Cheating has always been a problem many schools worldwide have been focusing on finding a solution for. With advances in technology come new ways for students to cheat, with teachers constantly trying to keep up with the latest trends. But the problem is not being squashed, instead, it is ever increasing. So one must ask, why is this?
Many students that cheat are doing it to receive better marks. Over the years, there has even been a few valedictorians that have come clean about cheating their way through high school. Most of them even feel that their cheating is justified. Because in the end, it’s their education that becomes the determining factor in the outcome of their lives. The pressure is on to get into the best schools, get the best degree, the highest paying job, you name it. Many feel that if they don’t meet those goals, they’re going to end up doing some dead-end job for the rest of their life. So it doesn’t matter in the end about how many teachers are cracking down on cheaters and trying to scare those who may consider it in the future. Unless the crippling anxiety that is placed on these students is lifted, the problem will continue to fester.
But the anxiety will most likely never be lifted, as the American education system is as flawed as ever. Students are being overlooked as human beings in so many cases, with the people on the other end caring more about the profit they make. In Detroit, Michigan, charter schools are everywhere. There’s a huge assumption that if it has charter in the name, it’s going to be better than the public school system. But it’s actually the public schools that are scoring higher than charter ones on standardized testing. Many charter schools there are not kept in check, allowing them to fight with each other over students to see who can make the most money. But the parents there wouldn’t know any better, many of them are uneducated minorities left behind when all the white people fled. So even though there are parents in Detroit who travel a 6-hour round trip to take their kids to a charter school on the other side of the city, it may be all for nothing. There is currently a committee being put into play to try and monitor charter schools more, but when you see all the abandoned buildings that were once flourishing public schools, one begins to wonder if there will be any positive outcome.
It is not only schools in rural areas that are in distress. In suburban areas where poverty is more uncommon, there’s still issues with the glossy websites and advertisements. Although the success rate on standardized tests may look promising, the student body is secretly a wreck. Going to one of America’s most challenging high schools feels like going to college early, everyone is sleep-deprived and anxious. Seeing a freshman take a shot of 5-hour energy two months into his first year of school is depressing, to say the least. On a recent survey, 77% of a polled group of thousands of students total reported being diagnosed with anxiety and/or a different mental illness. So yes, suburban schools do have better materials and resources, but there is a major sacrifice of what is supposed to be the best four years of one’s life.
There is something that rural and suburban schools share in common. The SAT, ACT, and AP tests. Every one of these tests comes with a fee, and then another fee if you want to send the official report to colleges. The whole purpose of these exams is to benefit students, so why must they pay? Why aren’t the state departments of education administering these exams? Now the answer is not to boycott these exams, but there needs to be more awareness around the issue. One takes an AP exam to hopefully receive free college credit. But it isn’t free if they have to pay $100 for the test, then $30+ on optional review materials, then $15 to send out scores to multiple colleges. And most AP students tend to take more than one test, piling on to the total cost. Although it may seem like one is getting free credit, a loophole has been found to still cheat students out of their money. It may be cheaper, but it is still something that burdens many low-income families (who receive a $30 discount on each test they take- that being the only discount they receive).
Lastly, colleges and universities that simply continue to get more and more expensive. In the end students from any university, whether it be public or private, are receiving a piece of paper. But if that university is public or private is the determining factor on the price tag. Many have it drilled into their heads that getting a degree from an Ivy League school will land you the best of jobs, but that’s not the case. Sure, it makes you look good, as they’re extremely expensive institutions. But getting a degree from a well-recognized public school isn’t going to make an employer pick someone else over you. It’s the knowledge you obtain from your education that will get you places in the long run.
There is a whole mentality around education that has ruined the whole “free and equal education” of America. Household income, suburbs or urban, there’s dozens of factors that can determine what grades a student gets in school. The system is neglecting thousands of young minds, and for those it benefits, many do not realize the advantageous opportunity that has been placed in their hands. If the education of our country is to improve (which is doubtful at the rate it’s going), then more attention needs to be towards the students instead of the money.
