education problem essay

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• A Research Guide
• Essay Topics

120 Education Essay Topics

Education essay topics: how to choose the perfect one, education argumentative essay topics:.

• The impact of standardized testing on students’ learning outcomes
• The effectiveness of online learning compared to traditional classroom education
• The role of technology in enhancing education
• The importance of teaching critical thinking skills in schools
• The benefits and drawbacks of homeschooling
• The impact of school uniforms on students’ academic performance and self-expression
• The necessity of teaching financial literacy in schools
• The influence of social media on students’ academic performance
• The pros and cons of single-sex education
• The significance of arts education in fostering creativity and innovation
• The role of physical education in promoting a healthy lifestyle among students
• The impact of inclusive education on students with disabilities
• The effectiveness of sex education programs in schools
• The importance of teaching cultural diversity in schools
• The role of standardized curriculum in preparing students for future careers

Education Persuasive Essay Topics:

• The importance of implementing comprehensive sex education in schools
• The benefits of incorporating technology in the classroom
• The advantages of year-round schooling
• The need for inclusive education for students with disabilities
• The benefits of arts education in fostering creativity and critical thinking
• The importance of teaching media literacy to combat fake news
• The necessity of implementing mandatory physical education classes
• The advantages of teaching coding and computer programming in schools
• The need for comprehensive mental health education in schools
• The benefits of implementing bilingual education programs
• The importance of teaching environmental education to promote sustainability
• The necessity of incorporating mindfulness and meditation practices in schools
• The advantages of teaching conflict resolution and empathy skills in schools
• The need for comprehensive and inclusive LGBTQ+ education in schools

Education Compare and Contrast Essay Topics:

• Traditional Education vs Online Education
• Public Schools vs Private Schools
• Homeschooling vs Traditional Schooling
• Standardized Testing vs Alternative Assessment Methods
• Single-Sex Education vs Co-education
• Vocational Education vs Academic Education
• Montessori Education vs Traditional Education
• In-person Learning vs Distance Learning
• Charter Schools vs Public Schools
• Early Childhood Education vs Primary Education
• Special Education Inclusion vs Special Education Separate Classes
• Education in Developed Countries vs Education in Developing Countries
• Education in Urban Areas vs Education in Rural Areas
• Education in Public Universities vs Education in Private Universities
• Education in the Past vs Education in the Present

Education Informative Essay Topics:

• The impact of technology on education: Advantages and disadvantages
• The importance of early childhood education in cognitive development
• The benefits of inclusive education for students with special needs
• The role of standardized testing in evaluating student performance
• The effects of homeschooling on children’s social and academic development
• The significance of financial literacy education in preparing students for the future
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on academic achievement
• The benefits of bilingual education in a globalized world
• The role of arts education in fostering creativity and critical thinking skills
• The challenges and benefits of online learning in higher education
• The importance of sex education in schools for promoting healthy relationships and preventing teenage pregnancy
• The impact of socioeconomic status on educational opportunities and outcomes
• The benefits of physical education in promoting overall health and well-being
• The role of character education in developing ethical and responsible citizens
• The effects of school bullying on students’ mental health and academic performance

Education Cause Effect Essay Topics:

• The impact of technology on student learning outcomes
• The effects of standardized testing on student motivation and performance
• The influence of parental involvement on student academic achievement
• The consequences of inadequate funding for schools on educational quality
• The relationship between teacher-student relationships and student engagement
• The effects of early childhood education on long-term academic success
• The impact of school bullying on student mental health and academic performance
• The consequences of high student-to-teacher ratios on classroom learning
• The relationship between socioeconomic status and educational attainment
• The effects of inclusive education on students with disabilities
• The influence of teacher quality on student achievement
• The consequences of school dropout rates on future employment opportunities
• The impact of school nutrition programs on student health and academic performance
• The effects of school violence on student well-being and educational outcomes
• The relationship between access to educational resources and educational inequality

Education Narrative Essay Topics:

• The transformative power of education: A personal journey
• Overcoming obstacles in pursuit of education: My story of resilience
• The role of teachers in shaping my educational experience
• Learning beyond the classroom: Lessons from real-life experiences
• The impact of technology on education: A personal perspective
• The importance of cultural diversity in education: A personal reflection
• The influence of family on my educational journey
• The challenges and rewards of homeschooling: A personal narrative
• The power of mentorship in shaping my educational goals
• The role of extracurricular activities in my overall education
• The impact of studying abroad on my personal growth and education
• The significance of inclusive education: A personal narrative
• The value of lifelong learning: My continuous educational journey
• The impact of standardized testing on my educational experience
• The role of education in shaping my career aspirations

Education Opinion Essay Topics:

• The benefits and drawbacks of online learning in the modern education system
• The role of technology in enhancing classroom instruction
• The effectiveness of homework in promoting student learning
• The benefits and challenges of inclusive education for students with disabilities
• The role of arts education in fostering creativity and innovation
• The influence of socioeconomic status on educational opportunities and outcomes
• The importance of teaching financial literacy in schools
• The impact of social media on students’ mental health and academic performance
• The benefits and drawbacks of single-sex education
• The role of standardized curriculum in promoting educational equity
• The effectiveness of early childhood education in preparing children for school
• The importance of teaching cultural diversity and inclusivity in schools

Education Evaluation Essay Topics:

• The effectiveness of online learning in comparison to traditional classroom education
• Evaluating the impact of standardized testing on student learning outcomes
• Assessing the effectiveness of inclusive education for students with special needs
• The role of technology in enhancing educational experiences
• Evaluating the effectiveness of teacher training programs in improving classroom instruction
• Assessing the impact of homework on student achievement
• The effectiveness of school vouchers in improving educational opportunities
• Evaluating the influence of parental involvement on student academic performance
• Assessing the effectiveness of early childhood education programs in preparing children for school
• The impact of class size on student engagement and learning outcomes
• Evaluating the effectiveness of bilingual education in promoting language acquisition
• Assessing the impact of school uniforms on student behavior and academic performance
• The effectiveness of character education programs in fostering positive values and ethics
• Evaluating the influence of socioeconomic status on educational attainment
• Assessing the effectiveness of alternative education models, such as Montessori or Waldorf, in meeting student needs

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Problems of education Essay

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The fact that social classification stems from civilization and its many accomplices doesn’t mean that we have reached its peak thus far. One of the key pillars of civilization is and has been education. It is education which has facilitated the sharing of knowledge from a given generation to the next. Education therefore, if simply defined would mean a process of integrating relevant knowledge in a person so as to instill relevance in him or her.

That is my general understanding of the term education. Education has evolved from time immemorial, it has always been inspired by the quest for knowledge and as long as one gained knowledge about a given phenomena then that would denote learning. Education therefore has been there before the formality of reading and writing, and it has always achieved that purpose for which it has been intended for; passing down cultures and information and teaching norms through the generations that have been existent.

Education is not a simple undertaking in itself. Formal education itself demands sacrifice monetary wise, it needs time and also needs investment in terms of the effort one puts in an endeavor to attain the same.

One has to sacrifice so much and post pone activities just for the sake of gaining from education, but above all it is the promise that formal education presents. The promise of independence, a good stable family, a regular income and posterity motivate one to get education. It takes a lot of effort in itself, given the fact that it takes several years in a person’s life just to get through an educational system.

It brings me to the idea that in a person’s life as long as they begin attending school, one will start preparing for the life he would wish to live and there after prepare the life he would want his kids to have. There is never rest at the end of this, rather one embark on another phase of life; family. As a result, life progresses as a rolling stone, just changing course and the players within the game. In that regard children grow to replace parents and the cycle would continue. Above all the sacrifice has always been worth it.

The obstacles to the same are universal. The challenges have a pattern of semblance to each other and the resultant fruits also resemble. For instance, in several parts of the world, they have similar challenges such as scarce resources that would especially facilitate education.

The above is evident in Africa and some parts of Asia. They also have issues with access to other resources such as water and good health; all these directly affect education in general and also the quality of education that is being administered. In developed countries such as ours, the challenges are simpler and are easier to sort.

Some challenges education faces include lack of time. Education takes a lot of time and most people have to juggle been education and their job; however these happen in advanced stages such as in colleges and universities. In earlier stages they have to contend with academics because much of the time it is a fulltime engagement for them so their activities are limited. The other challenge for them is the fact that is expensive.

The cumulative cost is expensive and this contributes to the drop outs that come about as a result of the same. The students are exposed to other challenges such as drugs, mob psychology and even harassment from both their seniors at school and peers. The overall impact to the above is a dismal performance which if unchecked would go a long way in affecting the personality of a student. They would in the long run look down on themselves due to a low self esteem.

Problems of education

The above is simply premise to the fact that education has helped nature characters, in generations of yore. But can the same be said of education as at now? What with a curriculum that is imposed on students and bent on teaching given norms as opposed to embracing virtues? It is true that civilization has shaped the level of thinking and technology as it is now, resulting to the competitive world that is today.

It is also true that education is trying to teach us how to live and survive in the world that has emerged after, but education is prone to many other factors that have helped shaped society to what it is.

First of this is the fact that at the moment education is relying on a given curriculum, drafted by the people and wired to instigate certain characteristics and uphold some of them.

Before the current system of education which is majorly formal, there was informal education which was basically instincts. It was passed down through generations and was programmed basing on occurrences of nature as it evolved. As such, it was basically life skills.

Education as it stands has made societal gains and we can only marvel at the benefits it has brought about. For one, we have achieved the natural peaceful coexistence among nations. The presence of one common unitary language has achieved stability and enhanced trade and relations. It has also fostered the achievement of positive solutions in times of calamities. These are myriad achievements, communication in itself has been enhanced and the result thereof is the ability to conduct multinational trade and interactions on different platforms.

Formal education, as we know it today and as has been explained above is the product of a curriculum that is drafted and implemented for teachers to pass over to their students. It could also imply that it instills life skills to a small extent but that is as it is; majorly it is used as a social control mechanism.

The educational system in place at the moment trains one to think and act in a certain way, they also train the students to respond to situations in a given manner. This has been instrumental in gaining population control. It has facilitated tyranny in otherwise supposedly democratic states; the result to this has been revolutions and landmark incidences that have plagued these countries.

The above is evident in several cases in history, for instance the French revolution resulted from an adjustment in the social control structures in place. The people were plagued by hunger yet the government that was supposed to provide for the people didn’t care. This and other atrocities by the government irked the people and they took to the streets, the result was a revolution from which emerged a new set of leadership.

Education has brought the best and worst in everybody, however it has failed to change humanity and the essence of it therefore. We are still plagued by our ancestral cosmos which dictate to us our most natural instincts; as such it is prudent that the things that excite human beings are still war, food and affection.

These have been since the ancient of days and have never changed over time. Therefore, it is enough stated that education has yielded a totally different personality that could never have been, but it has also failed to ignite the embers of this new personality to take up on the primitive. The primitive is simply docile but very active within.

To conclude on the above, personally education has been instrumental to me in attaining dreams I once had, but it is also true that it is as perennial as it stands.

Education is only for presentation purposes, and hence social control. If there was an alternative to education that would teach one to not only bow to the whims of the powers that are existent but to break all the rules and live harmoniously in peace and coherence with the next human being, such as is taught by the monks there would be a totally different society. Self actualization would be easier to attain, wars would be a preserve of the past and there would be fewer calamities as have been witnessed.

