Article - A Nation At Risk

The article "A Nation At Risk" discusses the decrease in education in the United States. Students aren't learning as much in school as in the past, so they are behind in college, and therefore behind in learning when they enter the real world. A part of why this is happening is because schools aren't requiring a lot from their students in order to graduate. The article recommended a plan - that students need 4 years of English, 3 years of math, science, and social studies, and a half year of computer science. And for students who want to go to college, they should also take 2 years of a foreign language. We should also expect more from our teachers, they should have to meet high standards in order to teach the youth of America.

This article seemed a little outdated to me, the statistics that they gave were from decades ago and I had a hard time relating to it. All of the recommendations that they suggested are in use today. The requirements for a high school diploma were the requirements that were in place when I graduated. Colleges and universities do have standards for letting students in, and they do expect a lot from students once they are enrolled. The recommendations that they article said that aren't being used today is that teachers aren't on an 11 month contract and their salaries aren't being increased. The article also wanted students to be in school more hours per day and more days per year. As long as students are engaged and learning while they're in school, I don't see why they have to stay in school longer.