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Karla Ortega

Ms. Parrish
English 1010, 3B
May 11, 2016
Education; time for change
Did you know that the United States education system ranks average compared to the rest of
the world? Before my senior year began, I came to Granger to register with my mom. I walked
around the school and noticed that the office had a sign taped on the wall. It was explaining a
new attendance policy that would go into effect the first day of school. I remember reading it
and wondering why Granger was applying it. Paying five dollars for every unexcused absence
seemed unfair and expensive. It wasnt until months later that the principal announced that it
was necessary. He explained that Granger had a serious unexcused absence problem; the only
solution that the administration could come up with was making students pay for every
unexcused absence or tardy. That was the spark that lit the fire. It made me wonder whether
Granger was the only school that faced these kinds of problems. I thought of the whole state of
Utah, the country, and the whole world as one. What kinds of problems could there be? It was
all a part of the education system. Nevertheless, our education system is one of the best in the
world, right?
Attendance consists of being present in class whenever we are scheduled to be. In Utah, the
law requires 180 school days. In order to count a day as a full school day, the day must be at
least four hours long. Any day that is not excused by a parent or a doctor is considered
unexcused. Attendance is one of the things that make a student successful, but that is not the

only factor that matters. Educational technology is implemented in classrooms. Students use
computers, tablets or other hand devices to learn and test.
In the past, Ive had experiences where a specific part of the education system has affected me.
I remember when I was in fifth grade, I got put in an ESL class just because I didnt qualify for
the regular writing class. I tested one point away from the regular writing class. My mom was
upset, she could not believe that the test determined my reading class for at least half of the
school year. A few years later I thought of the situation and considered it unnecessary. What if
all I needed was a little practice? That practice was not an option, so I got downgraded to the
lowest level. Back then I didn't think of the education system, I just did what I was told to do. I
studied for the test because I knew that it would give me a grade; the mores of the education
system in America.
Now in the year 2016, we face problems every day. Today we revolve around technology.
Teaching is not for the learning but for the grade. A test determines much about who we are
and what category we fit in. Education follows a recipe, a recipe that worked many years ago, I
dont think that it is working as effectively anymore. Schools need to focus on the quality of
teaching as well as the quality of structure and most importantly, the needs of students.
To begin with, we have school times that play a big role in a students performance.
According to Later Education Start Time In Adolescence: Time For Change, researchers have
found that students lose as much as an average of 2.7 hours of sleep on school days. This shows
that students are losing a lot of sleep. Sleep that could benefit them academically. By the time
the students get to class they are not focused, drowsy, unable to comprehend or learn new things.
The paper also shows that sleep deprivation can cause long term memory loss; it is because it
messes with the biological clock. It would be like waking up an adult at four in the morning

saying they went to sleep at 11 PM the night before. Because of the sleep deprivation, the risk of
health problems and car accidents go up. Later school times has shown to decrease car
accidents involving adolescent drivers (Paul, Clark, pg 3) demonstrates how it can danger
student's lives. So what would happen if the schools started having a late start time?
Minneapolis School District conducted a study on later start times. 92% of the parents that got
surveyed liked the change. The district reported that the children were easier to live with and
they even had more conversation time. It would have a positive impact on students lives if that
could change. It is an issue that certainly needs improvement. Many students at Granger face
that problem. I conducted an interview on my classmates and one of them said that they could
not get to class on time because they could not wake up. I dont get enough sleep so sometimes
I wake up late (Juarez, 12th grade) was how she described her situation many times in attempt
of getting to class on time. This issue is something that certainly needs improvement because it
is one of the problems that faces the modern America.
Just like late start times, there are other improvements needed in order to be successful. Most
schools in America rely on technology for many different reasons. It is how we communicate
with each other. It is the way teachers teach and most importantly, it is how students find
resources. Technology has not been around for so many years, but throughout the last decade, it
has changed the education system. Many believe that it has made a negative impact on students
learning; of course, there are those who disagree.
The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology says that the National Assessment of
Educational progress confirmed that technology has not affected students reading and
mathematics test scores. The scores have remained about the same as they were forty years ago.
This shows that technology has not specifically made a negative impact in education. In fact,

the Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology state's technology can increase student
motivation, attitude, engagement, and self-confidence, while improving organizational and study
skills. Now this doesn't necessarily mean that all students will benefit from using technology
and not all students will hold the same emotion for it, but there have been some significant
results when technology is implemented in the classroom.
On the other hand, technology has not always had positive effects. The University of Haifa
conducted a study on cellphone use in class. The results were shocking, approximately 94% of
students reported using their phone in class. The argument being that cell phones distract
students and their learning. Teachers argue that students who were constantly on their phone
tested lower than those who were not on their phone and focused on the lecture. However, every
student is responsible for their actions.
Teachers that are strict on cell phone policies noticed that students were more focused
and also interacted more in class. Students and teachers hold the same responsibility when it
comes to technology usage in class. If teachers are more strict on students, the students will
focus more. Students tend to use their phone in class because teachers allow them to. The
principal of Granger high school, Dr. Dunn, allowed my English class to interview him.
According to him, technology is not going away, and teachers just have to find a way to capture
it and use it for their benefit. I certainly agree with him, there is always something the teacher
can do if it becomes a seriously bad problem, but not much can be done to eliminate it.
Technology can benefit education when good strategies are implemented.
Students use technology for many different reasons, including testing. Testing is one of
those tools used to determine a students understanding. However, I believe that there are many
times when those tests are not done very accurately. Instead of benefiting students, the tests end