Education has brought us this far, but it is high time the systems incorporated teaching of virtues such as humility, patience and kindness unlike the present system which churns ambitious personalities that would stop at nothing in order to satisfy their cravings.

The result to the above would be fewer incidents of inhuman acts such as cannibalism as was witnessed in some of our colleges or reduced shooting sprees in which students take up arms and decide to shoot their innocent colleagues. This would also shape the type of leadership and cultivate servant leadership among the leaders these institutions would churn out.

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The Education Crisis: Being in School Is Not the Same as Learning

First grade students in Pakistan’s Balochistan Province are learning the alphabet through child-friendly flash cards. Their learning materials help educators teach through interactive and engaging activities and are provided free of charge through a student’s first learning backpack. © World Bank 

THE NAME OF THE DOG IS PUPPY. This seems like a simple sentence. But did you know that in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, three out of four third grade students do not understand it? The world is facing a learning crisis . Worldwide, hundreds of millions of children reach young adulthood without even the most basic skills like calculating the correct change from a transaction, reading a doctor’s instructions, or understanding a bus schedule—let alone building a fulfilling career or educating their children. Education is at the center of building human capital. The latest World Bank research shows that the productivity of 56 percent of the world’s children will be less than half of what it could be if they enjoyed complete education and full health. For individuals, education raises self-esteem and furthers opportunities for employment and earnings. And for a country, it helps strengthen institutions within societies, drives long-term economic growth, reduces poverty, and spurs innovation.

One of the most interesting, large scale educational technology efforts is being led by EkStep , a philanthropic effort in India. EkStep created an open digital infrastructure which provides access to learning opportunities for 200 million children, as well as professional development opportunities for 12 million teachers and 4.5 million school leaders. Both teachers and children are accessing content which ranges from teaching materials, explanatory videos, interactive content, stories, practice worksheets, and formative assessments. By monitoring which content is used most frequently—and most beneficially—informed decisions can be made around future content.

In the Dominican Republic, a World Bank supported pilot study shows how adaptive technologies can generate great interest among 21st century students and present a path to supporting the learning and teaching of future generations. Yudeisy, a sixth grader participating in the study, says that what she likes doing the most during the day is watching videos and tutorials on her computer and cell phone. Taking childhood curiosity as a starting point, the study aimed to channel it towards math learning in a way that interests Yudeisy and her classmates.

Yudeisy, along with her classmates in a public elementary school in Santo Domingo, is part of a four-month pilot to reinforce mathematics using software that adapts to the math level of each student. © World Bank

Adaptive technology was used to evaluate students’ initial learning level to then walk them through math exercises in a dynamic, personalized way, based on artificial intelligence and what the student is ready to learn. After three months, students with the lowest initial performance achieved substantial improvements. This shows the potential of technology to increase learning outcomes, especially among students lagging behind their peers. In a field that is developing at dizzying speeds, innovative solutions to educational challenges are springing up everywhere. Our challenge is to make technology a driver of equity and inclusion and not a source of greater inequality of opportunity. We are working with partners worldwide to support the effective and appropriate use of educational technologies to strengthen learning.

When schools and educations systems are managed well, learning happens

Successful education reforms require good policy design, strong political commitment, and effective implementation capacity . Of course, this is extremely challenging. Many countries struggle to make efficient use of resources and very often increased education spending does not translate into more learning and improved human capital. Overcoming such challenges involves working at all levels of the system.

At the central level, ministries of education need to attract the best experts to design and implement evidence-based and country-specific programs. District or regional offices need the capacity and the tools to monitor learning and support schools. At the school level, principals need to be trained and prepared to manage and lead schools, from planning the use of resources to supervising and nurturing their teachers. However difficult, change is possible. Supported by the World Bank, public schools across Punjab in Pakistan have been part of major reforms over the past few years to address these challenges. Through improved school-level accountability by monitoring and limiting teacher and student absenteeism, and the introduction of a merit-based teacher recruitment system, where only the most talented and motivated teachers were selected, they were able to increase enrollment and retention of students and significantly improve the quality of education. "The government schools have become very good now, even better than private ones," said Mr. Ahmed, a local villager.

The World Bank, along with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the UK’s Department for International Development, is developing the Global Education Policy Dashboard . This new initiative will provide governments with a system for monitoring how their education systems are functioning, from learning data to policy plans, so they are better able to make timely and evidence-based decisions.

Education reform: The long game is worth it

In fact, it will take a generation to realize the full benefits of high-quality teachers, the effective use of technology, improved management of education systems, and engaged and prepared learners. However, global experience shows us that countries that have rapidly accelerated development and prosperity all share the common characteristic of taking education seriously and investing appropriately. As we mark the first-ever International Day of Education on January 24, we must do all we can to equip our youth with the skills to keep learning, adapt to changing realities, and thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy and a rapidly changing world of work.

The schools of the future are being built today. These are schools where all teachers have the right competencies and motivation, where technology empowers them to deliver quality learning, and where all students learn fundamental skills, including socio-emotional, and digital skills. These schools are safe and affordable to everyone and are places where children and young people learn with joy, rigor, and purpose. Governments, teachers, parents, and the international community must do their homework to realize the promise of education for all students, in every village, in every city, and in every country. 

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What Students Are Saying About How to Improve American Education

An international exam shows that American 15-year-olds are stagnant in reading and math. Teenagers told us what’s working and what’s not in the American education system.

By The Learning Network

Earlier this month, the Program for International Student Assessment announced that the performance of American teenagers in reading and math has been stagnant since 2000 . Other recent studies revealed that two-thirds of American children were not proficient readers , and that the achievement gap in reading between high and low performers is widening.

We asked students to weigh in on these findings and to tell us their suggestions for how they would improve the American education system.

Our prompt received nearly 300 comments. This was clearly a subject that many teenagers were passionate about. They offered a variety of suggestions on how they felt schools could be improved to better teach and prepare students for life after graduation.

While we usually highlight three of our most popular writing prompts in our Current Events Conversation , this week we are only rounding up comments for this one prompt so we can honor the many students who wrote in.

Please note: Student comments have been lightly edited for length, but otherwise appear as they were originally submitted.

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Best Education Essays of 2021: Our 15 Most Discussed Columns About Schools, COVID Slide, Learning Recovery & More

A full calendar year of education under COVID-19 and its variants gave rise to a wave of memorable essays in 2021, focusing both on the ongoing damage done and how to mitigate learning loss going forward.

While consensus emerged around several key themes — the need for extensive, in-depth tutoring, the possibilities presented by unprecedented millions in federal relief dollars for schools, the opportunity for education reimagined — there was far less agreement on whether to remediate or accelerate, which health and safety measures schools should employ, even how dire the shortage of teachers and school staff really is. 

From grade-level standards and hygiene theater to lessons from the Spanish flu and homeschooling, here are the 15 most read and buzzed-about essays of 2021:

Analysis: Focus on Grade-Level Standards or Meet Students Where They Are? How an Unintentional Experiment Guided a Strategy for Addressing Learning Loss

Learning Recovery: What’s the best way to support learning recovery in middle-grade math? Should schools stay focused on grade-level standards while trying to address critical learning gaps as best as they can? Or should they systematically address individual students’ unfinished learning from prior years so they can ultimately catch back up — even if that means spending meaningful time teaching below-grade skills? As educators and administrators wrestle with those questions as they prepare to return to school in the fall, contributor Joel Rose offers some guidance inadvertently found in a study of Teach to One , an innovative learning model operated by New Classrooms Innovation Partners, the nonprofit where he is co-founder and CEO. That research found performance in schools with accountability systems that focused on grade-level proficiency (and thus prioritized grade-level exposure) grew 7 percentile points, while those that operated under systems that rewarded student growth (and thus prioritized individual student needs) grew 38 points. While the study was never intended to compare results across schools in this way, the stark difference between the two groups could not be ignored. Math is cumulative, and the path to proficiency often requires addressing unfinished learning from prior years. For the middle grades, administrators and policymakers would be wise to question the grade-level-only gospel as they begin to plan students’ educational recovery. Read the full analysis . 

Lessons from Spanish Flu — Babies Born in 1919 Had Worse Educational, Life Outcomes Than Those Born Just Before or After. Could That Happen With COVID-19?

History: Contributor Chad Aldeman has some bad news: The effects of COVID-19 are likely to linger for decades. And if the Spanish Flu is any indication, babies born during the pandemic may suffer some devastating consequences . Compared with children born just before or after, babies born during the flu pandemic in 1919 were less likely to finish high school, earned less money and were more likely to depend on welfare assistance and serve time in jail. The harmful effects were twice as large for nonwhite children. It may take a few years to see whether similar educational and economic effects from COVID-19 start to materialize, but these are ominous findings suggesting that hidden economic factors may influence a child’s life in ways that aren’t obvious in the moment. Hopefully, they will give policymakers more reasons to speed economic recovery efforts and make sure they deliver benefits to families and children who are going to need them the most. Read the full essay .

Pittman & Darling-Hammond: Surveys Find Parents Want Bold Changes in Schools — With More Learning Inside and Outside the Classroom

Future of Education: Whatever they thought of their schools before the pandemic struck, parents now have strong opinions about what they want them to provide. They are looking beyond fall reopenings to rethink schooling, and they care about having good choices for interest-driven learning opportunities beyond the classroom . Two national parent surveys released in May shed new light on how to think about the often-used phrase “more and better learning.” Among the key findings, write contributors Karen Pittman and Linda Darling-Hammond: Parents want bold changes in schools, to make public education more equitable and learner-centered. But they also believe that home, school and extracurriculars play complementary roles in imparting the broad set of skills children need for their future success. This means educators and policymakers must support learning that extends beyond the school day, the school walls, the school staff and the traditional school approaches. Read the full essay .

High-Quality, High-Dosage Tutoring Can Reduce Learning Loss. A Blueprint for How Washington, States & Districts Can Make It Happen

Personalized Learning: There is near-unanimous, bipartisan agreement that tutoring is among the most promising, evidence-based strategies to help students struggling with learning loss . Decades of rigorous evaluations have consistently found that tutoring programs yield large, positive effects on math and reading achievement, and can even lead to greater social and motivational outcomes. It isn’t just the research community buzzing about tutoring — it is gaining momentum in policy circles, too. Which means there is a real opportunity — and responsibility — to design and deliver tutoring programs in a way that aligns with the research evidence, which is fortunately beginning to tell us more than just “tutoring works.” Contributors Sara Kerr and Kate Tromble of Results for America lay out a blueprint for how Washington, states and local school districts can make high-quality, high-dosage tutoring happen .

COVID-19 Raised Fears of Teacher Shortages. But the Situation Varies from State to State, School to School & Subject to Subject

Teacher Pipeline: Is the U.S. facing a major teacher shortage? Relatively low pay, a booming private sector and adverse working conditions in schools are all important elements in whether teaching is becoming an undesirable profession. But, writes contributor Dan Goldhaber, the factors that lead to attrition are diverse, so treating teachers as a monolith doesn’t help in crafting solutions to the real staffing challenges that some schools face. There is no national teacher labor market per se, because each state adopts its own rules for pay, licensure, tenure, pension and training requirements. And nationally, tens of thousands more people are prepared to teach than there are available positions. But while some schools have applicants lined up when an opening becomes available, others, typically those serving economically disadvantaged students, draw far fewer candidates. And schools tend to struggle to find teachers with special education or STEM training. The pandemic certainly raises concerns about teacher shortages; what is needed is a more nuanced conversation about teacher staffing to come up with more effective solutions to real problems. Read the full essay .

