critical decisions to be made by the community rather than the school systems.
Adopting data systems that enable parents and teachers to track learners’ performance is
an important educational reform in the United States. These systems provide an allencompassing picture of a student's academic performance, which may be used to guide
pedagogical, curricular, and intervention choices. Borup et al. (2019), argues that public schools
in the United States and elsewhere should use data systems to not only monitor student progress
but also improve classroom instruction. Teachers may see how their students are doing across the
board, monitor their growth over time, and evaluate how they stack up against statewide and
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statewide benchmarks with the use of data systems. These technologies allow educators to
immediately react to a student's needs by delivering instantaneous feedback on his or her
progress or lack thereof. Using these tools, parents may keep tabs on their child's academic
development and be more engaged in their child's education. Not only that, but data systems also
provide light on the quality of teaching across the board and the efficacy of certain strategies.
Decisions concerning curriculum, teaching, and other educational changes may be made with
this data in mind.
Reducing congestion in public schools in the United States is an educational reform that
can have a direct, positive impact on student learning. To reform the education system, there is a
need to decongest these schools by adding additional facilities (Aid, 2017). By lowering studentto-teacher ratios, schools can create more comfortable learning environments where students
receive more individualized attention. Reduced teacher stress and burnout caused by
overcrowded classrooms is another positive outcome of this reform. It's easier for students to
move around the school and for teachers to keep an eye on the halls when there are fewer people
in them. Finally, if school districts are able to reduce class sizes, they may save money by not
having to build as many new schools.
Raising standards for teachers in the United States is an essential educational reform that
will have a beneficial influence on student learning outcomes and the general quality of the
teaching profession in the nation. This reform entails establishing greater standards for the
credentials and qualifications of teachers, as well as providing enough assistance to enable them
reach these objectives. The teachers lack enough motivation in their work. There is a need to
improve the condition of education providers (Lewis et al. 2020). First, strengthening standards
for instructors will guarantee a greater quality of education for kids. Teacher knowledge and
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preparation will need to increase when higher requirements are implemented. Teachers that have
received additional training will be able to provide their charges with more interesting and
effective lessons. As a result, pupils will be able to study more efficiently and get better results.
Second, increased standards for teachers will help recruit the best and brightest to the field.
Raising expectations for educators will make the field more desirable and competitive. Teachers
with higher levels of education and experience are more likely to enter and remain in the field.
This will eventually lead to a stronger and more competent teaching staff in the United States.
Finally, establishing requirements for teachers will assist to guarantee that instructors are held to
the highest levels of professionalism and ethical conduct. Professional development
opportunities and mentorship programs will be offered to assist instructors fulfill these goals.
This will assist to guarantee that teachers are responsible and that they are held to the highest
standards of professional conduct. In summary, improving standards for teachers in the United
States is an essential educational reform that is required to guarantee that kids get the best quality
of education and that instructors are held to the highest standards of professional conduct. This
change will have a favorable influence on student learning outcomes and the general quality of
the teaching profession in the nation.
Educational reforms that aim to increase funding for public schools in the United States
are one way to boost the standard of education those schools can offer their students. Insufficient
funding to public schools in US means that the children lack the necessary resources to make
their learning seamless (Weisburst, 2019). This type of change is essential for ensuring that
students from all economic backgrounds can receive a top-notch education. If public schools had
more money, they could use it to pay for more qualified teachers, update their curriculum
materials, and introduce new courses, like those in vocational and technical studies. Public
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schools would be able to provide much-needed services, such as mental health counseling and
social services, to students and their families if they were adequately funded. Funding increases
would also aid in closing the achievement gap that exists between students of different races and
ethnicities. As a final point, more money could be used to make college more affordable for
students from low-income families.
As part of educational reform in the United States, allowing communities to play a more
active role in developing educational policy and practices and giving everyone a voice in the
decision-making processes is essential. Leaving critical decisions to the community will be
effective as the community knows the interest of the learners (Louis, & Kruse, 2021). To achieve
this goal, it may be necessary to increase communication and coordination among educators,
parents, school officials, governing boards, and local businesses. Comprehensive and relevant
strategic planning should be prioritized, as should the formation of a unified vision and
objectives for the educational system. Some examples of this approach include the use of new
technologies and the incorporation of methods that have been shown to be effective in the
classroom. Finally, it is important to develop strong and effective communication amongst
stakeholders to guarantee that everyone's opinions are taken into account and that choices are
founded on evidence.
In summary, the crippling education in public schools has been a significant concern for
the key stakeholders. In order to transform public education in the United States of America,
education stakeholders in the country need to implement various policies as discussed above.
They include; adopting data systems that will help parents and teachers track the performance of
the learners, decrease congestion in public schools, increase standards for teachers in public
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schools, increase funding to public schools, and finally leave critical decisions to be made by the
community rather than the school systems.
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References
Aid, A. (2017). Breakthrough Solution to Reduce Congestion in Public Schools. https://thinkasia.org/handle/11540/6911
Borup, J., Chambers, C. B., & Stimson, R. (2019). Online teacher and on-site facilitator
perceptions of parental engagement at a supplemental virtual high school. International
Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 20(2).
https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/irrodl/1900-v1-n1-irrodl04703/1061332ar/abstract/
Lewis, S., Savage, G. C., & Holloway, J. (2020). Standards without standardisation? Assembling
standards-based reforms in Australian and US schooling. Journal of Education
Policy, 35(6), 737-764.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02680939.2019.1636140
Louis, K. S., & Kruse, S. D. (2021). Creating Community in Reform: Images of Organizational
Learning in Inner-City Schools 1. In Organizational learning in schools (pp. 17-45).
Taylor & Francis. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/97810030774593/creating-community-reform-images-organizational-learning-inner-city-schools-1karen-seashore-louis-sharon-kruse
Weisburst, E. K. (2019). Patrolling public schools: The impact of funding for school police on
student discipline and long‐term education outcomes. Journal of Policy Analysis and
Management, 38(2), 338-365.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pam.22116