Education Crisis in America

I have to agree with the EducationCrisis in America.  The high school and college dropout rate is on a steady increase.  School is not being taken as serious as it should be.  Lack of education also increases the incarceration rate.  There are many different things contributing to the lack of seriousness and the high number of school dropouts in America. 

            The American Post ran an article titled Education vs. Incarceration.  The article shows examples of different inner cities in America where the government spends more money on incarceration than education.  For example in the 2009-2010 academic years, state budget cuts forced the Houston Independent School District to manage a projected $10 million shortfall. However, in the preceding year, Texas spent over $175 million to imprison residents from just 10 neighborhoods in Houston. In Houston, of the six schools deemed lower-performing, five are in neighborhoods with the highest rates of incarceration. By contrast, of the 12 schools considered higher-performing, eight are in neighborhoods with the lowest incarceration rates. Education and incarceration work hand and hand, the same as education and voting.  75% of prison inmates are high school dropouts and only 33% of high school dropouts voted.

            With steady government cuts in educational spending we have increased stress with teaching community on equal or less pay.  Teaching is a job and with fewer incentives and as a result teachers may not go the extra mile to educate the students.  Also with the decline in workforce in other fields some people become a teacher just to survive.

            Education should also be a joint relationship between parents and teachers.  Parents have lost focus in educating their children and rely heavily on teachers to get the job done.  Parents with little to no education may not know how to educate their children.  There are other educational factors, such as preventive sex and teenage child birth.  Only 50% of teenage mothers graduate high school.  This appears to be a vicious cycle that repeats itself.  The center for disease control and prevention reported that teen pregnancy accounts for nearly $11 billion per year in costs to U.S. taxpayers for increased health care and foster care, increased incarceration rates among children of teen parents, and lost tax revenue because of lower educational attainment and income among teen mothers.

            Overall a lack of education cost the government causes poverty in America that attributes to government spending.  Statistics show that people without education tend to become incarcerated, may need a government assistance program, less likely to vote  and or may have teen pregnancies.  Lower poverty neighborhoods usually have the worse schools.  This is a major issue that the government and the citizens need to address for a brighter future in America.