Clash of Cultures, Clash of Privilege — What Happened When 30 Low-Income Students of Color Were Admitted to Elite Prep Schools

Analysis: Programs like Prep for Prep and A Better Chance have long been regarded as groundbreaking solutions to the lack of diversity in the nation’s most elite prep schools. Teens who join these types of programs undergo a transfer of privilege that starts with their education and bleeds into every facet of their lives, forever altering their trajectory with opportunities that otherwise would likely be unattainable. But what assumptions do these programs subscribe to? And what lessons can be found in the experiences of the participants? In her Harvard senior thesis, contributor Jessica Herrera Chaidez followed 30 participants in a program that grants select socioeconomically disadvantaged students of color in the Los Angeles area the opportunity to attend famed independent schools. She found that the experiences of these students can be understood in various forms of twoness associated with this transfer of privilege, an internal struggle that begins with their introduction to the world of elite education and will come to mark them for their entire lives in a way that they aren’t even able to comprehend yet. Read more about her findings, and what some of these students had to say .

Steiner & Wilson: Some Tough Questions, and Some Answers, About Fighting COVID Slide While Accelerating Student Learning

Case Study: How prepared are district leaders, principals and teachers as they work to increase learning readiness for on-grade work this fall? That’s the question posed by contributors David Steiner and Barbara Wilson in a case study examining how a large urban district sought to adapt materials it was already using to implement an acceleration strategy for early elementary foundational skills in reading . Among the insights to be drawn: First, planning is critical. Leaders need to set out precisely how many minutes of instruction will be provided, the exact learning goals and the specific materials; identify all those involved (tutors, specialists, and teachers); and give them access to shared professional development on the chosen acceleration strategies. Second, this requires a sea change from business as usual, where teachers attempt to impart skill-based standards using an eclectic rather than a coherent curriculum. It is not possible to accelerate children with fragmented content. All efforts to prepare students for grade-level instruction must rest on fierce agreement about the shared curriculum to be taught in classrooms. What we teach is the anchor that holds everything else in place. Read the full essay .

Schools Are Facing a Surge of Failing Grades During the Pandemic — and Traditional Approaches Like Credit Recovery Will Not Be Enough to Manage It

Student Supports: Earlier this year, failing grades were on the rise across the country — especially for students who are learning online — and the trend threatened to exacerbate existing educational inequities. The rise in failing grades appears to be most pronounced among students from low-income households, multilingual students and students learning virtually . This could have lasting consequences: Students with failing grades tend to have less access to advanced courses in high school, and a failing grade in even one ninth-grade course can lower a student’s chances of graduating on time. Addressing the problem, though, won’t be easy. In many school systems, the rash of failed courses could overwhelm traditional approaches to helping students make up coursework they may have missed. In a new analysis, Betheny Gross, associate director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, implored school and district leaders to be especially wary of one long-established but questionable practice: credit recovery. Read more about her warning — as well as her recommendations for how districts should seek to reverse this learning loss .

Riccards: The 1776 Report Is a Political Document, Not a Curriculum. But It Has Something to Teach Us

Analysis: The 1776 Report was never intended to stand as curriculum, nor was it designed to be translated into a curriculum as the 1619 Project was. It is a political document offered by political voices. But, writes contributor Patrick Riccards, dismissing it would be a mistake, because it provides an important lesson . The American record, whether it be measured starting in 1619 or 1776, is hopeful and ugly, inspiring and debilitating, a shining beacon and an unshakable dark cloud. American history is messy and contradictory; how we teach it, even more so. For years, we have heard how important it is to increase investment in civics education. But from #BlackLivesMatter to 2020 electioneering to even the assault on the U.S. Capitol, the basics of civics have been on display in our streets and corridors of power. What we lack is the collective historical knowledge necessary to translate civic education into meaningful, positive community change. The 1776 Report identifies beliefs espoused by our Founding Fathers and many Confederates and reflected by those who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. They are a part of our history that we must study, understand, contextualize and deconstruct. The 1776 Report becomes the proper close to the social studies lessons of the past four years. As the next chapter of American history is written, it is imperative to apply those lessons to significantly improve the teaching and learning of American history. Our nation’s future depends on better understanding our past .

There’s Lots of Education Data Out There — and It Can Be Misleading. Here Are 6 Questions to Ask

Student Data: Data is critical to addressing inequities in education. However, it is often misused, interpreted to fit a particular agenda or misread in ways that perpetuate an inaccurate story . Data that’s not broken down properly can hide gaps between different groups of students. Facts out of context can lead to superficial conclusions or deceptive narratives. In this essay, contributor Krista Kaput presents six questions that she asks herself when consuming data — and that you should, too .

Educators’ View: Principals Know Best What Their Schools Need. They Should Have a Central Role in Deciding How Relief Funds Are Spent

School Funding: The American Rescue Plan represents a once-in-a-generation federal commitment to K-12 schools across the country. The impact will be felt immediately: The $122 billion in direct funding will support safe school reopenings, help ensure that schools already providing in-person instruction can safely stay open and aid students in recovering from academic and mental health challenges induced and exacerbated by the pandemic. How these funds are distributed will shape the educational prospects of millions of students, affecting the country for decades to come. As they make rescue plan funding decisions, write contributors L. Earl Franks of the National Association of Elementary School Principals and Ronn Nozoe of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, states and districts should meaningfully engage and empower school principals throughout all phases of implementation. Principals, as leaders of their school buildings and staff, have unequaled insights into their individual schools’ needs and know which resources are required most urgently. Read the authors’ four recommendations for leveraging this expertise .

Case Studies: How 11 States Are Using Emergency Federal Funds to Make Improvements in College and Career Access That Will Endure Beyond the Pandemic

COVID Relief: The Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund gave states more than $4 billion in discretionary federal dollars to support K-12 schools, higher education and workforce initiatives. These were welcome resources, coming just as the pandemic accelerated unemployment and exacerbated declining college enrollment, hitting those from low-income backgrounds hardest. But as contributors Betheny Gross, Georgia Heyward and Matt Robinson note, most states have invested overwhelmingly in one-time college scholarships or short-term supports that will end once funds run out. In hopes of encouraging policymakers across the country to make more sustainable investments with the remaining relief funds, the trio spotlights efforts in 11 states that show promise in enduring beyond COVID-19. Read our full case study . 

In Thousands of Districts, 4-Day School Weeks Are Robbing Students of Learning Time for What Amounts to Hygiene Theater

School Safety: Last April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made clear that having good ventilation and wearing masks consistently are far more effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19 than disinfecting surfaces. This clarification was long overdue, say contributors Robin Lake and Georgia Heyward of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, as scientists had long suspected that deep cleaning and temperature checks are more hygiene theater than a strategy for limiting the spread of an airborne virus. Thousands of school districts, however, had already built complex fall reopening plans with a full day for at-home learning. The result was a modified four-day week with students receiving significantly reduced live instruction. Eliminating a full day of in-person teaching was always a high-cost strategy from an education standpoint; now there is confirmation that it was totally unnecessary. Lake and Heyward argue that we cannot afford to throw away an entire day of learning and student support based on a false scientific premise .

Teacher’s View: How the Science of Reading Helped Me Make the Most of Limited Time With My Students & Adapt Lessons to Meet Their Needs

First Person: March 12, 2020, was contributor Jessica Pasik’s last typical day in the classroom before COVID-19 changed everything. When her district closed, she assumed, as did many, that it was a temporary precaution. But with each passing week, she worried that the growth in reading she and her first-graders had worked so hard for would fade away . Many pre-pandemic instructional approaches to teaching reading were already failing students and teachers, and the stress of COVID-19 has only exacerbated these challenges. When Pasik’s district reopened for in-person classes in the fall, they were faced with difficult decisions about how to best deliver instruction. One factor that helped streamline this transition was a grounding in the science of reading. Having extensive knowledge of what they needed to teach allowed educators to focus on how they would teach, make the most of the limited instructional time they had with students and adapt lessons to meet their needs. There are multiple factors that teachers cannot control; one person alone cannot make the systematic changes needed for all children to reach proficiency in literacy. But one knowledgeable teacher can forever change the trajectory of a student’s life. Students will face many challenges once they leave the classroom, but low literacy does not need to be one of them. Read her full essay .

Homeschooling Is on the Rise. What Should That Teach Education Leaders About Families’ Preferences?

Disenrollment: With school closures, student quarantines and tensions over mask requirements, vaccine mandates and culture war issues, families’ lives have been upended in ways few could have imagined 18 months ago. That schools have struggled to adapt is understandable, writes contributor Alex Spurrier. But for millions of families, their willingness to tolerate institutional sclerosis in their children’s education is wearing thin. Over the past 18 months, the rate of families moving their children to a new school increased by about 50 percent , and some 1.2 million switched to homeschooling last academic year. Instead of working to get schools back to a pre-pandemic normal, Spurrier says, education leaders should look at addressing the needs of underserved kids and families — and the best way to understand where schools are falling short is to look at how families are voting with their feet. If options like homeschooling, pods and microschools retain some of their pandemic enrollment gains, it could have ripple effects on funding that resonate throughout the K-12 landscape. Read the full essay .

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Different Ways to Think About COVID, Schools & Repairing Students’ Lost Learning

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Recognizing and Overcoming Inequity in Education

About the author, sylvia schmelkes.

Sylvia Schmelkes is Provost of the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City.

22 January 2020 Introduction

I nequity is perhaps the most serious problem in education worldwide. It has multiple causes, and its consequences include differences in access to schooling, retention and, more importantly, learning. Globally, these differences correlate with the level of development of various countries and regions. In individual States, access to school is tied to, among other things, students' overall well-being, their social origins and cultural backgrounds, the language their families speak, whether or not they work outside of the home and, in some countries, their sex. Although the world has made progress in both absolute and relative numbers of enrolled students, the differences between the richest and the poorest, as well as those living in rural and urban areas, have not diminished. 1

These correlations do not occur naturally. They are the result of the lack of policies that consider equity in education as a principal vehicle for achieving more just societies. The pandemic has exacerbated these differences mainly due to the fact that technology, which is the means of access to distance schooling, presents one more layer of inequality, among many others.

