The Current State of Education in the United States Essay

 Although the United States spends more on education than many other countries, the nation has failed to achieve the same positive outcomes than have been accomplished elsewhere, even in countries where per student spending is far less. Because education is widely regarded as the key to personal and professional success, it is important to identify current problems and potential opportunities for improvement in the nation’s approach to educational funding and delivery. Moreover, the arcane manner in which public schools are funded in different parts of the country, indeed within each state, combined with changing expectations concerning what curricular offerings are best suited for the 21st century marketplace has called into question the fundamental purpose of American schools today. The purpose of this paper is to consider what it means to be an educated person in America and the roles our high schools do, should, can play in American society and how current curricular offerings are failing to provide public high school students with the education they will need to succeed in an increasingly globalized and competitive marketplace. 

PRIMARY MISSION OF THE NATION’S PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS

Given the enormous amounts of taxpayer resources that are used for the nation’s public high schools, it is important to evaluate their effectiveness in terms of achieving their primary mission (Cornman, Zhou and Howell 2017). In the past, this mission has focused on promoting education in the so-called “three Rs,” but innovations in technology and ubiquitous computing have made many of the former curricular offerings obsolete or irrelevant today. Indeed, an entirely new skill set is needed to compete in the 21st century marketplace, but some of the fundamental elements of public high schools’ mission remain unchanged, including the need to develop good citizens who can contribute to American society in meaningful ways. 

Notwithstanding the educational funding that is routinely provided the states by the federal government, though, the primary mission of the nation’s public high schools is determined by each of the 50 state governments (except for the District of Columbia which is overseen by the U.S. Congress) (Parker 2016). Despite the introduction of Common Core standards that are being used by many states and the use of standardized testing regimens, the fact that the primary mission of the nation’s public high schools is decided on a state by state basis means that the type of education that is received by students in the Bronx may differ widely from that received by students in Fairbanks, Alaska, for example. 

Furthermore, there are also significant within-state differences in the views about the primary mission of public high schools, making any across-the-board evaluation of their effectiveness difficult if not impossible. In this regard, Parker, a policy analyst at Education Commission of the States, emphasizes that, “State constitutions vary on whether they include language about public school funding, religious restrictions, the education of disabled students, the age of students, the duration of the school year and the establishment of state higher education systems” (1) Nevertheless, in an educational context, in order to improve anything it must first be measured and it has become increasingly evident that this mish-mash of state-level legal frameworks and differing priorities has contributed to ineffective educational systems that are not engaging high school students and causing far too many to drop out before they complete their secondary education as discussed below. 
      
CURRENT DROPOUT RATES IN THE NATION’S PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS 

While each of the 50 states has its own constitutional language and mission for its public schools, it is reasonable to posit that these missions are unachievable when students leave the school systems altogether before they complete their studies. According to researchers with the National Center for Education Statistics, millions of young people are dropping out of American high schools and far too many fail to secure their general educational equivalency credential, dooming them to a lifetime of suboptimal employment opportunities (McFarland & Cui, 2018). For instance, according to McFarland and Cui (2018), “During the period from October 2013 and October 2014, more than 567,000 15- to 24-year-old students dropped out of school without achieving their high school credential. These event dropouts accounted for 5.2 percent of the 10.9 million 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in grades 10 through 12” (p. 3). 

There were some income-based differences in the dropout rates across the country as well, with students from higher income families experiencing a far lower dropout rate compared to their less advantaged counterparts. For example, McFarland and Cui (2018) add that, “The event dropout rate for individuals from high-income families in 2014 was 2.6 percent, while the rates for individuals from middle- and low-income families were 5.4 and 9.4 percent, respectively” (p. 3). There were also some modest differences with respect to the sex of high school students and whether they had disabilities or not as depicted in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1. Percentage of grade 10-12 dropouts among persons aged 15 through 24 years by selected characteristics (2014)
Source:  McFarland & Cui, 2018

