Module Four Part IV Blog Assignment

Statistics showing depression rates among college students in 2021

Vocational teaching in the U.S.

From the beginning of the formation of the school system in the United States, there has been constant change and reform, which has brought great benefits to many students. Schools initially existed in bad conditions and it took one reformer to change the quality of desks, chairs, and blackboards. Then, in a later time period, many immigrants started arriving in America in order to offer their families a better life which meant sending their children to school. The problem with this was that these immigrants came to this country with nothing but the clothes on their backs, so how were they going to afford to send their children to an expensive school? This is when the public school system started becoming more recognized all across the country. The next period of reform came during the separate but unequal time frame where many families argued for the integration of black and white students. This was due to the underfunding and lack of educators provided for colored schools which of course disrupted the course of learning students received. While white schools existed with an abundance of resources and an unwillingness to share, colored schools lacked these resources and struggled with the upkeeping of their buildings. This led to the popular court case Brown v. Board of Education, deeming the doctrine of separate but equal as unfair and illegal, forcing schools all across the nation to integrate. 

These changes eventually brought us to more recent concerns of how the American economy was going to get better. After concerns of a declining economy began to rise, the school systems in the US adopted vocational teaching which allowed for students to learn skills that would prepare them for manual operations jobs. This was initially observed in Japan and Germany, which at the time, had something the American government was aiming for, a thriving economy. This was not as effective in aiding the increase of the country’s economy, which is when the shift from vocational teaching to more academic courses and standardized tests became enforced. The country wanted public school systems to become a corporate model of market competition, choice, and accountability. When this was decided, more business officials collaborated with school principals and teachers, to decide on members of the board and to make decisions regarding the school’s future. 

I think that school choice did improve public education simply because every student has different goals and careers they want to follow, so by allowing them a choice of which school they want to attend, students become more motivated to pursue their dreams. Most schools reinforce taking academic courses, having an up to par GPA, and excellent performance on standardized tests but, some of these schools also offer different programs that would call student’s attentions. For example, a student who has played soccer his whole academic career will be more interested in a school that is recognized for their athletics, rather than one recognized for their engineering program (not to say that a school can’t have both). The choice for schools has expanded a great deal due to the voucher system that has allowed low-income students to attend private schools paid by taxpayers, such as charter schools and schools focused on a core-knowledge curriculum (teacher-centered). Competition on the other hand, is an aspect of schools that has made it difficult for students to focus on the learning aspect of school rather than the numbers. Many schools, especially notorious schools such as ivy leagues have a reputation to maintain which is why most times without realizing it, they pressure their students to surpass their already great performances. Although it sounds encouraging, everyone has their own personal struggles so, that, on top of stress from school, has led to a modern epidemic known as poor mental health. With up to 22% of college students suffering from severe depression in 2021, the statistics continue rising due to the system our country has set in place.