The dimension of educational inequity

Around the world, 258 million, or 17 per cent of the world’s children, adolescents and youth, are out of school. The proportion is much larger in developing countries: 31 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa and 21 per cent in Central Asia, vs. 3 per cent in Europe and North America. 2  Learning, which is the purpose of schooling, fares even worse. For example, it would take 15-year-old Brazilian students 75 years, at their current rate of improvement, to reach wealthier countries’ average scores in math, and more than 260 years in reading. 3 Within countries, learning results, as measured through standardized tests, are almost always much lower for those living in poverty. In Mexico, for example, 80 per cent of indigenous children at the end of primary school don’t achieve basic levels in reading and math, scoring far below the average for primary school students. 4

The causes of educational inequity

There are many explanations for educational inequity. In my view, the most important ones are the following:

• Equity and equality are not the same thing. Equality means providing the same resources to everyone. Equity signifies giving more to those most in need. Countries with greater inequity in education results are also those in which governments distribute resources according to the political pressure they experience in providing education. Such pressures come from families in which the parents attended school, that reside in urban areas, belong to cultural majorities and who have a clear appreciation of the benefits of education. Much less pressure comes from rural areas and indigenous populations, or from impoverished urban areas. In these countries, fewer resources, including infrastructure, equipment, teachers, supervision and funding, are allocated to the disadvantaged, the poor and cultural minorities.
• Teachers are key agents for learning. Their training is crucial.  When insufficient priority is given to either initial or in-service teacher training, or to both, one can expect learning deficits. Teachers in poorer areas tend to have less training and to receive less in-service support.
• Most countries are very diverse. When a curriculum is overloaded and is the same for everyone, some students, generally those from rural areas, cultural minorities or living in poverty find little meaning in what is taught. When the language of instruction is different from their native tongue, students learn much less and drop out of school earlier.
• Disadvantaged students frequently encounter unfriendly or overtly offensive attitudes from both teachers and classmates. Such attitudes are derived from prejudices, stereotypes, outright racism and sexism. Students in hostile environments are affected in their disposition to learn, and many drop out early.

It doesn’t have to be like this

When left to inertial decision-making, education systems seem to be doomed to reproduce social and economic inequity. The commitment of both governments and societies to equity in education is both necessary and possible. There are several examples of more equitable educational systems in the world, and there are many subnational examples of successful policies fostering equity in education.

Why is equity in education important?

Education is a basic human right. More than that, it is an enabling right in the sense that, when respected, allows for the fulfillment of other human rights. Education has proven to affect general well-being, productivity, social capital, responsible citizenship and sustainable behaviour. Its equitable distribution allows for the creation of permeable societies and equity. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure “inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. One hundred eighty-four countries are committed to achieving this goal over the next decade. 5  The process of walking this road together has begun and requires impetus to continue, especially now that we must face the devastating consequences of a long-lasting pandemic. Further progress is crucial for humanity.

Notes  1 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization , Inclusive Education. All Means All , Global Education Monitoring Report 2020 (Paris, 2020), p.8. Available at https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/report/2020/inclusion . 2 Ibid., p. 4, 7. 3 World Bank Group, World Development Report 2018: Learning to Realize Education's Promise (Washington, DC, 2018), p. 3. Available at https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2018 .  4 Instituto Nacional para la Evaluación de la Educación, "La educación obligatoria en México", Informe 2018 (Ciudad de México, 2018), p. 72. Available online at https://www.inee.edu.mx/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/P1I243.pdf . 5 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization , “Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 4” (2015), p. 23. Available at  https://iite.unesco.org/publications/education-2030-incheon-declaration-framework-action-towards-inclusive-equitable-quality-education-lifelong-learning/   The UN Chronicle  is not an official record. It is privileged to host senior United Nations officials as well as distinguished contributors from outside the United Nations system whose views are not necessarily those of the United Nations. Similarly, the boundaries and names shown, and the designations used, in maps or articles do not necessarily imply endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.   

How International Cooperation in Policing Promotes Peace and Security

The role of international policing is closely aligned with the principles of justice, peace, democracy and human rights, and is integral to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Voices for Peace: The Crucial Role of Victims of Terrorism as Peace Advocates and Educators

In the face of unimaginable pain and trauma, victims and survivors of terrorism emerge as strong advocates for community resilience, solidarity and peaceful coexistence.

Sailors for Sustainability: Sailing the Globe to Document Proven Solutions for Sustainable Living

Most of the solutions we have described are tangible examples of sustainability in action. Yet our sailing journey also made us realize that the most important ingredient for a sustainable future is sustainability from within. By that we mean adopting a different way of perceiving the Earth and our role in it.

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The global education crisis – even more severe than previously estimated

Ellinore carroll, joão pedro azevedo, jessica bergmann, matt brossard, gwang- chol chang, borhene chakroun, marie-helene cloutier, suguru mizunoya, nicolas reuge, halsey rogers.

In our recent   The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery report (produced jointly by UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank), we sounded the alarm: this generation of students now risks losing $17 trillion in lifetime earnings in present value, or about 14 percent of today’s global GDP, because of COVID-19-related school closures and economic shocks. This new projection far exceeds the $10 trillion estimate released in 2020 and reveals that the impact of the pandemic is more severe than previously thought . 

The pandemic and school closures not only jeopardized children’s health and safety with domestic violence and child labor increasing, but also impacted student learning substantially. The report indicates that in low- and middle-income countries, the share of children living in  Learning Poverty  – already above 50 percent before the pandemic – could reach 70 percent largely as a result of the long school closures and the relative ineffectiveness of remote learning.

Unless action is taken, learning losses may continue to accumulate once children are back in school, endangering future learning.

Figure 1. Countries must accelerate learning recovery

Severe learning losses and worsening inequalities in education

Results from global simulations of the effect of school closures on learning are now being corroborated by country estimates of actual learning losses. Evidence from Brazil , rural Pakistan , rural India , South Africa , and Mexico , among others, shows substantial losses in math and reading. In some low- and middle-income countries, on average, learning losses are roughly proportional to the length of the closures—meaning that each month of school closures led to a full month of learning losses (Figure 1, selected LMICs and HICs presents an average effect of 100% and 43%, respectively), despite the best efforts of decision makers, educators, and families to maintain continuity of learning.

However, the extent of learning loss varies substantially across countries and within countries by subject, students’ socioeconomic status, gender, and age or grade level (Figure 1 illustrates this point, note the large standard deviation, a measure which shows data are spread out far from the mean). For example, results from two states in Mexico show significant learning losses in reading and in math for students aged 10-15. The estimated learning losses were greater in math than reading, and they disproportionately affected younger learners, students from low-income backgrounds, and girls.

Figure 2. The average learning loss standardized by the length of the school closure was close to 100% in Low- and Middle-Income countries, and 43% in High-Income countries, with a standard deviation of 74% and 30%, respectively.

While most countries have yet to measure learning losses, data from several countries, combined with more extensive evidence on unequal access to remote learning and at-home support, shows the crisis has exacerbated inequalities in education globally.

• Children from low-income households, children with disabilities, and girls were less likely to access remote learning due to limited availability of electricity, connectivity, devices, accessible technologies as well as discrimination and social and gender norms.
• Younger students had less access to age-appropriate remote learning and were more affected by learning loss than older students. Pre-school-age children, who are at a pivotal stage for learning and development, faced a double disadvantage as they were often left out of remote learning and school reopening plans.
• Learning losses were greater for students of lower socioeconomic status in various countries, including Ghana , Mexico , and Pakistan .
• While the gendered impact of school closures on learning is still emerging, initial evidence points to larger learning losses among girls, including in South Africa and Mexico .

As a result, these children risk missing out on much of the boost that schools and learning can provide to their well-being and life chances. The learning recovery response must therefore target support to those that need it most, to prevent growing inequalities in education.

Beyond learning, growing evidence shows the negative effects school closures have had on students’ mental health and well-being, health and nutrition, and protection, reinforcing the vital role schools play in providing comprehensive support and services to students.

Critical and Urgent Need to Focus on Learning Recovery

How should decision makers and the international community respond to the growing global education crisis?

Reopening schools and keeping them open must be the top priority, globally. While nearly every country in the world offered remote learning opportunities for students, the quality and reach of such initiatives varied, and in most cases, they offered a poor substitute for in-person instruction. Stemming and reversing learning losses, especially for the most vulnerable students, requires in-person schooling. Decision makers need to reassure parents and caregivers that with adequate safety measures, such as social distancing, masking, and improved ventilation, global evidence shows that children can resume in-person schooling safely.

But just reopening schools with a business-as-usual approach won’t reverse learning losses. Countries need to create Learning Recovery Programs . Three lines of action will be crucial:

• Consolidating the curriculum – to help teachers prioritize essential material that students have missed while out of school, even if the content is usually covered in earlier grades, to ensure the curriculum is aligned to students’ learning levels. As an example, Tanzania consolidated its curriculum for grade 1 and 2 in 2015, reducing the number of subjects taught and increasing time on ensuring the acquisition of foundational numeracy and literacy.
• Extending instructional time – by extending the school day, modifying the academic calendar to make the school year longer, or by offering summer school for all students or those in need. In Mexico , the Ministry of Public Education announced planned extensions to the academic calendar to help recovery. In Madagascar , the government scaled up an existing two-month summer “catch-up” program for students who reintegrate into school after having left the system.
• Improving the efficiency of learning – by supporting teachers to apply structured pedagogy and targeted instruction. A structured pedagogy intervention in Kenya using teachers guides with lesson plans has proven to be highly effective. Targeted instruction, or aligning instruction to students’ learning level, has been successfully implemented at scale in Cote D’Ivoire .

Finally, the report emphasizes the need for adequate funding. As of June 2021, the education and training sector had been allocated less than 3 percent of global stimulus packages. Much more funding will be needed for immediate learning recovery if countries are to avert the long-term damage to productivity and inclusion that they now face.

Learning Recovery as a Springboard to an Accelerated Learning Trajectory

Accelerating learning recovery has benefits that go well beyond short-term gains:  it can give children the necessary foundations for a lifetime of learning, and it can help countries increase the efficiency, equity, and resilience of schooling. This can be achieved if countries build on investments made and lessons learned during the crisis—most notably, with a focus on six areas:

• Assessing student learning so instruction can be targeted to students’ learning levels and specific needs.
• Investing in digital learning opportunities for all students, ensuring that technology is fit for purpose and focused on enhancing human interactions.
• Reinforcing support that leverages the role of parents, families, and communities in children’s learning.
• Ensuring that teachers are supported and have access to practical, high-quality professional development opportunities, teaching guides and learning materials. 
• Increasing the share of education in the national budget allocation of stimulus packages and tying it to investments mentioned above that can accelerate learning.
• Investing in evidence building - in particular, implementation research, to understand what works and how to scale what works to the system level.

It is time to shift from crisis response to learning recovery. We must make sure that investments and actions for learning recovery lay the foundations for more efficient, equitable, and resilient education systems—systems that truly deliver learning and well-being for all children and youth. Only then can we ensure learning continuity in the face of future disruption.

The report was produced as part of the  Mission: Recovering Education 2021 , through which the  World Bank ,  UNESCO , and  UNICEF  are focused on three priorities: bringing all children back to schools, recovering learning losses, and preparing and supporting teachers.

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Home — Essay Samples — Education — Issues in Education

Essays on Issues in Education

Education is a topic that continues to be of great importance in today's society. As such, it is no surprise that students are often asked to write essays on issues in education. Choosing the right topic for an education essay can be a challenging task, but with the right approach, it can also be an opportunity to explore important issues and contribute to the ongoing discourse around education.

When it comes to selecting a topic for an education essay, there are a few key considerations to keep in mind. First and foremost, it is important to choose a topic that is relevant and timely. Education is a broad field, and there are many pressing issues that are worthy of exploration. For example, one might consider writing about the impact of technology on education, the challenges of standardized testing, or the importance of diversity and inclusion in the classroom.

