By D. Mulberry
With the ever-changing political, economic, and social state of the United States, it is almost certain that a number of issues will arise. Currently, there are all kinds of problems looming over the United States. I believe that the most immense issue facing our nation at this point is the lack of quality education being provided and taken advantage of by the younger generations of today’s society.
A high caliber of education has not been provided to many students in the United States as they may have attended a school consisting of a highly distracting atmosphere and inefficient educators. This hampers the student’s desire and ability to learn and obtain an education. Also, after elementary school, the control of parents on their child’s actions may be weakened due to their child experiencing peer pressure, fear of missing out, and more. This could potentially lead to a decline in academic performance. The Tampa Bay Times website (tampabay.com) states that the NAEP (essentially a report card summarizing the test scores of the nation) show Florida falling from excellent academic scores in elementary schoolers, to abysmal results in eighth grade mathematics. In addition, nces.ed.gov displays that from 2020 to 2022, nationwide reading scores on high school standardized tests have experienced the greatest drop since 1990. As well as this, mathematics scores dropped for the first time in over 50 years in the same time period. Another reason for this sudden decline in standardized test results can likely be attributed to the shift to online education between 2020 and 2022. With so many opportunities to cheat the system and obtain a passing grade with absorbing little to no educational content, non-motivated students began to fall behind academic standards.
Unfortunately, this is not just an issue that will affect us today, but it could most definitely come back to haunt the lives of American citizens in the future. Without basic knowledge of government, politics, economics, and other crucial subjects, our future generations of adults may end up clueless and completely reliant on the government. With the majority of these uneducated citizens in a haze, our government can become more and more powerful and overbearing over time. It is even possible that the United States, seen as a safe haven by immigrants with oppressive and socialist governments, could end up in a system of communism. The ignorant majority will gladly accept the “benefits” of communism in exchange for a completely standstill economy and little to no freedom. On the other hand, an informed majority that understands the implications and results of communism over time could prevent such an event from occurring.
All in all, the United States is experiencing numerous issues today. One of the most important issues is the fact that education is becoming less significant in the average American student’s life. The large number of distractions and the public education system’s decline in strictness and expectations has resulted in a decrease in quality education. Sadly, declining SAT/ACT scores are only the beginning. Over time, an uneducated majority may result in the loss of capitalism in the U.S. In conclusion, the lack of education of young people is a major issue today and may become a tremendous complication in the future.
D. Mulberry is a 10th grade student residing in Hernando County.
