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Jessica McLeod
Instructor: Malcolm Campbell
English 1103 first draft
30 March 2015

Fix stupidity early in life: improving elementary education

How comfortable do you feel sending your young children to school knowing that the
American education system is placed 26th in academic standing compared to the rest of the
world? Two years ago, tests and observations were done in the worlds top 57
industrialized nations to determine where each one placed in terms of education and why.
The United States fell behind many countries including Finland (placed number one),
Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Estonia, Korea, and others (Wilde). What makes
these countries better than us? I thought Americans strived to be the best in every area:
military, government, Hhealth care. What about education? I think America should suck
up its pride and seek international help when it comes to teacher education, curriculum,
and grading/testing in the education system. My interest in this topic comes from my
desire to become a kindergarten teacher. I have a passion for helping children learn and I
know that a childs first year in school is a critical time for their schooling career. I want
to know what is going on in American elementary education and what changes need to
occur in the system to help the United States of America become a smarter nation as a
whole.
Curriculum

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Elementary education in America is seen in two parts: primary, referring to

kindergarten, first, and second grade; and intermediate, referring to third, fourth, and fifth
grade. In primary education, the main goal of the curriculum is to master competencies in
language and fundamentals of mathematics such as addition. The curriculum is highly
generalized into broad areas such as language arts or life sciences (Gutek). Compared to
the rest of the world, our education is much more focused on the process of learning,
curiosity, and social participation at this age. Other nations focus on more specific
subjects right from the start of schooling., and they Also, other nations generally dont
start until later in life a later age. For example, Finland doesnt require children to start
school until the age of seven and neither does Russia, who is ranked 11th in the world for
education (Wilde). Our curriculum for Kindergarten and first grade is similar to nonrequired preschool education in other countries.
As children move into the intermediate grades of elementary school, subjects become
more specific and broken into science, social studies, art, mathematics, reading, writing,
physical education, etc. According to Gerald Gutek in his article called Elementary
Education - Current Trends and Preparation of Teachers, Ccritics argue that the American
science curriculum in 3rd-5th grade is not challenging nor specific enough, because it is still
focused on getting a child to understand what science is through inquiry and hands on
learning like field trips (Gutek). In other countries at this age, science is more factual,
straight forward, and focused on certain areas such as earth science and simple chemistry.
Based on what seems to work well in more intelligent countries, I believe this specific
instruction in separate subjects should start in the primary curriculum in every state of
America.

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One international curriculum I researched called Media Literacy Education is being

taught, starting in elementary schools, in Turkey, Finland, and Ireland. It is defined by
Belgin Tanriverdi, a Turkish Education Professor, as reaching the original source of
information, and ability to understand the power, limitations, and shape of the content
presented in the media (Tanriverdi). The article written by Tanriverdi about MLE stated
that becoming literate is not just a matter of learning how to decode letters and words, but
rather a matter of mastering processes that are deemed valuable in particular societies.
This curriculum teaches people how to live, function, and react to the culture and media
that is around them. It teaches young children to be positively affected by media rather
than negatively. The reason it promotes positivity in society is because students learn how
to analyze and understand connections between reality and fantasy/media; violent video
games for example, versus real life violence/what is acceptable. Another positive attribute
that comes with MLE is that it deepens young peoples understanding of diversity,
identity and difference. I believe a curriculum similar to this one should be put in place
in America to help children function, grow, and learn, in a society strongly affected by
advancements in technology and media.

Teachers education
While more and more teachers in America are being encouraged to get their masters in
education, it is still pretty easy for an elementary teacher to find a job without one. It is not
a highly competitive job, it isnt a well-paid career, and the demand for teachers is
growing. I was wondering what makes our teaching career different in comparison to the
highest ranked country for education, Finland. I found that becoming a teacher in Finland

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is highly competitive. They are required to graduate with a masters degree, and just 10%
of Finnish college graduates are accepted into the teacher training program; as a result,
teaching is a high-status profession (Wilde). It is difficult to say how the United States
could change the status of this profession unless they budgeted a lot more for teacher pay
and training programs. Teachers in Finland also have to be observed by their colleagues,
as well as government officials. I think this creates more pressure for a teacher to be the
best that he or she can be, and a strict system of teacher observations and cooperation with
coworkers should be implemented in the United States.
While researching teacher education, I came across A Case Study of Change in
Elementary Student Teacher Thinking during an Independent Investigation in Science, by
Bonnie Shapiro. This author was focused on why 58 percent of new elementary school
teachers in America felt least qualified to teach science to their students in comparison to
social studies, literature, and mathematics (Shapiro). She assigned all of the education
majors at the University of Calgary to conduct a ten week science inquiry project on their
own and teacher it to elementary school students. The student teachers came up with their
own question, performed an experiment, recorded data, created a conclusion and
presentation for the project, and taught it to a class of young children. After the student
teachers completed this process, they had a new comfort in the subject. This study shows
that prior to teaching a class of their own, aspiring teachers need experience in a classroom
under the help of professors and elementary school teachers who can work with them. At
UNC Charlotte, education majors are required to student teach for one semester before
they graduate. I believe this is one reason why we are among the highest ranked

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universities in the state for education. This requirement should be nationwide to improve
confidence and performance of new teachers.