Another important consideration when choosing a topic for an education essay is to think about your own interests and expertise. Writing about a topic that you are passionate about can make the process more enjoyable and can also lead to a more compelling and well-researched essay. If you have a background in a particular area of education, such as special education or early childhood development, you might consider choosing a topic that aligns with your expertise.

In addition to relevance and personal interest, it is also important to consider the potential impact of the topic. Education is a field that has a direct impact on the lives of individuals and communities, so it is important to choose a topic that has the potential to spark meaningful discussion and contribute to positive change. For example, you might consider writing about the challenges faced by students with learning disabilities, or the impact of socioeconomic inequality on educational outcomes.

Once you have chosen a topic, it is important to conduct thorough research to ensure that you have a deep understanding of the issue and can support your arguments with evidence. This might involve reading scholarly articles, interviewing experts in the field, or conducting surveys or experiments. Additionally, it is important to consider the different perspectives on the issue and to engage with counterarguments in your essay.

Choosing the right topic for an education essay can be a challenging but rewarding process. By considering factors such as relevance, personal interest, and potential impact, you can choose a topic that is both meaningful and compelling.

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Free education can help students in the future life, the education copyright law, the problem of learning hindi language in indian schools, review of changes and gender issues of school uniforms, understanding critical theory in the south african education context, the expanding role of adult education in modern society, academic pressure as the main reason for teenage suicides in south korea, apartheid's policy regarding the language issue in african education, british education: equitable or not for everyone, kids need to have a recess for healthy psychological and physical growth, multilingualism and decoloniality in the english language in south africa, the correlation between education and economic inequality, the language question in african schools, importance of school safety, an analysis of behaviour for learning policies, sexual assault on college campuses: the dark corners of society, lack of education in third world countries, free sexual misconduct: the raising issue of in south african schools, the influence of ontario’s education act to the community, relevant topics.

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The pandemic has had devastating impacts on learning. What will it take to help students catch up?

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, megan kuhfeld , megan kuhfeld senior research scientist - nwea jim soland , jim soland assistant professor, school of education and human development - university of virginia, affiliated research fellow - nwea karyn lewis , and karyn lewis director, center for school and student progress - nwea emily morton emily morton research scientist - nwea.

March 3, 2022

As we reach the two-year mark of the initial wave of pandemic-induced school shutdowns, academic normalcy remains out of reach for many students, educators, and parents. In addition to surging COVID-19 cases at the end of 2021, schools have faced severe staff shortages , high rates of absenteeism and quarantines , and rolling school closures . Furthermore, students and educators continue to struggle with mental health challenges , higher rates of violence and misbehavior , and concerns about lost instructional time .

As we outline in our new research study released in January, the cumulative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ academic achievement has been large. We tracked changes in math and reading test scores across the first two years of the pandemic using data from 5.4 million U.S. students in grades 3-8. We focused on test scores from immediately before the pandemic (fall 2019), following the initial onset (fall 2020), and more than one year into pandemic disruptions (fall 2021).

Average fall 2021 math test scores in grades 3-8 were 0.20-0.27 standard deviations (SDs) lower relative to same-grade peers in fall 2019, while reading test scores were 0.09-0.18 SDs lower. This is a sizable drop. For context, the math drops are significantly larger than estimated impacts from other large-scale school disruptions, such as after Hurricane Katrina—math scores dropped 0.17 SDs in one year for New Orleans evacuees .

Even more concerning, test-score gaps between students in low-poverty and high-poverty elementary schools grew by approximately 20% in math (corresponding to 0.20 SDs) and 15% in reading (0.13 SDs), primarily during the 2020-21 school year. Further, achievement tended to drop more between fall 2020 and 2021 than between fall 2019 and 2020 (both overall and differentially by school poverty), indicating that disruptions to learning have continued to negatively impact students well past the initial hits following the spring 2020 school closures.

These numbers are alarming and potentially demoralizing, especially given the heroic efforts of students to learn and educators to teach in incredibly trying times. From our perspective, these test-score drops in no way indicate that these students represent a “ lost generation ” or that we should give up hope. Most of us have never lived through a pandemic, and there is so much we don’t know about students’ capacity for resiliency in these circumstances and what a timeline for recovery will look like. Nor are we suggesting that teachers are somehow at fault given the achievement drops that occurred between 2020 and 2021; rather, educators had difficult jobs before the pandemic, and now are contending with huge new challenges, many outside their control.

Clearly, however, there’s work to do. School districts and states are currently making important decisions about which interventions and strategies to implement to mitigate the learning declines during the last two years. Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) investments from the American Rescue Plan provided nearly $200 billion to public schools to spend on COVID-19-related needs. Of that sum, $22 billion is dedicated specifically to addressing learning loss using “evidence-based interventions” focused on the “ disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underrepresented student subgroups. ” Reviews of district and state spending plans (see Future Ed , EduRecoveryHub , and RAND’s American School District Panel for more details) indicate that districts are spending their ESSER dollars designated for academic recovery on a wide variety of strategies, with summer learning, tutoring, after-school programs, and extended school-day and school-year initiatives rising to the top.

Comparing the negative impacts from learning disruptions to the positive impacts from interventions

To help contextualize the magnitude of the impacts of COVID-19, we situate test-score drops during the pandemic relative to the test-score gains associated with common interventions being employed by districts as part of pandemic recovery efforts. If we assume that such interventions will continue to be as successful in a COVID-19 school environment, can we expect that these strategies will be effective enough to help students catch up? To answer this question, we draw from recent reviews of research on high-dosage tutoring , summer learning programs , reductions in class size , and extending the school day (specifically for literacy instruction) . We report effect sizes for each intervention specific to a grade span and subject wherever possible (e.g., tutoring has been found to have larger effects in elementary math than in reading).

Figure 1 shows the standardized drops in math test scores between students testing in fall 2019 and fall 2021 (separately by elementary and middle school grades) relative to the average effect size of various educational interventions. The average effect size for math tutoring matches or exceeds the average COVID-19 score drop in math. Research on tutoring indicates that it often works best in younger grades, and when provided by a teacher rather than, say, a parent. Further, some of the tutoring programs that produce the biggest effects can be quite intensive (and likely expensive), including having full-time tutors supporting all students (not just those needing remediation) in one-on-one settings during the school day. Meanwhile, the average effect of reducing class size is negative but not significant, with high variability in the impact across different studies. Summer programs in math have been found to be effective (average effect size of .10 SDs), though these programs in isolation likely would not eliminate the COVID-19 test-score drops.

Figure 1: Math COVID-19 test-score drops compared to the effect sizes of various educational interventions

Source: COVID-19 score drops are pulled from Kuhfeld et al. (2022) Table 5; reduction-in-class-size results are from pg. 10 of Figles et al. (2018) Table 2; summer program results are pulled from Lynch et al (2021) Table 2; and tutoring estimates are pulled from Nictow et al (2020) Table 3B. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals are shown with vertical lines on each bar.

Notes: Kuhfeld et al. and Nictow et al. reported effect sizes separately by grade span; Figles et al. and Lynch et al. report an overall effect size across elementary and middle grades. We were unable to find a rigorous study that reported effect sizes for extending the school day/year on math performance. Nictow et al. and Kraft & Falken (2021) also note large variations in tutoring effects depending on the type of tutor, with larger effects for teacher and paraprofessional tutoring programs than for nonprofessional and parent tutoring. Class-size reductions included in the Figles meta-analysis ranged from a minimum of one to minimum of eight students per class.

Figure 2 displays a similar comparison using effect sizes from reading interventions. The average effect of tutoring programs on reading achievement is larger than the effects found for the other interventions, though summer reading programs and class size reduction both produced average effect sizes in the ballpark of the COVID-19 reading score drops.

Figure 2: Reading COVID-19 test-score drops compared to the effect sizes of various educational interventions

Source: COVID-19 score drops are pulled from Kuhfeld et al. (2022) Table 5; extended-school-day results are from Figlio et al. (2018) Table 2; reduction-in-class-size results are from pg. 10 of Figles et al. (2018) ; summer program results are pulled from Kim & Quinn (2013) Table 3; and tutoring estimates are pulled from Nictow et al (2020) Table 3B. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals are shown with vertical lines on each bar.

Notes: While Kuhfeld et al. and Nictow et al. reported effect sizes separately by grade span, Figlio et al. and Kim & Quinn report an overall effect size across elementary and middle grades. Class-size reductions included in the Figles meta-analysis ranged from a minimum of one to minimum of eight students per class.

There are some limitations of drawing on research conducted prior to the pandemic to understand our ability to address the COVID-19 test-score drops. First, these studies were conducted under conditions that are very different from what schools currently face, and it is an open question whether the effectiveness of these interventions during the pandemic will be as consistent as they were before the pandemic. Second, we have little evidence and guidance about the efficacy of these interventions at the unprecedented scale that they are now being considered. For example, many school districts are expanding summer learning programs, but school districts have struggled to find staff interested in teaching summer school to meet the increased demand. Finally, given the widening test-score gaps between low- and high-poverty schools, it’s uncertain whether these interventions can actually combat the range of new challenges educators are facing in order to narrow these gaps. That is, students could catch up overall, yet the pandemic might still have lasting, negative effects on educational equality in this country.

Given that the current initiatives are unlikely to be implemented consistently across (and sometimes within) districts, timely feedback on the effects of initiatives and any needed adjustments will be crucial to districts’ success. The Road to COVID Recovery project and the National Student Support Accelerator are two such large-scale evaluation studies that aim to produce this type of evidence while providing resources for districts to track and evaluate their own programming. Additionally, a growing number of resources have been produced with recommendations on how to best implement recovery programs, including scaling up tutoring , summer learning programs , and expanded learning time .

Ultimately, there is much work to be done, and the challenges for students, educators, and parents are considerable. But this may be a moment when decades of educational reform, intervention, and research pay off. Relying on what we have learned could show the way forward.

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5 Big Challenges Facing K-12 Education Today—And Ideas for Tackling Them

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Big Ideas is Education Week’s annual special report that brings the expertise of our newsroom to bear on the challenges educators are facing in classrooms, schools, and districts.

In the report , EdWeek reporters ask hard questions about K-12 education’s biggest issues and offer insights based on their extensive coverage and expertise.

The goal is to question the status quo and explore opportunities to help build a better, more just learning environment for all students.

In the 2023 edition , our newsroom sought to dig deeper into new and persistent challenges. Our reporters consider some of the big questions facing the field: Why is teacher pay so stubbornly stalled? What should reading instruction look like? How do we integrate—or even think about—AI? What does it mean for parents to be involved in the decisionmaking around classroom curriculum? And, perhaps the most existential, what does it mean for schools to be “public”?

The reported essays below tackle these vexing and pressing questions. We hope they offer fodder for robust discussions.

To see how your fellow educator peers are feeling about a number of these issues, we invite you to explore the EdWeek Research Center’s survey of more than 1,000 teachers and school and district leaders .

Please connect with us on social media by using #K12BigIdeas or by emailing [email protected].

