A major issue facing the United States today is education. There are many "solutions" to this issue, but they always face opposition. The government has tried to take matters into their own hands, but their ideas are put down and are said to be flawed. The problem becomes even more prevalent when you look at our international test scores compared to other industrialized countries. We consistently rank in the bottom half in Math, and do mediocre in Reading. Some people even go further to say that there is a difference in academic achievement between poorer and wealthier families. Students who attend more selective schools tend to get a higher entry level salary than those who would have gone to an ordinary college. There are also studies that show if you were to go to a college known for, say, producing lawyers, you would have a better chance of getting a job as a lawyer than somebody who went to an ordinary college. There are many factors that come into play when education is discussed. It is not something that you can look at in one dimension. This issue can not be solved with a simple solution, because it is not a simple issue. Instead of all arguing over what should be done, we need to realize that we are all a part of this country, and that we are all responsible for what happens to it. We need to come together and create a solution that incorporates everyone's ideas as much as possible. Maybe then someday we can move forward and hope to establish ourselves as an elite country when it comes to education.