Furthermore, despite sustained increased funding for the nation’s public high schools, the dropout problem has only worsened in recent years. In this regard, McFarland and Cui (2018) conclude that, “Over the past 40 years, event dropout rates trended downward, decreasing from 6.7 percent in 1974 to 5.2 percent in 2014, although there has been fluctuation in the rate. In recent years, the event dropout rate increased from 3.0 percent in 2010 to 5.2 percent in 2014” (p. 8). Taken together, these trends should serve as a wake-up call for educators that current strategies are failing to keep public high school students sufficiently engaged, thereby abrogating their responsibilities to achieve the fundamental missions as set forth in their respective state constitutions.  

These trends are all the more troubling because high school education has been the focus of a growing body of scholarship as well as increased funding over the past several years, indicating that simply throwing more money at the problem is not a viable solution. For example, the U.S. Department of Education reports that there has been a steady increase in federal funding for public elementary and secondary education across the nation over the past several years. For instance, according to Cornman, Zhou and Howell (2018), researchers for the federal government, funding increased by 3.3% during the period from Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 and FY 2015 (i.e., from $557.50 billion to $575.8 billion after adjusting for inflation). 

Moreover, these increases in educational funding were achieved immediately following similar increases of 1.7% during the period from FY 2013 to FY 2014 (again, after adjusting for inflation) (Cornman et al. 2018). Similar increases were also identified for student support expenditures and teacher salaries (Cornman et al., 2018). There were some significant differences in educational funding levels identified between the states, however, ranging from a high of $20.744 in New York (followed closely by Alaska, the District of Columbia and Connecticut) to a low of $16,047 in Wyoming (followed closely by Massachusetts), as representative examples (Cornman et al., 2018). Nevertheless, a study by Barth, Cebula and Shen (2016) found that inadequate spending for primary education is one of the major factors that has caused the steady increase in high school dropout rates in many American cities.

Further complicating the evaluation of the effectiveness of public high school districts in achieving their primary mission in terms of graduating students rather than losing them through attritional dropouts is the manner in which these data are calculated. In this regard, a study by Koenig and Hauser (2010), writing for the the National Research Council and the National Academy of Education, report that, “If the purpose [of dropout statistics] is to describe the level of education of the population, what matters is people’s eventual level of education, not what kind of diploma they received or how long it took them to earn it” (p. 2). 

Conversely, if the purpose of dropout statistics is to provide an analytical framework in which the effectiveness of public high schools in terms of their achieving their primary missions of graduating students within a 4-year period, though, then these variables assume greater importance for decision-making purposes (Koenig & Hauser, 2010). For example, deciding whether to include high school students who drop out but go on to secure their GED equivalency credential in dropout rates represents one major variable, while determining which schools to credit or assign responsibility for students who transfer from one high school to another who then graduate or drop out are other variables that must be taken into account when evaluating these data (Koenig & Hauser, 2010).

Beyond the foregoing considerations, Koenig and Hauser (2010) also recommend that public high school districts used their existing student data in more informed ways to help identify those students who are at most risk of dropping out so that early interventions can be implemented. For example, Koening and Hauser (2010) advise that, “Improving graduation rates in this country requires more than simply reporting accurate rates. To truly improve outcomes for students, data systems need to incorporate information that enables early identification of at-risk students” (p. 2). The studies to date have identified several variables that can be used for this purpose, including:  (a) frequency of absences, (b) failing grades in reading or math, (c) poor behavior, (d) being over age for grade, (d) having a low grade 9 grade-point average, (e) failing grade 9, or (f) having a record of frequent transfers between schools. 