Grading/Testing
Ah, the most beaten to death topic in education, testing! Critics argue that the emphasis
placed on achievement tests will persuade teachers to teach to the test. This means they
only give students the information they need to succeed on tests because then they will get
good grades, which makes teachers look better to their bosses. This process is very
common because it is easy to do from a teachers stand point, it seems like a logical way to
get a child to succeed when they only thing a child has to do is get a good grade. What
about making the child more intelligent and well-rounded for the sake of the child? There
is no benefit there for the teacher, and no way/time to do that when the focus must be on
passing government mandated tests.
According to [Link], Sstandardized testing has not even improved student

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achievement. After the No Child Left Behind act passed in 2002, the US slipped from 18th
in the world in math on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) to 31st
place in 2009, with a similar drop in science test scores and no change in reading test
scores (Standardized).
The unfortunate part of grading in the American Education system is that the majority
of a childs final grades come from tests. What about those who have test anxiety? How
What about the kids whose test scores dont accurately depict what they know? WhatHow
about those who have test anxiety? According to Dr. Richard Cuenca in his school
newsletter poor test takers? approximately 10% of students in America experience such

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severe anxiety from test taking situations that their body experiences a chemical reaction
causing their brain to actually shut down. Based on research, my opinion is that the
grading system should not be based on tests scores, but should be based off of on how a
child has improved in school, their classwork/homework work effort, participartion, and
what they have learned.
Tests should not count for almost all of a grade. Heres a personal example. I honestly
think that my friend Annemarie is a smarter, more intelligent individual than I am,
especially when it comes to school. She pays attention in class, takes notes, studies hard,
doesnt procrastinate, produces quality work, et cetera. But when it comes to grades, I
have higher grades. Why? I simply get higher test grades. I copy homework, I
procrastinate, I dont study, but it seems as if Im lucky when it comes to tests. Obviously
this is just a minor example of why tests should not depict how well a student is doing in
school. It isnt fair that a child is told how well they are doing by the grade they get on a
standardized test when they might be the smartest one in the class, but they got an
average test grade. Obviously this is just a minor example of why tests should not depict
how well a student is doing in school. If everyone knows its not the truth test grades
arent an accurate depiction of a childs intelligence, why does America continue to
implement grades this way it?

Leading American education

The U.S. Department of Educations mission statement, listed on their homepage,
states Our mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global
competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. This

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department is in charge of putting laws and funding in place for American education, and
creating nationwide standardized tests such as the SAT. States, however, have the say
about what is going on in their own individual education system, and the exact budget
allotted for their states school districts.
Have you ever wondered why some states excel over others in intelligence and their
education system? Massachusetts for example. According to Mary Tillotson in her article
What is Massachusetts doing right? on [Link], Massachusetts is leading the
country in every academic area for every grade by far. If Massachusetts were a nation on
its own, it would be ranked 3rd, among the highest nations in science, math, and literature,

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while the rest of America as a nation is ranked 26th. So what is Massachusetts doing right?

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The article talks about how well they prepare teachers and how they test them before they
enter their career. Not only must they pass tests knowing the content of what they are
teaching but also personality tests and other tests demonstrating that they will boost
childrens self-esteem in classrooms. I learned that Massachusetts gives more of a budget
to education than other states, and puts charter schools in place where public schools are
failing. Students also have the ability to pick where they want to attend school if they dont
like their own. There are higher standards and expectations for every teacher and student
as well as more rigorous tests they must pass, compared to the rest of the
country.(Tillotson)
In order to improve Americas education system, we need to look to states like
Massachusetts who clearly demonstrate a lead in intelligence and a handle on the school
system and teacher education. All of the differences seen from Massachusetts to the other
states should be implemented by the federal government (U.S. department of education),

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requiring states to budget more for education, testing/preparing teachers more rigorously,
and giving students more freedom and creativity for self-expression.

ConclusionSolutions to our education system: the overview

American Education is a major area in society that needs improvement. I think the
government acts like they are trying to help by implementing new acts and budgets, but is
it really making a difference? We need to suck up our pride and look for international help
and suggestions when it comes to curriculum, teacher education, and a grading system.
Elementary education is where a child first gets experience in school, and I think many
changes need to occur in order to set our future generations up for success. Teachers
should be paid more, and become required to have a higher education degree than a
bachelors in education, and have more mandatory clinical experience before teaching. The
elementary education curriculum needs to be more rigorous at the primary level,
introducing children to every specific subject.; and And last but not least, the grading
system needs to include more of a varied example of how well a student is doing, based
off of classwork, participation, comprehension, improvement throughout the year, and test
scores. way more than just test scores. America is busy trying to improve and show off
our other areas of strength to the rest of the world, I think education needs to start being
one of them.

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Work Cited
Cuenca, Dr. Richard. "Friday Letter: Poor Test Takers?" David Posnack Jewish Day School, n.d.
Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
Gutek, Gerald L., and Linda F. Quinn. "Elementary Education - Current Trends, Preparation of

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Teachers - HISTORY OF." State University. Net Industries, 2015. Web. 20 Mar. 2015
Shapiro, Bonnie L. A Case Study of Change in Elementary Student Teacher Thinking During an

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Independent Investigation in Science. Science Education. 80.5 (1996): 535-560. PDF file.
"Standardized Tests." ProConorg Headlines. ProCon Organizaion, 3 July 2014. Web. 20 Mar.
2015.
Tanriverdi, Belgin, and Ozlem Apak. "Analysis of Primary School Curriculum of Turkey,
Finland, and Ireland in Terms of Media Literacy Education." Educational Sciences:
Theory and Practice. 10.2 (2010): 1187-1213. PDF file.
Tillotson, Mary C. "What Is Massachusetts Doing Right? [Link] RSS. Franklin Center
for Government & Public Integrity, 4 Dec. 2013. Web. 3 Mar. 2015.
Wilde, Marian. "Global Grade: How Do U.S. Students Compare?" Great Schools, 2013. Web. 20
Mar. 2015.

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