There
are still some problems related to US education at this time including a
big education gap among students and a lack of teacher welfare. With
his teaching experience, Aaron Dungca wants to share his educational
reform perspective for a better future for all.
March 23, 2019:
Previously, the US faced a problem of education gap between black and
white where American-African children could not receive the same
opportunities as white people. The problem seems to be resolved
gradually as in the data published in 2012, the ability of black
children in reading and mathematics has increased by around 50% from the
previous 40 years.
This is a good achievement for sure in which the race
issues are no longer influencing the world of modern education.
However, it doesn’t mean that the education gap is completely gone.
There is still one more problem related to it, in which the rich and
poor are those sides who are suffered by the gap.
To have a better career path, someone is required to
have a higher education. For this problem, higher education is mandatory
for them to get higher salaries and more facilities. Unfortunately,
tuition fees are still quite high for various reasons. For this, it
makes sense to say that only rich people have the opportunity for better
education and a better future.
The education gap is not the only problem in the US’
education. Teachers, who play an important role in delivering knowledge,
are also not in good condition. Based on the recent data, teachers in
the US are still considered to be underpaid with a salary of
approximately $7,500 in a year while they need to teach around 50 hours
per week. This number is much lower than in other countries including
Finland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, and Spain.
Meanwhile, based on survey data involving various
jobs, teacher salaries were ranked as the seventh most respected work.
This ranking is below several other jobs including management
consultants and local government managers.
Aaron Dungca sees the above phenomenon as an irony. Of course, he did not raise the issue without reason. He had some experiences as a Wellness
teacher for more than 8 years. Some of the schools where he works are
poorly performing school and a high-performing school; they are Randolph
and Needham MA High School respectively. Both
schools had their own characteristics. The only thing which was the
same was about the diverse student population. For others, Randolph
tended to have high suspension rates, high absenteeism, low funding, low
state scores, no support for teachers in new programs, and more. On the
other hand, Needham High School’s conditions are in contrast. This high
performing school tended to have low suspension rates, low absenteeism,
high funding, high state scores, expert teachers, community supports,
and more.
Those gap problems in the US’ education have many
impacts on both students and teachers. The government and all of the
people in this country must put some efforts. Therefore, students and
all people involved in education get fairness in all aspects for a
better future through educational reform ideas that increase social
emotional learning. Sure, it is indeed for a factor; the form of
education is mostly definitely inadequate and in need of a major
overhaul.
About Aaron Dungca
Aaron Dungca is a teacher that served in both
underperforming and high performing schools. He has more than 8 years of
experience as a Wellness teacher. He found many experiences related to
the great suffering and great success with his students. Despite a
teacher, he was also experienced as a fantastic American football coach
who led the teams to many wins and losses. His focus is on integrity and
character. He also a kind, generous, and caring individual.