1. What Does It Actually Mean for Schools to Be Public?

Over years of covering school finance, Mark Lieberman keep running up against one nagging question: Does the way we pay for public schools inherently contradict what we understand the goal of public education to be? Read more →

2. Public Schools Rely on Underpaid Female Labor. It’s Not Sustainable

School districts are still operating largely as if the labor market for women hasn’t changed in the last half century, writes Alyson Klein. Read more →

3. Parents’ Rights Groups Have Mobilized. What Does It Mean for Students?

Libby Stanford has been covering the parents’ rights groups that have led the charge to limit teaching about race, sexuality, and gender. In her essay, she explores what happens to students who miss out on that instruction. Read more→

4. To Move Past the Reading Wars, We Must Understand Where They Started

When it comes to reading instruction, we keep having the same fights over and over again, writes Sarah Schwartz. That’s because, she says, we have a fundamental divide about what reading is and how to study it. Read more→

5. No, AI Won’t Destroy Education. But We Should Be Skeptical

Lauraine Langreo makes the case for using AI to benefit teaching and learning while being aware of its potential downsides. Read more→

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Essay on Education for School Students and Children

500+ words essay on education.

Education is an important tool which is very useful in everybody’s life. Education is what differentiates us from other living beings on earth. It makes man the smartest creature on earth. It empowers humans and gets them ready to face challenges of life efficiently. With that being said, education still remains a luxury and not a necessity in our country. Educational awareness needs to be spread through the country to make education accessible. But, this remains incomplete without first analyzing the importance of education. Only when the people realize what significance it holds, can they consider it a necessity for a good life. In this essay on Education, we will see the importance of education and how it is a doorway to success.

Importance of Education

Education is the most significant tool in eliminating poverty and unemployment . Moreover, it enhances the commercial scenario and benefits the country overall. So, the higher the level of education in a country, the better the chances of development are.

In addition, this education also benefits an individual in various ways. It helps a person take a better and informed decision with the use of their knowledge. This increases the success rate of a person in life.

Subsequently, education is also responsible for providing with an enhanced lifestyle. It gives you career opportunities that can increase your quality of life.

Similarly, education also helps in making a person independent. When one is educated enough, they won’t have to depend on anyone else for their livelihood. They will be self-sufficient to earn for themselves and lead a good life.

Above all, education also enhances the self-confidence of a person and makes them certain of things in life. When we talk from the countries viewpoint, even then education plays a significant role. Educated people vote for the better candidate of the country. This ensures the development and growth of a nation.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Doorway to Success

To say that education is your doorway to success would be an understatement. It serves as the key which will unlock numerous doors that will lead to success. This will, in turn, help you build a better life for yourself.

An educated person has a lot of job opportunities waiting for them on the other side of the door. They can choose from a variety of options and not be obligated to do something they dislike. Most importantly, education impacts our perception positively. It helps us choose the right path and look at things from various viewpoints rather than just one.

With education, you can enhance your productivity and complete a task better in comparison to an uneducated person. However, one must always ensure that education solely does not ensure success.

It is a doorway to success which requires hard work, dedication and more after which can you open it successfully. All of these things together will make you successful in life.

In conclusion, education makes you a better person and teaches you various skills. It enhances your intellect and the ability to make rational decisions. It enhances the individual growth of a person.

Education also improves the economic growth of a country . Above all, it aids in building a better society for the citizens of a country. It helps to destroy the darkness of ignorance and bring light to the world.

FAQs on Education

Q.1 Why is Education Important?

A.1 Education is important because it is responsible for the overall development of a person. It helps you acquire skills which are necessary for becoming successful in life.

Q.2 How does Education serve as a Doorway to Success?

A.2 Education is a doorway to success because it offers you job opportunities. Furthermore, it changes our perception of life and makes it better.

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Lack of Education: Situation Analysis

Description of the Problem

A solution of the problem, ethical consequences of the proposed solution.

The state of the educational system in the modern world is extremely contradictory. At one level, education became one of the most influential spheres in people’s lives, and the number of people who received education is much bigger than in earlier history of humanity. Scientific achievements have become the starting point for many social transformations and scientific and technological progress.

On the other level, the demand for educational services and the high prestige of education as a social institution are accompanied by an increasing number of problems. Some issues are still relevant for many countries: the elimination of illiteracy, the shortage of qualified teachers, the backwardness of educational technologies, the crisis of efficiency and productivity of the educational system. Thus, despite the record number of educated people, the problem of lack of education is more pressing than ever.

In 1869, in his outstanding essay “The New Education,” president of Harvard University Charles Eliot outlined general areas and ways for the education system development. In this essay, Eliot presented strong arguments for the constant renewal of the curriculum and teaching methodology so that learning could keep pace with the development of society. After one and a half hundred years, this approach is still relevant.

Lack of education is the inability of people to acquire specialized skills, such as cognitive skills, socialization, memorization of facts which are necessary for personal development and the development of society and the world economy. It can be manifested in inaccessibility to education for some parts of the population, for such reasons as the lack of schools, teachers, or money to pay for education. It also can be expressed as the education quality of citizens.

Often the inefficiency of the educational process organization has bad result – after several years spent in the educational institution, people cannot find a job as their knowledge and skills are not enough. Lack of education is a social problem, as education should promote humane and productive human life (Costache, 2018). In addition, well-educated people benefit society and continue its development.

Because of the technological development, jobs and competencies change faster than people can adapt. The major part of the world’s population is behind in the most important practical skills. In the nearest future, the major part of jobs will be connected with the IT-sphere. By anticipating changes of this magnitude, companies are urgently trying to find and gain the competencies needed to maintain competitiveness. Skills shortages are now one of the major threats to businesses.

This problem is of global scale and affects all areas of the economy. For example, according to Farooq et al. (2018), the successful economic development of Pakistan requires cooperation with China within the framework of China – Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). However, researchers note a lack of qualified personnel, in particular women, in such areas as higher education and logistics for sufficient fruitful cooperation. The most vulnerable area in which education shortages are unacceptable is health care. However, even this sphere suffers from the problem of unskilled personnel. Coughlin (2017), for example, notes that nurses have not been professional enough for performing their job recently. She explores the field of nursing with Down Syndrome but it can be argued that it applies to all areas of medicine.

Information on the lack of education worldwide, as well as in specific countries, is confirmed by statistics from official sources of international organizations and government think tanks. According to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2018), for example, one in five children of school age do not attend educational institutions, and the total number of such children in 2016 was more than 260 million. The statistics show that the number of out-of-school children decreased by 114,5 million. Moreover, the gender gap has declined – previously the number of girls not attending school has exceeded the number of boys. It is a reliable source, as this agency has sufficient influence in the world and is entirely independent.

Through statistics, significant gaps in the existing education system can be identified. For example, there is still a serious gap between the life quality in developed and developing countries, which also affects the education level. The publications of Our World in Data, whose research power is located at Oxford University, among many infographics, have also determined literacy rates in world states (Roser & Ortiz-Ospina, 2020). The downside of the provided statistics is that researchers failed to obtain data for several countries. However, these are only a couple of countries with small populations. According to the data, 142 world states have a high level of education of 90-100%, with 8 states having a 100% rate. In just over 20 countries, the literacy rate is below 60%. They found that most African countries had a literacy rate below 30 percent.

To improve the quality and accessibility of education, the modern system must change approaches to methodology in the realities of a contemporary world in which technology rules. Thanks to computers, phones and Internet, students of any age, nationality, and wealth will be able to access world knowledge. The process starts with the introduction of tiered online training, providing flexibility and financial availability.

Innovative technologies can significantly affect the field of higher education. For example, universities can offer students a short program of specialty before he or she is fully engaged in studies. It is a way how disappointments in the chosen area can be avoided. Various tools and opportunities, for example, mobile applications, will allow studying from any place of the world (Camilleri & Camilleri, 2017). It will also favor faster and easier adaptation when students are starting studies after a long break.

Solving the lack of education problem is a common issue. Universities play a significant role in changes and possible reforms. They can organize effective collaboration, followed by the creation of a specific system within which they will share experiences, courses, and questions (Burbules, 2018). The lack of qualified teachers can also be addressed through the availability of technology. After all, within the system, educational institutions can apply to various specialists, not only to theorists but also to practitioners, for help to organize remote education with interested students.

The shortage of personnel around the world is growing, and educational institutions and employers around the world must become partners. Such partnerships between universities and employers aim to ensure that students acquire skills useful in employment. The educational institutions should develop along with labor market and employers’ demands, and the situation is such that education is of unprecedented importance.

Universities must assign qualifications appropriate to the interests of employers. Moreover, employers today are increasingly interested in skills rather than traditional degrees. Higher education institutions should make it easier for students to acquire new skills. Education should not be pumped after graduation – universities should offer students advanced training programs to continue their graduate careers. After all, today, more and more people understand that lifelong learning is the only way to develop. Moreover, technology will be a useful link in these processes.

The introduction of innovative technologies in the educational process affects not only organizational, methodological, or technological aspects but also the value sphere. In a new electronic environment, learning loses its former character. In current conditions, society is increasing demands for personal communicative and professional competences of high qualification specialists. In this case, the loss of influence of the educational institute on the formation of moral qualities of the person can have far-reaching consequences.

The positive ethical consequence that should be noted is education availability. People from different places can reach professors in England or America with one click. A few problems can be allocated from this consequence. The positive one is that in a critical situation, the educational process does not stop. A fresh and bright example is the coordinated work of schools, universities, teachers, and students in the context of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in European countries.

Another critical problem is opportunities for self-organization and self-development. New technologies actualize the development of the student’s personal qualities, such as responsibility, autonomy, commitment, initiative. However, a large percentage of those who start studying remotely do not graduate because they have little skill and motivation to learn on their own. The consumer attitude of many students to studying leads to the transfer of responsibility for the process and result of training to the teacher and university.

Experts note that only about a third of students show personal activity in the educational process, most are motivated not to teach independently, but to receive ready information through the teacher. In addition, students’ use of the Internet primarily for public communication and entertainment, rather than as a tool for acquiring knowledge, makes additional problems.

The negative consequence of the introduction the innovative technologies into the educational system is their cost. At first, a large amount of money will be needed to buy the equipment itself. After that, it is a constant expense to maintain the right work, which requires both the attention of specialists and regular expensive updates. It also gives rise to several ethical problems. First, thus education is still not available to all. For example, according to McFarland et al. (2019), not even all children in America have internet access. In addition, the data also vary according to race and metropolitan status:

In 2017, the total percentage of children without home internet was 14. At the same time, the amount of students of nonmetropolitan status is larger than the metropolitan. Data, according to race, show that the most significant percentage of children without Internet access is American Indians and Alaska residents. Further, Afro-Americans and Hispanics are the largest percentages.

While the use of new technologies, and especially the Internet, is intended to make education more accessible, this can only highlight another ethical problem – the gap between rich and poor. This gap creates conflict and crisis situations. It suggests that the struggle of the poorest and middle class for their rights, for a fairer distribution of income, in different forms, will gain strength.

Thus, the number of educated people in the world is steadily increasing, but due to the rapid pace of development of the modern world, the level of education cannot sufficiently meet the demands of society. Schools should teach to think in accordance with the principles of contemporary science and the information and technological realities of modern society. Today, the task of finding a systemic solution designed to create a long-term interaction that will ensure the satisfaction of educational needs and the constant flow of trained personnel into all spheres of industrial relations.