There have been some other variables identified to date that have been shown to exacerbate the dropout rates in many public high school districts. For instance, a study by Gorlitz and Gravert (2016) found that the curriculum reform initiatives that have been implemented by many public school districts across the country that were designed to improve students’ academic performance have only served to worsen the dropout rate. Based on their analysis of curriculum reform initiatives and their effects on academic performance and dropout rates, Gorlitz and Gravert (2016) conclude that, “The reform increased the curriculum requirements in high school, for instance, by reducing the freedom of choice in course selection. The results show that high school dropout rates increased for males and females alike” (p. 530). Of course, no right-thinking educator would argue against raising the educational bar to motivate high school students to achieve their best and to provide them with the knowledge and information they will need to succeed later in life, but the outcome of these curriculum reform efforts beg the question as to what price is acceptable for achieving improved outcomes for fewer and fewer studnnts?

Because every public high school district in the country is unique in some fashion, determining which of these variables and combinations of variables provide the most accurate predictors of at-risk students for dropping out must be made based on local considerations. In this regard, Koening and Hauser add that, “States and districts should build data systems that incorporate documented early indicators of the risk of dropping out. At the same time, they should also conduct their own studies to determine the factors associated with dropping out from their school systems” (p. 2). Following this determination, Koening and Hauser (2010) recommend that public high school districts incorporate these variables into their data analysis to facilitate the early identification of students at risk of dropping out.

Regardless of the specifics of the various state-level missions for public high schools or the types of data that are used to evaluate their effectiveness in achieving these missions, it is reasonable to suggest that none of the objectives of states’ school systems will be realized if students drop out before they can receive the benefits of these educational services. Fortunately, there are some innovative strategies available that can help reduce the high school dropout rate and these issues are discussed further below.

A POTENTIAL SOLUTION

Besides improved data analysis, there are other steps that public high schools across the country can take today to help reduce the growing dropout problem facing the nation’s educators. Not surprisingly, the state-level differences in funding and mission have also meant that high school students in some school districts enjoy all of the latest technological resources in their classrooms with the best teachers available while their counterparts in many inner-city schools languish in school buildings that are crumbling around them with few resources and teachers who are struggling to meet the educational needs of their students. One strategy that has been found effective in reducing the dropout rates in public high schools is the so-called “Innovations” approach used by a growing number of school districts to encourage young learners to stay in school. For example, a study by Jacobs (2016), an educational consultant, reports that the Innovations school design is intended to “capitalize on blended learning, a mix of online and teacher-led instruction” (p. 37). 

Some of the more appealing characteristics of the Innovations design include the fact that high school students are treated much like college students. In this regard, Jacobs points out that in Innovations classrooms, “There are no bells and no traditional ‘classes.’ Students show up when they like, putting in six and a half hours at school between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.” (p. 38). Although Innovations classrooms contain the usual equipment such as chairs, tables and computers, the similarities with traditional classrooms end there. In fact, students establish their own goals in collaboration with a mentor teacher and then pursue learning opportunities independently using conventional resources as well as self-paced online offerings (Jacobs, 2016). The results of the Innovations approach to the provision of high school education has proven highly effective in helping at-risk students secure their high school credential in ways that have not been possible otherwise.

Conclusion

In an educational context, it is important for teachers to remember that if students are not learning the way there are being taught, they must be taught the way they learn. Certainly, some public high school students manage to overcome seemingly impossible odds to persevere and succeed in their academic pursuits, going on to receive a higher education to realize their full personal and professional potentials but these heroic young people are the exceptions rather than the rule. Although there is little that public school districts can do to help lower-income families overcome their financial challenges, they are in a good position to identify alternative approaches to curriculum delivery that are more aligned with the needs and expectations of high school students today, irrespective of their family’s income levels. The Innovations approach described above represents one such novel strategy that can be readily applied by other public high school districts across the country to stem the steady increase in high school dropout rates.

Annotated Bibliography

Barth, J. R., Cebula, R. J. & Shen, I. L. (2016). Is the high school dropout rate an increasing function of the proportion of the population in the US cities that is Hispanic? Exploratory evidence. Applied Economics Letters, 23(15), 1099-1103.

