According to the Program for International Student Assessment, Finland is ranked near to the top. A lot of cities in China, such as Hong Kong and Shanghai, are ranked in the number one and number two spots almost every time. Finland does not have as high of intelligence scores as China does, but it still has one of the highest-performing education systems in the world. The United States is in the middle, just like we have been for quite some time. The problem with our education system is not in the wealthy areas of the country. Those families have the money and means to give their children the best education possible. The problem with our education system lies in the fact that there are so many families with so low of income that they are below the poverty line.
According to the 2011 United States Census Bureau, the poverty line in America for a family of four (two children and two adults) is less than $23,021. A family of this size is estimated to have a basic-needs budget of just over $31,000 in order to stay out of poverty.
Poverty is the most relevant factor in determining the outcome of a person’s educational journey. The poverty rate in the United States is about five times as high as Finland’s. Children in poverty have a higher number of missed school days because they are most likely forced to work or care for family members. Students from 16 to 24 years of age who live on low income are seven times more likely to drop out of school than those from families with higher incomes. A new study on education and poverty was reported in Education Week in October and the Southern Education Foundation shows that nearly half of all U.S. public school students live in poverty.
We usually think, as students in Manhattan High School, that our education is meaningless. Most of our parents make an income high enough to send us to school and to get an education in order to send us on to bigger and better things. Even at MHS there are a surprisingly large number of students whose parents can’t afford to send them to school on their own money. They have to have reduced lunches, or get scholarship money in order to actually attend school.
If we, as Americans, want to improve our education system we first have to figure out how to fight poverty. About fifty years ago was the mark when Lyndon B. Johnson started the $20 trillion “war on poverty”. Today, it is painfully clear that the war has not been won. Since President Clinton, poverty has increased in every state in the country. I can honestly say that I don’t know much about politics because I’m sure that there are many factors on how the theory to end poverty is irrational, but it’s safe to say that it is affecting more than just people’s lifestyles. It’s now starting to affect our education. According to PISA, the education level in the United States is decreasing. We’re moving more down the list every year. The biggest factor of getting an education to lead a sustainable life is the poverty level. So poverty, not race, ethnicity, national origin or where you attend school, is the best predictor of college attendance and completion. Which in turn shows the outcome of a person’s life and the life of their children. It’s a never-ending circle that we need to be working on breaking for the future of our country.
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