Burbules, N. (2018). Watch IT: The risks and promises of information technologies for education . Routledge.

Camilleri, M. A., & Camilleri, A. C. (2017). Digital learning resources and ubiquitous technologies in education. Technology, Knowledge and Learning , 22 (1), 65-82.

Costache, G. (2018). Lack of education, the main factor in committing anti-social behaviours. Journal of Law and Public Administration , 4 (7), 34-37.

Coughlin, S. (2017). Nurses lack education in caring for patients with down syndrome. The Grace Peterson Nursing Research Colloquium , 24. Web.

Farooq, S., Gul, S., & Khan, M. Z. (2018). Role of trained women workforce in China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC): A gender gap analysis. Putaj Humanities & Social Sciences , 25 (1).

McFarland, J., Hussar, B., Zhang, J., Wang, X., Wang, K., Hein, S., Diliberti, M., Forrest Cataldi, E., Bullock Mann, F., & Barmer, A. (2019). The condition of education 2019 (NCES 2019-144). U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. Web.

Roser, M.,& Ortiz-Ospina, E. (2020). Global education . Our World in Data. Web.

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) (2018). One in five children, adolescents and youth is out of school . UIS fact sheet No. 48. Web.

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Home  /  News  /  Why Is Education Important? The Power Of An Educated Society

Why Is Education Important? The Power Of An Educated Society

Looking for an answer to the question of why is education important? We address this query with a focus on how education can transform society through the way we interact with our environment. 

Whether you are a student, a parent, or someone who values educational attainment, you may be wondering how education can provide quality life to a society beyond the obvious answer of acquiring knowledge and economic growth. Continue reading as we discuss the importance of education not just for individuals but for society as a whole. 

Harness the power of education to build a more sustainable modern society with a degree from  Unity Environmental University .

How Education Is Power: The Importance Of Education In Society

Why is education so important? Nelson Mandela famously said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” An educated society is better equipped to tackle the challenges that face modern America, including:

• Climate change
• Social justice
• Economic inequality

Education is not just about learning to read and do math operations. Of course, gaining knowledge and practical skills is part of it, but education is also about values and critical thinking. It’s about finding our place in society in a meaningful way. 

Environmental Stewardship

A  study from 2022 found that people who belong to an environmental stewardship organization, such as the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, are likely to have a higher education level than those who do not. This suggests that quality education can foster a sense of responsibility towards the environment.

With the effects of climate change becoming increasingly alarming, this particular importance of education is vital to the health, safety, and longevity of our society. Higher learning institutions can further encourage environmental stewardship by adopting a  framework of sustainability science .

The Economic Benefits Of Education

Higher education can lead to better job opportunities and higher income. On average, a  person with a bachelor’s degree will make $765,000 more  in their lifetime than someone with no degree. Even with the rising costs of tuition, investment in higher education pays off in the long run. In 2020, the return on investment (ROI) for a college degree was estimated to be  13.5% to 35.9% . 

Green jobs  like environmental science technicians and solar panel installers  have high demand projections for the next decade. Therefore, degrees that will prepare you for one of these careers will likely yield a high ROI. And, many of these jobs only require an  associate’s degree or certificate , which means lower overall education costs. 

Unity  helps students maximize their ROI with real-world experience in the field as an integral part of every degree program. 

10 Reasons Why School Is Important

Education is not just an individual pursuit but also a societal one.  In compiling these reasons, we focused on the question, “How does education benefit society?” Overall, higher education has the power to transform:

• Individuals’ sense of self
• Interpersonal relationships
• Social communities
• Professional communities

Cognitive Development

Neuroscience research  has proven that the brain is a muscle that can retain its neuroplasticity throughout life. However, like other muscles, it must receive continual exercise to remain strong. Higher education allows people of any age to improve their higher-level cognitive abilities like problem-solving and decision-making. This can make many parts of life feel more manageable and help society run smoothly. 

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is key to workplace success.  Studies  show that people with emotional intelligence exhibit more:

• Self-awareness
• Willingness to try new things
• Innovative thinking
• Active listening
• Collaboration skills
• Problem-solving abilities

By attending higher education institutions that value these soft skills, students can improve their emotional intelligence as part of their career development in college.

Technological Literacy

Many careers in today’s job market use advanced technology. To prepare for these jobs, young people likely won’t have access to these technologies to practice on their own. That’s part of why so many STEM career paths require degrees. It’s essential to gain technical knowledge and skills through a certified program to safely use certain technologies. And, educated scientists are  more likely to make new technological discoveries .

Cultural Awareness

Education exposes individuals to different cultures and perspectives. Being around people who are different has the powerful ability to foster acceptance. Acceptance benefits society as a whole. It increases innovation and empathy. 

College also gives students an opportunity to practice feeling comfortable in situations where there are people of different races, genders, sexualities, and abilities. Students can gain an understanding of how to act respectfully among different types of people, which is an important skill for the workplace. This will only become more vital as our world continues to become more globalized.

Ethical and Moral Development

Another reason why school is important is that it promotes ethical and moral development. Many schools require students to take an ethics course in their general education curriculum. However, schools can also encourage character development throughout their programs by using effective pedagogical strategies including:

• Class debates and discussions
• Historical case studies
• Group projects

Unity’s distance learning programs  include an ethical decision-making class in our core curriculum. 

Ready To Learn More About Unity Environmental University?

Communication Skills

Effective written and verbal communication skills are key for personal and professional success. Higher education programs usually include at least one communication course in their general education requirements. Often the focus in these classes is on writing skills, but students can also use college as an opportunity to hone their presentation and public speaking skills. Courses such as  Multimedia Communication for Environmental Professionals  provide many opportunities for this. 

Civic Engagement

According to a  Gallup survey , people with higher education degrees are:

• More likely to participate in civic activities such as voting and volunteering
• Less likely to commit crimes
• More likely to get involved in their local communities

All these individual acts add up to make a big difference in society. An educated electorate is less likely to be swayed by unethical politicians and, instead, make choices that benefit themselves and their community. Because they are more involved, they are also more likely to hold elected officials accountable.

Financial Stability

The right degree can significantly expand your career opportunities and improve your long-term earning potential. Not all degrees provide the same level of financial stability, so it’s important to research expected salary offers after graduation and job demand outlook predictions for your desired field. Consider the return on investment for a degree from an affordable private school such as  Unity Environmental University .

Environmental Awareness

We have already discussed why education is important for environmental stewardship. Education can also lead to better environmental practices in the business world. By building empathy through character education and ethics courses, institutions can train future business leaders to emphasize human rights and sustainability over profits. All types and sizes of businesses can incorporate sustainable practices, but awareness of the issues and solutions is the first step.

Lifelong Learning

The reasons why education is important discussed so far focus on institutional education. However, education can happen anywhere. Attending a university that values all kinds of learning will set students up with the foundation to become lifelong learners.  Research  demonstrates that lifelong learners tend to be healthier and more fulfilled throughout their lives. When societies emphasize the importance of education, they can boost their overall prosperity.

The Role Of Unity Environmental University In Society

Environmentally conscious education is extremely valuable and should be accessible to all.   Unity Environmental University  offers tuition prices that are comparable to public universities, and financial aid is available to those who qualify. Courses last five weeks so that students can focus on only one class at a time. This ensures all learners are set up for academic success. 

Unity believes in supporting students holistically to maximize the power of education. This includes mental health services,  experiential learning opportunities , and  job placement assistance . Students in our  hybrid programs  can take classes at several field stations throughout Maine and enjoy the beautiful nature surrounding the campus for outdoor recreation.

Sustainable Initiatives

Some highlights from Unity Environmental University’s many sustainable initiatives:

• All programs include at least one sustainability learning outcome
• All research courses are focused on sustainability research
• Reduced building energy use by 25% across campus
• 100% of food waste is recycled into energy 
• Campus features a  net-zero LEED Platinum-certified classroom/office building

While many schools value sustainability, Unity stands out because  everything  we do is about sustainability. We also recognize our responsibility to model how a sustainable business can operate in a manner that’s fiscally viable and socially responsible.

Make An Impact At Unity Environmental University

While the phrase ‘education is power’ may sound cliche, it is also resoundingly true. Higher education has the power to transform individuals and societies. Unity Environmental University understands its power to make a positive impact on the world. That’s why we were the first university to divest from fossil fuels. 

This year, we celebrated our  largest incoming class ever , showing that students want an education system that aligns with their values. In addition to our commitment to sustainability, we offer flexibility to students with start dates all year round for our  online degree programs .

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Can AI transform education?

I remember the day I first experienced artificial intelligence  (AI) in education. It was the late ’90s, and I was a maths teacher at a school in London described as having “challenging circumstances.”

I looked at my students, eyes glued to their computer screens, ears covered by headphones, all working in silence using an adaptive maths program. While marvelling at the rare moment of tranquillity, I also wondered: If the students were learning from the technology, what was the point of me being there? After all, I was a teacher, and a rather good one (if I do say so myself!).

Using the student learning outcomes data generated by the educational technology (edtech) program, I split the class into two groups based on their competencies: I taught half of them, while the others worked quietly on their computers, and then we switched. I kept using the data generated by the program to inform my teaching, and over time the students’ results improved. Technology in service of the teacher and the students contributed to our maths results being a top 2% value-add in England!

Fast-forward to today: Generative AI technology is mind-blowing, with great potential to be harnessed for teaching and learning. In a world where seven out of 10 children born in a low- and middle-income countries cannot read by age 10 , AI could help address the dramatic learning equity gaps. But this work needs careful thought.

I have experienced many edtech pitches over the years, but only a few have impressed me. Most are either too focused on the technology or on reaching large numbers of students, without considering the pedagogy, or they fail to address the challenges and barriers that underserved students face in accessing and using technology, particularly in low- and middle-income contexts.

Furthermore, it is all too rare to see any evidence of impact on learning outcomes. (If you don’t show impact, I will assume there is none!)

A few edtech solutions combine evidence and the best of human expertise and wisdom with the benefits that technology can afford, particularly in data analysis. And with the recent advances in AI, especially in natural language processing, speech recognition, and computer vision, I have seen pitches that have blown me away—they genuinely make me wish I were teaching again.

Here are three problems that students and teachers across the globe face, along with AI-based solutions that could help, if they are implemented with careful thought, informed by data, and focused on equity :

For a glossary of technical terms. See below .

Problem 1: Many students don’t have access to high-quality learning resources that are tailored to their needs, interests, and learning levels.

Students may struggle to learn from their starting point and at their own pace, receive timely and constructive feedback, or struggle to find motivation and support for their learning goals. If they fall behind, they are likely to stay behind and drop out, failing to acquire important life skills.

• Personalized adaptive learning solutions adjust the difficulty, content, and presentation of learning activities based on the student’s performance, preferences, and progress. These platforms have been shown to improve learning outcomes, especially among low-performing students in sub-Saharan Africa  and South Asia. Existing products include Mindspark in India , onebillion in Malawi, and EIDU in Kenya .
• AI tutors offer one-on-one instruction and guidance for students, using natural language processing and dialogue systems to simulate human interactions. These tutors have been shown to increase student engagement, confidence, and achievement. Rori in Ghana and Khanmigo in the U.S.  are already assisting students in this manner.

