Dear Next President:

As a high school student, there must be changes made in the educational system. Over my years in school, I have noticed the quality of the education system slowly decreasing. Teachers aren’t well-trained, class sizes are way too big, and schools aren’t very accessible for all students in the United States. There are changes that can be made to the educational system to ensure a better future for the generations to come. I believe you, as president, can make these changes.

Schools should focus on investing in better, well-trained teachers. An article titled, “Ask the Experts: 7 Ways to Improve K-12 Public Education” (http://nationswell.com/) states, “ The quality of a child’s teacher is the single-most important school-related factor of his or her success.” “Ask the Experts” also elaborates on the fact that schools of education need to do a better job producing properly trained teachers. It takes properly educated teachers to produce properly educated students. This leads to my next point. In the classes I have been in over the past few years, the student to teacher ratio is way too high.

Class sizes need to become smaller so teachers can focus on working with each student individually. Wnyc.com (http://www.wnyc.org/story/teacher) states, “Kids are unpredictable, and kids need attention. In smaller class sizes, you can give them the attention they need.” As a junior in high school, I have some classes with forty-plus students in them, and the teacher barely has enough time to help half of us. Student relationships with their teachers are no longer. Most teachers now focus on making sure their students pump out good grades, but they don’t make sure they actually know the material. Teachers no longer cater to the specific needs and learning styles of students.

Schools need to be more accessible to students everywhere. I just recently moved to Albany, Oregon from Portland, Oregon, and there are only two high schools in this area compared to the twenty-plus high schools in Portland. This makes class sizes much bigger, and there isn’t enough time and room for all the students to learn effectively. There should be more schools in larger or highly populated cities, so the class sizes are smaller, and there are more teachers available. This would ensure that each student is getting the proper education they need.

There are a lot of things that need to be adjusted in schools across the nation. As president, you can make the changes that need to be made to the education system. Take into consideration the class sizes, quality of teachers, and accessibility of schools in America. Make sure that the educational system is able to help students be as successful as they can be. Do everything you can to ensure a better education for the upcoming generations of students.

Sincerely,

Maile S.