The authors provide an empirical analysis concerning the salient variables that have been most responsible for the increasing high school dropout rates in American cities in recent years. Based on their analysis of data from more than 300 U.S. cities, the authors found that the dropout rate is due to a combination of inadequate spending at the primary educational level and the percentage of low-income families with children attending public schools.     

Cornman, S.Q., Zhou, L., Howell, M.R., and Young, J. (2017). Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2014–15 (Fiscal Year 2015): First Look (NCES 2018-301). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

The authors draw on primary U.S. census data and National Cent4er for Education Statistics to describe the state-by-state funding levels for primary and secondary public schools as well as a breakdown of current expenditures on a per student basis for various recent fiscal year periods. In addition, an analysis of Title I expenditures and salary levels for educators on a state-by-state basis is also provided. In sum, the authors provide a valuable snapshot concerning current state-level priorities for each of the 50 states as well as a summary of their key findings.

Gorlitz, K. & Gravert, C. (2016). The effects of the high school curriculum on school dropout. Applied Economics, 48(54), 45-53.

Based on the diminished employment opportunities that are available to high school drop outs compared to their peers who secure their high school credential, the authors examine the impact that different types of curricular offerings have on the decision of high school students to drop out or not. Many school districts have implemented curricula reform initiatives in an effort to improve academic outcomes for all students but some of these initiatives such as increasing curriculum requirements and reducing student choice in course selection have exacerbated the dropout rate rather than improving academic outcomes., 

.Jacobs, J. (2016, December). High school of the future. Education Digest, 82(4), 37-42.

The author describes the challenging circumstances involving an inordinately high dropout rate that compelled the Salt Lake City, Utah school board to reexamine their curricular offerings and classroom strategies. The Innovations design was specifically developed to attract and retain at-risk high school students by making them accountable for their actions in ways that resemble how college students are treated. One of the more interesting aspects of the Innovations approach to high school education concerns allowing students to progress at their own pace; one of the major problems identified with the conventional approach used in this school district was the rigid class times (i.e., 90 minutes) in which students who already knew the material became bored and frustrated with their lack of progress. The self-paced model, however, allows all students to spend as little or as much time as they feel they need to achieve mastery of a subject which has motivated them to excel.

Koenig, J. A. & Hauser, R. M. (2010). High school dropout, graduation, and completion rates: Better data, better measures, better decisions. Washington, DC:  The National Academies Press.

The authors make the point that there remains a dearth of timely and relevant research concerning how to best measure public high school dropout rates, and follow with an analysis concerning how these lack has adversely affected the ability of decision-makers to formulate appropriate and effective strategies to reduce these rates. The authors make a case for a reevaluation of the current ratios that are used to assess the effectiveness of high schools in graduating students. 

McFarland, J. & Cui, J. (2018, March). Trends in high school dropout  and completion rates in the United States. Washington, DC:  U.S. Department of Education.

The authors provide a comprehensive analysis concerning the respective characteristics of high school dropouts and those who achieved their high school credential. The authors present five different types of rates to provide a general overview concerning high school dropouts in the United States, including (a) the event dropout rate, (b) the status dropout rate, (c) the status completion rate, (d) the adjusted cohort graduation rate, and (e) the averaged freshman graduation rate. In addition, the authors present data concerning students who succeeded in securing their GED credential. The case is made the current dropout rate is attributable to several factors, and that school districts must identify opportunities to reduce these levels to fulfill their formal missions.

Parker, E. (2016, March). Constitutional obligations for public education. Education Commission of the States, 1-23.

The author provides an analysis of the types of educational mandates contained in the 50 states’ constitutions and examines the implications of differences in language on their missions, the funding for schools and what marginalized populations are included. In addition, the author reviews several precedential cases on a state-by-state basis to describe the evolution of current constitutional language concerning educational priorities in the several states. The point is made that different states place higher priorities on public school funding compared to some, and that some states rely exclusively on their constitutions to provide the foundation for their educational systems while others rely on their legislatures for this purpose.