Educational Reform

The California educational system that is presently in place is one of the most challenged in the entire nation. The educational system of any state or country is a direct reflection of that region’s particular values, standards and priorities. In comparison to the educational systems in place in other parts of the world, especially in Asian and “Eastern” portions of the world, we see ourselves dragging behind in the curriculum itself and in our efforts to prioritize education. The Problem we are faced with did not occur overnight and likewise will not be corrected overnight. It is absolutely crucial that we instill a set of positive moral and educational values for the following generations

to come.

Currently the educational system in California is ranked 49th in the entire nation. The number of students who actually graduate after four years of high school, is currently at a low 71 percent. The socioeconomic demographics play a significant factor in the overall success of a district, school, and most importantly the individual student. In the less financially stable regions of California, a disturbing pattern is found. The areas that are well to-do, are in fact where some of the highest ranking schools in the state are located. However at t the same rate the “low resource” regions reflect the lack of proper schooling, curriculum and sufficient funding. The average numbers of students in the Oakland school district who will take the SAT are only about 7 percent, and out of that percentage the average score is a 300 out of 800. On the other side of the spectrum in theSan Marino school district the average test scores were in the 600s and mostly 100percent of the students enrolled to take the SAT. Inner city urban schools have become “a factory for dropouts”. In California Alone the rate was a staggering 29 percent.

The breakdown in ethnicgroups being asfollows: 75 percent of white students and, 81 percent of Asians graduated high school. Native Americans have the lowest graduation average with only 45 percent. Blacks follow with a 56 percent graduation rate and the Latinos have a rate of 60 percent. The Los Angeles and Oakland Unified school districts graduate only about half of their original incoming freshmen. The largest ethnic population in the state are Hispanics. Six out of the states’ ten largest school districts also only graduate about half of their Hispanic students.

We are clearly long overdue for a systematic change of the current values we hold towards our educational system. Many of the problems arise not from the lack of funding,but the proper usage of that funding. Many programs and extracurricular activities have to be terminated due to the lack of sufficient funding. The materials and costs of teachers’salaries are two of the primary costs of running an efficient school. The answer is not more money but rather how that money is spent. The systematic regulations set on bothstate and federal levels must be carefully examined and reevaluated.

A more demanding and strict set of rules has to be developed in order to ensure that absolutely none of the money is squandered on anything other than educational purposes. The money that is used needs to be carefully and efficiently distributed to the places that need it the most. Traditionally the property taxes of the nearby communities fund the revenue for