up hurting them. The federal law requires states to test students in Math, Language arts, and
science in specific grades. Many states struggle to find the correct way to tests students.
Students need to be tested the correct way because it is what prepares them for college. The
Education Commission of the States believes that college entrance exams may be the reason why
students do not succeed in tests. Students take many tests that are mandatory, on top of those are
the SATs or ACTs. If there could be a combination of both the testing strategy would be more
effective. However, it would jeopardize the validity of the test.
Since tests are required for college and high school, the strategies used are very crucial;
students are not obtaining the information needed. Online websites are used for information and
practice. In todays date, most of our resources are used online, automatically making the
students tests scores drop. The principals paper titled test-taking strategies describes the
reading pattern of the millennials. The millennials are babies born between the years 1980-2002.
The paper states that millennials reading pattern is different because of the exposure to
immediate technology. Reading online changes the reading pattern from Z to F. When the F
pattern is used, the text is not read thoroughly( test-taking strategies, Karen Walker, pg1.) F
pattern is not effective on standardized tests; test takers are expected to read on a Z pattern, but
that is not provided. Using the F pattern damages the test results which proves that computerbased tests are not the best option to get the best results.
Tests are a necessity. That is how student growth is measured. It can also determine
many other things like college placement, scholarships, and intelligence. That last one is what
upsets me. Intelligence is often confused by many people. I do not believe that tests measure
someones intelligence. Students are not always prepared the way they should to succeed on a
test. Part of it can be blamed on the instructor or teacher. They are supposed to prepare students

for tests and college. Ive been in a classroom where the teacher was not engaged. Every time I
was in that class we watched movies; movies that were completely irrelevant to the material we
were supposed to be learning. At the end of the year, I had learned nothing. I never got tested
on it, or else my results would have been poor. Maybe that teacher was not motivated.
Teachers can either be intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. Intrinsically motivated
teachers are pleased with internal satisfaction. Their source of motivation comes from students
success, they are happy by a simple thank you. Extrinsically motivated teachers are motivated
by money or a raise. Intrinsically motivated teachers tend to teach better or more effectively.
Their test scores are higher than those who are extrinsically motivated. So, how does this affect
a teacher? Teachers might not perform the way they should. That could be because of the boss
they have, or maybe they do not feel like they are appreciated. Their boss could be a big reason
why teachers are or are not successful educators. It is important that schools hire great teachers.
Teachers are what construct successful students. Without a great teacher, students might not be
able to succeed.
Success does not entirely depend on the teachers. The students are as equally
responsible. So, what prevents the students from being successful? In America, high school is
for socializing. (steinberg, pg1). Not all students take their education serious. Multiple students
take the opportunities for granted. Steinberg believes that it is because their concern is to talk to
friends and look good. According to CBPP.org, 3% of tax money in the United States goes
towards education. That might not seem like much, but it is billions of dollars. It is important
for students to take education seriously. Many of them dont realize that. The reality does not
hit them until high school graduation is a week away, it may be too late by that time. Schools

need to motivate students. Motivation can be done by rewarding good students. Afterall, the
students are the future of America.
Students need many things in America. The needs for this country can be a little different
than the needs in other countries. The education system in America certainly needs
improvement. From testing, sleep, motivation, great teachers and many others, the change can
be made. Students are surrounded by technology, so the best way to repair the education system
is by adapting technology to learning. It will never truly be perfect, money wont always be the
best solution, and students wont always give the best they can. What can be done, can make a
difference. The ideal educational paradigm for modern America is not about being the best in the
world, the best can mean something different from every pair of eyes. However, the real change
starts with every student, and the teacher, if the effort is made, both will be successful.

Works cited:
1. Maggie simpson in the longest daycare. Twentieth Century Fox, 2012.
http://www.youtube.com
2. The allegory of the cave - Public domain, Plato(from socrates, his teacher.
3. Whats Holding Back American Teenagers?
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/education/2014/02/high_school_in_america_a_complet
e_disaster.html, February 11, 2014: online.
4. Questions about the day to day school policies, questions about philosophy. April 26,
2016. Dr. Dunn. Dr. David Dunn Granger high school principal.

5. Interviews with teachers, April 8th 2016. Mr. Perez, Ms. Hunt- Granger high school
teachers.
6. Interviews with students, April 8th 2016, Karen Ortega, Orlando Sanchez.
7. Later education start time in adolescence: time for change. eric.ed.gov/?id=ED561910.
Kelley Paul, Lee Clark, published 2015.
8. Teacher perception of barriers and benefits in k-12 technology usage.
files.eric.gov/fulltext/EJ1086185.pdf Carver Lin B. Published January 2016.
9. Testing trends: considerations for choosing and using assessments.
files.eric.gov/fulltext/ED561807.pdf Woods, Julie Rowland. Published November 2015.
10. What motivates teachers: its more than the money. Fp_passanisi_peters_motivates.html
Jody Passsanisi. Published December 5, 2012.
11. Best education in the World: Finland, South Korea top country rankings,
US.www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/best-education-in-the-wor_n_2199795.html
Published January 27, 2013.
12. 94% of high school students used phones during class. www.newswise.com/articles/94of-high-school-student-used-phones-during-class. University of Haifa. Published
December 26, 2012

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