Simply adopting one idea will not change the overall issue of quality education within our country. So many of our nation’s problems are deeply woven into the fabric of our societal consciousness that a solution requires a radical and comprehensive reform of the American education system. For example, you can’t address education inequality without also addressing racism.
Below are a few facts about the issue.
Addressing a persistent myth.
Spending more money on education DOES NOT create better educational institutions. Instead, it often creates inefficiencies and corruption within the system. The Detroit public school system is a great example of this.
Reforming our education system will result in a reduction in Crime.
In general, educated people are less likely to commit a violent crime than their non-education counterparts.
- Dropouts are 3.5 times more likely to commit a crime.
- 68% of men in prison do not have a high school education.
It is also important to note that those who decide to become educated while incarcerated are less likely to offend again when they are released.
* https://ed.stanford.edu/in-the-media/schools-v-prisons-educations-way-cut-prisonpopulation-op-ed-deborah-stipek
Reforming our education system will help to reduce state debt.
On average, it costs states $68,000 per inmate. A reduction of crime means a reduction of inmates. A reduction of inmates means a significant reduction of costs for states. That savings can be redirected to other important state lead projects.
* https://www.jstor.org/stable/23292095?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Reforming our education system will reduce poverty.
Education inequality is a significant problem in American society. Education inequality results in poorly educated crime ridden communities. When you take the idea of hope away from another person; then you have taken away any incentive for that individual to contribute to society in some meaningful way.
* https://www.ets.org/s/research/pdf/poverty_and_education_report.pdf
Reforming our education system will help to reduce racism.
Racism is a result of ignorance. This ignorance is a result of stereotypes that have been passed down from generation to generation and are often reinforced by popular media and throughout one’s culture. Not only will proper integrative education help to reduce racism at the communal level, but it will eventually decrease the amount of institutional racism that occurs as well.
The reason this has persisted for so long is due to the ongoing segregation that is normative within many communities across the country. Creating more integrated communities will not only result in the creation of more racially dynamic schools, but reduce the ignorance that is prevalent within predominately white suburban areas and institutions.
* http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/white-people-become-less-racist-just-bymoving-to-more-diverse-areas-study-finds-9166506.html
Reforming our education system will increase our nation’s overall contribution to its own economy.
Adding more educated persons to our country’s intellectual reservoir will both increase competition within job placement, and also create a greater likelihood for innovation and invention. More minds mean an increase in the probability of finding cures for diseases and coming up with solutions to complicated problems.
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