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Debate Score:55
Arguments:41
Total Votes:59
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 Major problems or obstacles in public education (41)

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Major problems or obstacles in public education

What are the major or most significant problems or obstacles in public education today?

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4 points

How money is spent is a major one. There has been a big push for new school buildings recently. Somehow a new building is going to produce brighter students, how this works is mystery. Money used for education should be used on students, not staff housing. Administrators of schools should be people that have a sense of business, not educators. School need to work on a budget, not in the red.

The term public education should be changed. No school is public, they are private. They are controlled by the school board and only operate off public money.

There is so many things wrong with the current system that I would have to write a book to cover all of them. Will and comments as needed.

Side: Club house for staff
3 points

Lack of discipline.

Children need to learn to respect adults and not expect the world to run on their will and emotions. They need to feel consequences for their actions. I'm not for all this softy-feely-touchy approach.

Kids also need to understand how privileged they are in developed countries and not take school for granted. Imagine if all the children from poorer countries had the resources and time that the devloped countries have. They would come out a million times better. They don't hate going to school.. infact it's the complete opposite.

Children are spoilt - atleast in the education system rather than life in general. It's that simple.

This may differ from country to country...

Side: Too soft
2 points

I agree. Kids don't realize how lucky they are to be in good schools

Side: Too soft
2 points

I agree. My kids, at least, need good role models of how to treat other people, and how to interact. I teach freshmen in a low income area, and they simply have never been taught how to act in a polite social setting. It will be a long road to integrate them into polite society. These kind of practices will be very important for gaining and keeping a job later in life.

Side: Too soft
Kinda(1649) Disputed
1 point

Exactly. Not only does this make it harder for them in the working environment, but they blame the school system afterwards.

Tell me... do you fear your students? Do you take a tough stance on them or do you have to let them walk over you?

Side: Too soft
laura0318(1) Disputed
1 point

Although, the educators in private or public education are responsible to have structure and discipline within the classroom and schools, discipline begins at home. Schools take students as they are and attempt their best to instill structure, responsibility, consequences for actions, familiarity, and routine while still educating them. It is the parents responsibility to enforce what is being taught in schools as well as disciplining their own children. A Major Problem or obstacle per se in public education is the lack of parent involvement and awareness of what their children are learning and doing in school. Some parents view public education as a means of educational day care where the growth and discipline is dependent on the educator and not the parent.

Side: Too soft
1 point

I agree. Schools shouldn't have their work cut out for them if the kids go home to a different lifestyle. However a lot of problems today is the availability if so many options. Parents will be unable to learn about the education system because of the vast differences between the generations so you can't expect them to fully understand. What they MUST do is ensure that they know which direction their kid will be best at and guide them there. Closing doors is just as damaging as leaving too many open.

One problem is the children's mentality. Forget being spoilt. They think short term. They worry about their short term happiness and not their long term gains -> Worry about popularity more than homework. They care about themselves in a selfish manner - which always ends up hurting them.

Another problem is the blame game. Parents blame the education system and the teachers blame the home life. They work VERY differently. A child who is raised at home in a similar environment to their schools will flourish, disadvantaging those who were raised in different environments. The reason for this is 'free thinking' -> because everybody has their own way of thinking and dealing with issues it causes greater friction with the school system. Everybody needs to get their acts together. In general schools would be able to adapt better to their pupils if it wasn't for government targets and guidelines. I think it's the government that's the root of the problem.

Side: Too soft
3 points

The very fact that it's public shows some obvious problems.

Corrupt politicians

High tolerance for bad kids

Low tolerance for smart kids (beliefs, etc.)

I guess the main part would all come down to the people running it (the government). but, without it poor kids would have no where to learn. Unfortunately, it's the middle class that mainly suffers (recovering their taxes they could afford private school and wouldn't need public school). but it is tough, because I do believe that every child deserves a right to education (especially in these days, i mean, if we lived in times where skill was more important than prestige, I'd be against public schools, but we've created this mentality that a diploma is more important than a skill, making those without diplomas very limited on where they can get a job).

Side: It Is Public
1 point

Yes, a piece of paper defines you as a person, but tbh I can't think of a better method to show your skills in this a large world where people don't know each other.

