Improvements to the Education System by Lily

Improvements to the Education System by Lily - July 2022 Scholarship Essay

The education system is the foundation of people’s knowledge of the world and their ability to be successful once they enter the workforce. Therefore it needs to be organized in a way that benefits students the most it can. However, the current education system has many weaknesses: their starting times, grading systems, and prices in secondary education that I hope are improved upon in the next ten years. That way, our education system can help students become happy, knowledgeable and successful people.
I hope that in the next ten years, schools will have later start times, especially in high schools. The average starting time for schools in the US is 8 am, which can still be considered too early for young people’s sleep schedules. Teenagers need to get a lot of sleep, and typically stay up late at night, so later starting times allows them to get the rest they need. Giving schools adequate schedules to optimize students’ sleep allows them to perform better in school, as sleep allows for heightened focus, and also benefits teens’ overall health. This change in education is a small one that in the long run, would lead to students being happier, healthier and achieving more in school.
Altering the grading system, while a radical change, could perhaps change the way students view their education in an amazing way. Currently, most American schools grade students’ work with a system on a scale from F to A, or 0 to 100. This gives students and teachers a good way to gauge students’ success, but also creates several problems. Placing a numerical value on a students’ work can incentivize them to work towards a certain grade, rather than the quality of their work. A student may work less hard knowing they can achieve an A, and not use their full potential. The current grading system also devalues the meaning of good work itself by placing the grade at a higher value than the work itself, which is the reason students receive a grade. Additionally, the way work is graded can lead students to judge their own work more on their grade rather than the effort and learning experience assignments give them. Rather than appreciating how an imperfect assignment can help them grow, many students who are already conditioned into perfectionist attitudes view slightly lower grades as colossal failures. This is how the current grading system can have greatly detrimental impacts on students’ mental health. I hope that in the next ten years, schools may move away from this system of assessing students’ work so that the focus is on their effort and potential to learn from their mistakes, rather than a numerical value.
Another issue I hope to see change in the next ten years applies specifically to the secondary education system. The United States has some of the highest rates of student debt stemming from the high prices of attending universities. Many countries have no cost to receive education, yet in the US it is almost considered as a business to charge students for their education, despite how necessary it is for the success of many. Restricting the benefits of education to the very few who are able to afford it, or leaving many to have loan debt for many years, only keeps more people from being successful and happy, and supporting the economy as a whole. Prices for attending universities are also only rising, which exaggerates this already dire issue. If the costs of secondary education are lowered, or removed entirely, more people can achieve their dreams and give back to the country without restriction. I greatly hope for this to be changed in the next ten years, for all the benefit it could give.
Being critical of the systems that shape our lives, such as education, is what allows the world to improve instead of staying stagnant. While I can hope that these changes are made, working with my fellow students to encourage school systems to make these changes is what truly makes them happen. I look forward to a future where these issues and many more are improved on, so education can continue to shape young people into their brighter future selves.