Purpose of High School

The concept of public education, in theory, is a very positive one. It allows for people of all social classes to gain an education and benefits society as a whole by producing informed and intelligent citizens. Unfortunately, this often not the result of public education. Much of the ideals that public education was founded on have been lost. The administrators, teachers, and students have become obsessed with discipline and test scores. This is partially due to lack of funding. The amount of money that a school gets is dependent on their test scores, which is why administrators put so much emphasis on them. Tests do serve a purpose. Ideally they are intended to measure student's proficiency in a subject. However, in reality most tests primarily evaluate how well student's are able to take them. If less emphasis was placed on test scores, students may be more inclined to show interest in learning and teachers may be more motivated to instruct their students. Discipline has also become a large part of the public education system, often overshadowing actual education. High Schools often seem more like prisons than anything else. Students do not want to be there because they are forced to. If they were given the freedom to be in control of their own education, they may be more inclined to value it. Heavy parental involvement makes sense at the elementary and middle school levels, but by the time students reach high school, they should be able to be responsible for their own education. Students should not simply go to class because they do not want to get in trouble, they should go because they want to learn. Many would argue that without this level of discipline, students would not stay in school. This is partially true. Some would opt to not go, but this is the responsibility of the individual, not the school. If the school did not have to focus so much energy on keeping students contained, perhaps they could spend more energy on improving the quality of learning. This would allow for dedicated students to receive a better education and create a more conducive learning environment for those who have been struggling in the public education system.