I don't understand what you mean by low tolerance for smart kids.

Boris Johnson went to the best private school in the country Eton... as did the Royal Princes and they all turned out to be idiots.

Side: Too soft

What Thepyg is trying to say is that school have no tolerance for smart kids. The geniuses of the world are those that having some learning disability. Every child that disrupts the classroom today, is put on medicine. Those kids with ADD and ADHD are the very same children history put on a pedestal. Many of these geniuses from the past, today would be taken drugs to make them "normal".

Einstein, Edison, Hughes, DaVinci, Galileo, Newton, etc. would all be on some medicine. I guess this is what is called Progress. Student welfare is of no concern of the teachers, just whether there is order.

Side: Club house for staff
2 points

The major issue with public education is that it does not prepare students for the sting of failure in the real world nor does it prepare students for the reality of the college classroom. Rather than letting students meet failure on a small level, teachers and districts are constantly reassuring kids that failure does not happen: lateness, lack of dedication, and other attributes of laziness are viewed as acceptable and are promoted in public education. Moreover, the occupation is filled with people who are less concerned with teaching and preparation for college and more concerned with patting themselves on the back for being a good sport and full of spunk.

Side: Too soft
2 points

Technology is important. All students are given laptops to do homework and work on projects. Monies would better be spent to wire each room for technology instead of giving each student a laptop. There brain development is not far enough along to handle the wasted time that can be spent on the internet.

consequently kids wait too long to start homework. they started when they should be going to bed. They don't get enough sleep and suffer on many levels.

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

Did you know that 7,000 students drop out of high school each day in America? Some of them will do fine based on talent (like a gifted musician or athlete), but those people are rare to find. We need schools preventing teens from dropping out. High school dropouts are statistically more dissatisfied with their jobs and make lower wages than do high school graduates.

Side: dropouts
1 point

Educational standards should be lowered to compensate for a failing educational system. And then perhaps after the standards have been lowered enough we shall be able to boast of the fact that the US graduates more morons per capita than any other nation.

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

A major problem with the current system is a lack of support for the upper level kids. The bar has been standardized at a raised value for lower achieving students but a lower value for the higher achievers. While "leaving no child behind" we are essentially tying them to the leaders of the educational race to slow everyone to the same pace.

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

Is the fact that some school districts have a shortage of resources to provide adequate education for their populations

Side: educational system earns a D-
2 points

Accountability. Nowadays so many School Districts are overly focused on State Tests and Mandates. So many Teachers nowadays "Teach to the Test" instead of allowing kids to just have Fun learning. School Districts should stop worrying about competition within school districts and student performance on these senseless State Tests.

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

Monetary funding of school districts; student discipline; high quality educators

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

A major problem in public education is linking the practical application with the theoretical study of concepts.

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

A major problem in education is legislative actions (such as No Child Left Behind) which mandate goals which are suspect in their value or their ability to be achieved. Does anyone really think that all children will be able to read on grade level by any date? As a Special Education teacher I am certain that some of my students will try their best to increase their skills; however, their disability will preclude some arbitrary measure of success.

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

Too little time too much work. Teachers are overwhelmed by paperwork and pressured to differentiate education. It would be better to have more teachers for fewer number of students.

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

I feel one of the obstacles of public education is the lack of spanish speaking teachers that speak and/or write spanish properly.

Side: educational system earns a D-
ignaciosorbo(3) Disputed
1 point

The national language is not Spanish...it's English. Heck, Spanish wasn't even number 2.

Side: educational system earns a D-
larocha(2) Disputed
1 point

There are a lot of spanish speacking people in this country. Maybe is not number 2, but WE are a lot who does speack the language.

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

The education standards for students. What are we teaching our students that its ok if you dont do your work because in the end you'll be able to make it up later. What kind of message are we sending to students as educators?

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

Too much bureaucracy. Not enough money spent on what is actually happening in the classroom.

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

I feel the workload outweighs the amount of time in the school year. I feel all kids are obviously on different levels when it comes to their skill set and learning ability yet these vary greatly. So greatly that the teachers can't differentiate enough leading to kids either being left behind or holding back the higher end of the class.

