Dear Mr. or Mrs. President,

Throughout recent years the U.S educational system has been plagued by so many issues that have been hindering students from reaching their full potential. These issues have gone overlooked by so many people and if they remain undealt with, it could cause severe damage to our new generation academically.

One of the large issues in the educational system is the level of education that students have been receiving. The U.S. Education Department reports that the high school graduation rate is at an all-time high at 80 percent. Four out of every five students are successful in studies and graduate within four years.  These statistics should sound like a reason for a standing ovation. Unfortunately, they are overshadowed by this next horrific statistic. While 80 percent of high school seniors receive a diploma, less than half of those are able to proficiently read or complete math problems. This is a tremendous problem, especially in some states like Florida which has one of the lowest educational standards in the country. While I happen to be very lucky I live in New York, which is one of the states held to a higher educational standard, I feel that everyone across the country is entitled to the same level of education. It should not be based on the state in which you live . We need to bring all public schools across the country up to the same level so we don’t have people being cheated out of the education they deserve.

This next issue goes hand in hand with the previous one. A big part in the extremely low level of education students are receiving is based on the teachers. Schools need to make it much harder to become a teacher. Schools need to only hire teachers that can connect with students and really get through to them and help them learn. Those teachers that just show up and give students busy work to pass them are large contributors to a big problem in our educational system. They are the reason why so many students graduate with ease but still cannot read or complete math problems. Schools should also be better at recognizing when they have a good teacher and appreciate those teachers. When a teacher who loves what they do does not get the recognition they deserve for having all their students pass their standardized tests, it can lead that teacher to not want to work as hard and pretty soon we’re left with yet another bad teacher.

The final issue that has been harming our educational system is the cost of attending college. The cost of college is outrageously high leading smart kids with potential to do great things unable to reach the next level of their education. So many students will graduate high school and hit a wall ruining their education because they can’t afford to attend college. Imagine getting accepted into college and being all ready to go out and work toward getting a degree, and then realizing that’s never going to happen because mom and dad don’t have the money. It’s such a heartbreaking thing to see a student stripped of opportunity solely based on money. While many people will make the argument that financial aid is the solution to this financial problem, recent studies refute this.  Studies have shown that in recent years the cost of college has only been climbing while the pace of financial aid simply cannot keep up. We need to find a real way to make college more affordable for people so they can all have the same educational opportunities.

Many people will argue that our educational system is working just fine as it currently stands. However, that is only based on the success to failure ratio in schools. As stated earlier, 80% of students may graduate in four years, which leaves only 20% in failure. This may cause people to think our current system is working outstandingly well. People neglect to realize that of that 80% that supposedly pass with flying colors, more than half of those students can really do the work. In other words, more than half of those students are unprepared for the world that awaits them.

The U.S educational system has been having a hard time over the last few years, with unprepared students, high priced colleges, and many lousy teachers;it’s truly amazing that we’re able to look so successful. We need a smart, strong, and hardworking leader to help fix these problems in our system. I hope that person will be you,

Sincerely, 

Zachary 

Works cited: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/education_futures/2015/08/10_reasons_the_us_education_system_is_failing.html

http://ideas.time.com/2011/10/20/blame-game-lets-talk-honestly-about-bad-teachers/

http://time.com/money/4098683/college-board-tuition-cost-rose-inflation-2015/

http://www.learningfirst.org/us-education-system-not-failing