Education in America free essay sample

Education in America Malcolm X once said, â€Å"Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today. † There are many options available concerning the education of the future men and women of America. Since private schools can be a heavy burden on one’s wallet, most people are left choosing between public education and home schooling. There are many factors that must be considered while deciding which is more suitable. However, some of the most important would be the instructors, how well the students’ needs are met, and the effectiveness of each. They both have their own advantages, and disadvantages, making it difficult to choose between the two. Where a student’s learning takes place is not nearly as important as who is educating them. It is extremely important that the person entrusted with the task of educating students be well qualified to do so. Some parents enjoy the idea of home schooling because they can teach their children themselves, or choose who does. However, the task of ensuring the chosen instructor is of sound credibility can be a daunting one. Although home schooling allows for the opportunity to choose a student’s instructor, the teachers within the public education system are all guaranteed to be certified. They also have a set curriculum for their students that they are comfortable with, while home schooling gives one the chance to oversee the student’s curriculum. One would be able to change lesson plans, or things of that nature as they see fit. Another benefit of home schooling is that the student does not need to change instructors annually. The same one can be used for a number of years allowing for a strong and trusting relationship between them and their pupil. This is only the first step toward ensuring that all of a student’s needs are being met adequately. Every student has their own individual needs that go far beyond simply finding a good instructor. In these areas home schooling may very well have the upper hand because public education simply is not flexible when it comes to things such as scheduling, and class size. Some students work better in the morning, and some during the afternoon. Home schooling gives the student/parent the right to say when it is best for them to study. This ensures that to student is working to the best of their ability. In addition, home schooling allows the student to learn at a pace which is comfortable to them; as opposed to trying to keep up with a class. The ever growing class size of an average public schoolteacher does not leave very much time to be spent with individual students. Home schooling gives the teacher and student plenty of one-on-one time. This strengthens the aforementioned bond between the pupil and the instructor. All of this helps to ensure that the student will come away with a comprehensive knowledge of everything they are being taught. Although, despite all of this flexibility, public education gives young people something that many home schooled people do not get: socialization. Public schools give students the chance to be around peers and develop social skills that they will need in order to in life. Social life aside, home schooling can be just as effective as a public education would be. In the school year of 2008-09 a total of 3,039,015 public school students received a high school diploma. The Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate for that year was 75. 5 % (Robert, 2011). Although there are no statistics readily available for home schooled students it can be assumed successful simply by the growing numbers over the years. In 1999 there were only 850,000 students being home schooled in the United States; that number rose to 1. million in 2003, and then to a staggering 1,508,000 in 2007 (Bielick, 2008). As the state of our public education system continues to decline, those numbers continue to grow. However, even with the rise in numbers of students now being home schooled, it is still difficult for those students to find a college that accepts home schooling credits. Universities and colleges require some form of a diploma to enroll, but there are multiple solutions to that proble m. A bigger problem is making sure that the student is adequately prepared for college level courses. In a study done in 2005, they found that 39% of recent high school graduates found gaps between what they were prepared for in high school, and what was expected of them in college. Even 42% of college instructors believed that high schools do not adequately prepare their students for college (Peter D. Hart Research Associates, 2005). Due to the fact that a home schooled students’ curriculum can be watched closely, they have the opportunity to be better prepared for college level courses. This also enables them to learn. Education is the key to preparing young men and women to be successful in their future. There are now more options available than ever concerning the education of this nation’s youth. This is why it can be so difficult to choose how and where they should be educated. The students’ needs must be carefully considered before any decisions can be made. Public education and home schooling both have many advantages, and disadvantages, making it difficult to choose between the two. One must look closely at the differences between them, and decide based on their own needs and circumstances, and those of the student.