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

I believe that education starts in the home and school is only an extension of that environment. It all begins at home; if not, we are destined to continue our current system of "banging our heads against the wall" to get kids to respond favorably.

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

I think one of the major problems or obstacles in public education is one of power. Power in the world of public education is held by the wrong people--politicians!!! Instead of empowering teachers and parents to be able to shape their local schools, we rely on state and national political figures to control the decision making processes! These gutless & power bloated meglamaniacs have nothing at stake in creating better schools except their own political futures, and by the time their contributions can be assessed they are gone!

Doolittle

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

I think that the problems is the lack of managment and motivation from the leaders (principals, boards members) towards the teachers.

Side: Motivation and managment
1 point

A major problem with the education system is a lack of support for secondary students. Not only do we have a high drop-out rate, but we are readying them for jobs and/or college. The new grading policy does not teach them responsibility at all!

Side: Motivation and managment
1 point

The main problem right now is that it is hard for people who are not in the classroom at this moment to understand the overwhelming amount of stuff there is for teachers and students to do. To be honest there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done that we have to do and do it right. Something is going to have to suffer and it is either going to be the child's education or the teacher's life. That is why there is a 5 year expiration date on teachers right now. The ones that do what is good for the kids burn out WAY to quickly because of the stress put on them.

Side: Motivation and managment
1 point

I believe that one of the major obstacles in public education is the fact that we are attempting to prep all of our students for a future at a 4 year college. Let's be honest, not all of our students want or need to go to a 4 year college in order to be successful or to make decent money. I think that we should bring back "tracks" and vocational education/trade schools and help them to graduate with a specific skill that will ensure that they can be hired right after high school. When we individualize our instruction in this manner, we will really be better able to meet the needs of all of our students.

Side: Motivation and managment
1 point

professionalsion is, foremost, open to the "public" that's why it is called "Public Education". It is real that we face financial issues that suppress the access to a qualitative education. That same quality is restricted by staffing schools with "professionals” lacking pedagogical knowledge (Alternative certified). Not mentioning that many schools only teach students to pass standardized testing rather teaching how to think and process information appropriately.

Side: Motivation and managment
1 point

Even though SOME teachers can be a bit too soft, it's also their ways of being raised and their cultural effects having to them. Like their new modern day MTV or their texting or what not. In reality, it's the teenagers who are easily corrupted and give harsh attitudes and etc. to their teachers. Not only that, but their lack of motivation, they just throw off education like it's really nothing to them. The education system is even worse. Half of now a day kids don't even know the difference from WWII or WWI or so. I think they just either need to be disciplined more, or maybe even worse consequences. Or just a better way of teacher or something, I'm in high school. I think I'd know !!!

Side: educational system earns a D-
1 point

The obstacles face everywhere. It's one parts of human life. In education, therefore, there are many obstacles. The finding obstacles are the effects of human relationship. The important thing is how to solve it. No man is in an island is the symbol of human relations. It will end at the end of the day.

Side: educational system earns a D-
0 points

Loopholes into sites such as this one.....lack of security of diverse opinions could have unwarranted or unwanted affects on a child's otherwise adult free perspective.For example, I myself am disliked for my raw opinions and also find some of my written content may not be suitable for impressionable young minds.For an example read my waterfall.You will see on numerous occasions i have succumbed to using hostile rebuttals.I maybe stupid but i didn't realize that this was a site for debating amongst school curriculum activities, until i was barred from a recent debate.But the moderator of the debate did not state at first that it was a private , school debate until after myself and others had contributed. Sites such as this should have stricter measures in place to protect the impressionable minds of the young. School debate forums should be kept separate from other open-to-the-public debate sites.

Side: educational system earns a D-
0 points

One of our biggest problems in education is that some schools and districts do not allow the best technological tools that enhance learning. It's time to unleash Web 2.0 tools, games, and any other tools that will engage 21st century students.

Side: educational system earns a D-
Kinda(1649) Disputed
2 points

Technology does not make a good student. Nor does it make a good teacher. People have learnt without technology and always can learn without technology. The fact that people say we need technology to teach better shows the lack of faith in the system and pupils.

Side: Too soft
0 points

Public education is like public health care. It is socialism

Side: Too soft