Synthesis Essay On American High Schools

American High Schools seldom produce worthwhile knowledge for the young students in the system today. While education in America does provide children with the tools to succeed in college, highschools infantilize students and no longer prepare them for alternative career paths with vocational training. High Schools very rarely treat students with the respect and recognition that they deserve. As teenagers start to mature and develop, they should be met with a proportional increase of reverence. Instead, schools restrict integral parts of being a person; afterall, students have to ask for permission to partake in necessary activities such as using the restroom or getting a drink of water. According to Leon Botstein, “young people mature substantially

Botstein clarifies that the age of menstruation has dropped by more than two years since the dawn of the century. Kids are physically and mentally maturing faster than ever before; so, there is no reason as to why they shouldn’t be treated with the respect of their maturity level. Using this knowledge, it is abundantly clear that teenagers should no longer be held to the same ridiculous culture of our predecessors. In a paper published by the Atlantic, Brentin Mock discusses the issue of students foregoing their classes and partaking in truancy. One of the largest factors in the absence of students is how non-engaging school has become. Many students discuss their concerns over the education systems lack of quality education for students in the real world. Brentin Mock claims that “paying kids gives them a financial incentive to pursue perfect attendance” (Document 7); however, doing so would only distract from the real issues in school today. Students are continuously expected to learn at a determined pace rather than at a level that suits their styles. Amy Rolph proposes the use of technology in school; furthermore, she argues that her courses allows students to “grow at their

In source four, Nicholas Wyman rightly questions, “in a situation where 70% of high schools students do not go to college… and over half of the graduates are unemployed or underemployed, is vocational education really expendable?” (Document 4). This query points to the flaw in new public school system; all students are directed towards college education even when that education is costly and ineffective. Even in regions where a majority of individuals choose alternate career paths, school districts such as the Los Angeles Unified School District make “plans to cut almost all of its CTE programs by the end of the year” (Document 4). As Wyman mentions in early in the passage, the old American education system, including both core and vocational education, was more effective and equitable. Wyman denounces the education reforms in the 1950s that caused mainstream educational paths to be viewed as “a remedial track that restricted minority and working-class students” (Document 4). Evidently, the way to address the new flaws in American education is to reverse its morphing from well-rounded education into college preparation. After all, a new solution is not needed when previously systems were