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The Real Holes in the US Education System

Analysts have been talking for years about how behind American students are in their education compared to other countries. Average SAT’s and curriculums are among the most popular subjects, despite the obvious skews in the data. But how important is it really that not all American students get perfect SAT scores or take calculus? The biggest problem with US education is not the absence of upper-level subjects, but the absence of critical thinking and problems with real-world applications.

Let’s start with math. Most students are taught basic algebra and geometry, which are both good for critical thinking. So, why the lack of critical thinking skills? Students are not taught the “why” and “how” of math, just the “this is the way you solve the problem” part. For instance, if (x-2)(x+2)=0, then x=-2, 2. If you asked students who could solve this problem correctly why this is true, very few of them would be able to tell you that the zero product property means that if one or more numbers or expressions are multiplied together to equal zero then each expression should be set equal to zero in order to solve the problem. American students lack more than just analytical knowledge in math. Only 42% of Americans are capable of calculating a ten percent tip. According to experts in the growing field that studies “innumeracy,” or numerical illiteracy, only 13% of Americans are considered “proficient” in real world math. Why? We do not teach these skills to students. There is no required math class that teaches how to calculate tips, interest, or salaries. What’s worse, many teachers have no understanding of math. Depending on the state, a teacher can receive certification without even answering one math question correctly. How can we as a society expect students to succeed in life if we give them a basic education that can best be described as insufficient?

Although math is the worst, students lack substantial knowledge in other basics like biology, geography and history. A large number of people cannot point to the location of important organs, much less actually explain how humans breathe. Only 37% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 can find Iraq on a map. How many people do you think know the historical reasons behind the violence in the Middle East? Forget about SAT scores. We need to work on the basics.

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