February 2022 – Civic Issues Blog: What Does School Really Teach Us?

Cost of Education

Many states and different boards of education all have their different set of rules and policies when it comes to budgeting and what they are going to teach their students. They break down all of this information between public schooling or k-12 and their higher education such as universities. Ballotpedia.org speaks about the public policy of education specific to Pennsylvania.

The article has all of the public policy in Pennsylvania but has a section that discusses education and divides the information into K-12 education, higher education, school choice, and charter schools. The section that discusses K-12 education in Pennsylvania, speaks about the money and how much money is spent per pupil. Breaking down this information and connecting it was information such as graduation rate, how many students end up going onto further education after graduating, etc. On average Pennsylvania spent $13,864 per pupil in 2013, which ranked it 10th highest in the nation. The state’s graduation rate was 85.5 percent in 2013. Is it really necessary to be spending this type of money on students to teach them the basic things that they need? Or are they even being taught what they need to know? IOs that money going to waste? The money brings up a different discussion when it comes to education and it is that many people correlate money with the level of education a student is receiving. They think that just because they are spending more money on a student’s education that they are going to be getting the best education possible when this may not be true in most cases. Even if a lot of money is spent it does not guarantee the student a full-time education and successful future as the article states, and it was mentioned prior in the blog, but Pennsylvania spent nearly $14,000 per student while only 85% of those students are graduating. Others may argue that alternative education may benefit students, not because of the price but because the schools have to offer. The article speaks on this topic saying “Proponents argue that school choice programs improve educational outcomes by expanding opportunity and access for historically disadvantaged students. In addition, advocates claim that school choice programs empower parents and improve traditional public schools through competition.” This is one side of the argument but others may also say that private or more “traditional” education might lock their child down and keep them from expanding their horizons when it comes to picking hobbies, being creative, or even deciding what they would like to do in the future for the college. Many private schools, being described as traditional, are just like that, traditional. Many of them are either religious, follow outdated and nonprogressive rules, and deny students more opportunities.

The article also speaks on higher education in terms of money and how much students in Pennsylvania are spending to get this further education. The question continues to be asked, does more money mean a better education? If so, why is that the case? Are we not all allowed to get the best education for ourselves, our children, for our children’s children? Pennsylvania has a lot to offer in terms of higher education with 260 colleges and universities. Of these, 62 are public institutions, 124 are nonprofit private schools, and 74 are for-profit private institutions. But the main issue that the article introduces is cost and student debt saying “Average debt held by college graduates in Pennsylvania amounted to about $33,264, ranking third highest in the country.” Is education a privilege with this sort of cost? Students at The Pennsylvania State University are paying over $50,000 for out-of-state tuition just to get an education that is supposed to help them kick start their lives. If education and a degree are necessary to be in the workforce in America, then why must it be so much? In basic public education, students are told about the expenses of college and how much it is and this may turn some students to not want to participate in higher education, but then they are told that they will have no good, stable future without this education.

Living in a world and a state of society where education is something that is deemed necessary yet is almost unattainable is a hard world to be living in for the future of America. Students are taught the basics in high school and they are set off into higher education and the real world all on their own and are lost and confused as nothing has prepared them for this sort of lifestyle. Although one can argue (such as myself) that high school and basic K-12 education does not teach students much, the one thing it does teach them is that being successful is not easy, nor is it cheap.

Critical Race Theory in Public School

Along with there being life skills that should be taught in schools, there are also social issues that should be taught in school to educate students. Most students in k-12 do not take the time to sit down and watch the news and stay updated with current events, therefore they are not aware about the world around them. It is known too well that the world how it is today is dangerous, and scary, but it is all caused by the humans living in the world. If the students are educated on the topic and understand what they can do to prevent future events such as the current ones just by being educated and fixing their behaviors, it can create a better future for themselves and their future families.

A panel of University scholars will discuss why critical race theory has become such an explosive issue across the U.S.

Yahoo News speaks about how education committees in South Dakota are beginning to limit critical race theory classes in their education systems. Critical race theory is a “theory created by legal scholars and educators in the 1970s that argues racism is a common experience faced by non-white people in the U.S., that racism is institutional and that it benefits white people.” Concepts in this course include “The basic tenets of critical race theory, or CRT, emerged out of a framework for legal analysis in the late 1970s and early 1980s created by legal scholars Derrick Bell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Richard Delgado, among others.” The argument with this topic is that administrators and the comite feel as if the schools are forcing students to invoke some sort of political activism and feel as if politics is not an appropriate topic to be discussed in school. They also feel that the schools are trying to push one sort of political agenda which they also feel to be inappropriate for a public school setting. Due to this, the House of Education Committee passed one of Governor Kristi Noem’s bills, that would limit any “political indoctrination” in public K-12 schools. Although there are many topics that are known to be forbidden in public schools and deemed as inappropriate such as religion or politics (especially staff and students personal opinion on the topics), critical race theory does not have to be taught in such a way. Although there is some teachings and information to it that involve education and the government “The core idea is that race is a social construct”.

Edweek explains that many readings and writings on the topic of critical race theory seem to be portrayed in a political way, specially in the eye of the conservative Republican but the main idea of critical race theory is the societal morals it holds. Critical race theory discusses social topics such as discirmination of certain people whether it be due to their skin color, ethnicity, economic status etc. The summarized the actual and true idea of critical race theory to be known as the basis of all diversity and inclusion efforts regardless of how much it’s actually informed those programs. Critical race theory is known to be about social justice and not politics, it leads down that path due to the current state of our American government as a result of the way politicians think about these underspoken groups of people. Other people say that critical race theory teaches students that all white people are inherently racist or bad people which is not the case. It can be interpreted this way due to the fact that if this topic is going to be taught then one must start with background and context, just like how any other topic is going to be taught, and due to the American history that has happened, the Europeans (or white) people are portrayed as the superior ones against any other race, which can be seen to not be the same way society functions today. Critical race theory, although is a tricky topic to teach without making some students, parents, or staff/administrators feel uncomfortable, it can be done, it is not an impossible task. Teaching students the concepts that are involved in this course would be beneficial for them, as well as those around them because they will be better participants in society and be able to keep up with the quick progression and development of American society.

Topics such as critical race theory should not be kept away from the hands of public school students. Once students get to high school, they are able to take classe such as American history at all levels that speak on politics, or AP government and politics that speaks about the current and past status of American government and politics, it is in the name of the class. The information taught in the class would be extremely helpful to all at the end of the day and at the end of the students education.