Many people have different views on the Education system. One very particular view is whether or not the teachers or children are to blame for the decrease in of academic progress. In the book Wasting Minds, Ronald Wolk speaks about why he thinks our education system is failing. He believes that reasons for poor performance in school have to do with poverty and race, whereas in A Nation at Risk, the writer emphasizes on performance based on the amount of test we do. That leaves us with the lingering question, is what is really causing the decline in school performance? Wolk says “the nation rushed into action with little thought or analysis,” he is referring to the many test and quizzes the government put in the curriculum because they believed poor performance came from little work. They did not take in to consideration that this might just draw students away from school. Teachers will have an excuse to be lazy and just give out handouts. In this article Wolk describes school to be hostile and alienating. It is not a fun place to learn, but rather a place to get knowledge crammed into you head. …show more content…
According to an article on Dosomething.org, “In 2011, nearly 46.2 million Americans were living in poverty” which means a lot of kids can’t afford to go to college. Students don’t try in school because they know even if they do well; their parents can’t pay to send them to college. The average cost of college is anywhere from $30,000 - $50,000 a year which is the average income a year for a family in poverty. In this day and age the cost of college is your total means of living. Most children are weighted down by poverty and broken