Research Paper Intro

While the United States has historically stood as the world’s beacon of progress, American educational ideals threaten to hold back the next generation of students. Even though the public school system has had marked success, it now serves as a barrier for certain students who are unable to conform to its standards. In this case, the educational standards are at fault as opposed to the students. The current educational environment which promotes standardization in both education and in developing the personalities of the students is short sighted. Students who move from the American educational system into the real world are inadequately prepared for what is expected from them. In “Project Class Makeover”, Cathy Davidson points out the flaws in educational standards in terms of what the students are taught specifically. Such narrow standards end up leaving certain capable students behind. At the same time, while the students’ talents may not be fostered, they also are raised in such a way that their personalities are not compatible with the working world. As Jean Twenge describes in “An Army of One: Me”, schools excessively raise the self esteem of students which ends up having detrimental effects on their performance in the future. In order for the American educational system to improve, the nature of standardization needs to change to better foster talent and create more capable individuals for the future.