These tools need to be able to assess students’ current learning levels and chart the most effective and efficient learning trajectory; ensure that the content aligns with the national curriculum and is relevant and engaging; and, importantly, be sensitive to bias. The issue of how children’s data is gathered and used, and what can be diagnosed from it, requires serious consideration and established guidelines.

Watch: Bill Gates and Tonee Ndungu discuss AI education in Africa

Problem 2: some teachers may not have the training, knowledge, and experience they need to be effective in their roles..

Up to 40% of teachers in sub-Saharan Africa cannot demonstrate proficiency in the subjects they teach. Teachers may also face challenges such as large class sizes, diverse student needs, high curriculum demands, and administrative responsibilities. They may also lack opportunities for professional development, feedback, and collaboration or may lack the confidence to try out new methodologies in the classroom.

• AI-enabled teacher coaches can help teachers develop and practice their skills in a simulated environment, using natural language processing and computer vision to create realistic scenarios and characters and get feedback. These coaches have been shown to enhance teacher self-efficacy, competence, and performance in high-income countries. Some models use speech recognition software so teachers can record their lessons and get feedback. TeachFX and Loquat Learning are products to watch.
• AI lesson-planning support programs can help teachers create and customize high-quality learning resources, using natural language processing and semantic analysis to match the resources with curriculum, standards, and student needs. These tools have been shown to save teachers time, increase student engagement, and improve learning outcomes in countries including Kenya and India. Programs in use include Teacher.AI in Sierra Leone, EIDU in Kenya, TeleTaleem in Pakistan and Oak National Academy in the UK .
• AI assistants can help teachers automate and streamline administrative tasks such as grading, recording attendance, and reporting, using natural language processing, optical character recognition, and machine learning to process and analyze student work and data. These assistants have been shown to reduce teacher workload, provide instant feedback, and monitor student progress. ConveGenius and Smart Paper in India are both being implemented on a broad scale.

Teachers will only use AI-based tools that help solve problems and make their lives easier, so the tools must be user friendly, relevant, and lead to impact. As with student-facing tools, teacher-facing tools must be accurate, engaging, and unbiased, and they must take into account the evidence on how adults, and teachers in particular, learn and apply that learning in the classroom.

Problem 3: It is expensive and time consuming to develop high-quality educational content, as well as assessment and evaluation tools, in multiple local languages and contexts.

It is often expensive for governments to produce teaching and learning resources such as student textbooks and lesson plans in multiple local languages. Governments and educational systems may also lack the data and insights to make informed decisions and policies for improving educational outcomes and equity. Technology can generate good first drafts for experts to review.

• AI translators can translate educational content into many local languages, using natural language processing and machine translation to produce accurate and fluent translations. These translators can increase access, equity, and inclusion for learners and educators, and they are being tested in countries including South Africa , India, Mali, and Senegal.
• AI assessors can create, deliver, and score assessments in various formats, such as verbal, handwritten, and multiple choice, using natural language processing, speech recognition, and optical character recognition to evaluate student responses and provide feedback. These assessors have been shown to improve reliability, validity, and efficiency of assessments. Automated assessment platforms in use include Wadhwani in India and EGRA-AI in South Africa.
• AI evaluators can analyze and optimize educational outcomes using machine learning and data mining to generate insights, recommendations, and predictions based on student data and performance. These evaluators have been shown to enhance student retention, completion, and success in higher education in countries including the United States, Australia, and Japan.

These emerging tools need careful research, development, and testing. They need to have established benchmarks and include quality assurance mechanisms to ensure that translations are accurate and pedagogical principles are followed. Assessments must be accurate and available and cover enough languages, subjects, and age groups. AI-enabled evaluations in the Global South are at a nascent stage, so new tools need to be tested against human evaluators for accuracy and efficiency.

Principles for guiding AI in global education—and beyond

The opportunity to improve educational outcomes through AI is substantial. But we must all keep asking who is and isn’t benefiting from these technological advances. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has established an AI Ethics and Safety Committee that is working alongside our program teams, including Global Education, to address these issues. As the Global Education team  develops strategies and funds solutions that incorporate AI, our team is focusing on the following five principles:

• Equity . AI systems should be designed and implemented with equity and inclusion in mind, ensuring that they do not exacerbate existing inequalities or create new ones.
• Data privacy . AI systems must respect and protect the data privacy and security of students and educators and follow ethical and legal standards and norms.
• Ethics . AI systems for education must adhere to ethical principles and values—such as fairness, justice, dignity, and human rights—in their development and deployment.
• Evidence and accuracy . AI solutions must be evaluated and validated for their quality, and their accuracy and reliability must be assured for different contexts, languages, and domains.
• Impact . AI solutions should be monitored and measured for their impact on educational outcomes, such as learning gains.

Engaging with AI or not is no longer a choice. AI is being used already. The world ignores it at the risk of deepening educational inequities in ways we do not yet understand. So let’s put systems and processes in place to ensure that students from all walks of life can benefit from these innovations.

Let’s also work with teachers to enable their use of this technology so they can get the greatest impact for themselves and their students. We have an opportunity to revisit, on a broad scale, what I did in the ’90s, by asking, “How can I use this technology to serve my students and myself most effectively?” I believe it is the integration of technology into teachers’ work that will have the greatest impact.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is proud to directly fund the following partners mentioned in this article: Eidu ; Teacher AI ; Kytabu ; and EGRA AI . Additionally, we partner with Central Square Foundation , Fab Inc. , and Co-creation Hub to fund programs and innovations across AI and education.

Computer vision . A computer’s ability to recognize people and objects in pictures, illustrations, and videos the way humans see and understand images.

Dialogue system . A computer system designed to converse with humans.

Generative AI . A computer system designed to produce something new based on “training” provided by large data sets (like text or images).

Machine learning . A computer system’s ability to learn without being explicitly programmed to do so, typically using a data set such as numbers, photos, or text.

Machine translation . A computer system’s ability translate text from one language to another using machine learning.

Natural language processing . A computer’s ability to process and produce language in the way humans do.

Optical character recognition . A computer’s ability to convert images of text into editable text that a machine can read.

Semantic analysis . A computer’s use of context to make sense of words or phrases that have multiple potential meanings, to enhance the accuracy of natural language processing.

Speech recognition . A computer’s ability to recognize speech and process it into writing.

AI equity: Ensuring access to AI for all

The first principles guiding our work with ai, six scientists share the innovations that could transform the future.

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Jekyll and Hyde: A* Grade / L9 vs A Grade / L7 Example Essays + Feedback

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

8 September 2024

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Have a resource on us! Grab our FREE resource here: Jekyll and Hyde: Character Breakdown / Analysis

Buy our COMPLETE JEKYLL AND HYDE REVISION BUNDLE here!

If you’re studying this particular piece, you’ve come to the right place. This is a massively in depth document that goes through everything you need to know to get absolutely top marks on exam papers, essays and coursework.

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A MEGA REVISION 'JEKYLL AND HYDE' BUNDLE! (Digital + Printable PDFs, PPTs and worksheets!)

This bundle contains everything you need to teach or study Stevenson's novella 'The Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' in the form of digital and printable PDF documents. It’s perfect for students aged 14+. **This bundle is currently available at a 50% discount! ** Preview this document for free, to check whether the whole bundle is right for you [Jekyll and Hyde: Character Breakdown / Analysis](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110830) With this bundle, students will be able to: * Understand the structural elements and key moments of the plot * Deepen their knowledge of characters, including understanding the deeper messages behind each one * Integrate the significance of the setting into their analyses and interpretations of the play as a whole * Memorise a range of carefully chosen key quotations for use in essays and analysis * Develop their language, structure and form analysis skills, with guided support and examples * Identify and analyse the thematic and contextual details * Learn approaches to a range of essay question types: discursive, argumentative, close reading * Become confident with extract interpretation and analysis * Develop their knowledge of tragic conventions and apply them to the novella * Expand their critical aptitude via exposure to key critical frameworks and critics’ quotations (for higher-level students) * Write their essays on Jekyll and Hyde, after support with planning help and example A* / top grade model answers Reasons to love this bundle: * Downloadable PDF documents, graphically designed to a high level, PowerPoints (ppts) and worksheets * Visual aids (photographs and drawings) to support learning * Organised categories that simplify the text for students * Print and digital versions - perfect for any learning environment * The unit has everything you need to start teaching or learning - starting with the basic story summary, going right up to deep contextual and critical wider readings * Lots of tasks and opportunities to practice literary analysis skills - students will be guided through writing a literary analysis response to the novella -This is what you’ll get with this bundle: (each document includes digital + printable revision guide + PowerPoint + worksheet)- THE COMPLETE JEKYLL AND HYDE COURSE: 1. [Character Analysis / Breakdown](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110830) 2. [Plot Summary / Breakdown](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110836) 3. [Context Analysis](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110842) 4. [Genre](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110856) 5. [Key Quotations](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110868) 6. [Narrative Voice](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110978) 7. [Setting](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110874) 8. [Themes](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110893) 9. [Critical Interpretation / Critics' Quotations](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110848) 10. [Essay Help](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110934) 11. [Essay Planning](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110950) 12. [PEE Paragraph Practise](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110997) 13. [Essay Practise (Gothic Atmosphere)](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110962) 14. [L9 / A* Grade vs L7 / A Grade Example Essays + Feedback (Frightening Outsider)](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110990) 15. [L9 / A* Grade Essay Example (Tension and Mystery)](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110904) 16. [L8 / A Grade Essay Example + Feedback (Unnatural and Threatening)](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110972) 17. [L6 / B Grade Essay Example + Feedback (Suspicious Atmosphere)](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110984) 18. [L4 / C Grade Essay Example (Secrecy and Reputation)](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110923) 19. [Study Questions / Exercises](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13110884) 20. [Essay Questions + Passage-based Questions](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13111001) Please review our content! We always value feedback and are looking for ways to improve our resources, so all reviews are more than welcome. Check out our [shop](https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/Scrbbly) here.

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2024 International Education Week Essay Contest

2024 theme: "local to global: celebrating international education at emory"  , for a pdf version of the essay contest flyer, click here ..

Emory University is proud of its diverse and inclusive community, where local perspectives and global insights come together to create a rich educational experience.

Reflecting on the theme "Local to Global: Celebrating International Education at Emory,"  you are invited to write an essay that speaks to the importance that global experiences, people, or perspectives have made on your Emory experience: whether in Atlanta, on an Emory-affiliated experience around the world, or coming to study at Emory from another country.

You may choose (but are not required) to respond to one or more of the questions below.  

• Describe a specific experience during your time at Emory that highlights the impact of international/global education on your personal and academic growth. How did this experience shape your understanding of global issues and cultural diversity?  
• How have you contributed to the diversity of perspectives at Emory through your involvement, identity, and leadership?    
• Describe how you have navigated your cultural identity at Emory.   

Your essay should be between 500 to 750 words and adhere to the contest guidelines. We encourage you to draw upon your identity, personal anecdotes, specific examples, lived experiences, and thoughtful analysis to craft a compelling and insightful essay.

Essay Contest Guidelines:  

• Eligibility: This contest is open to any currently enrolled Emory students (graduate and undergraduate)
• Word Count : 500-750 words  
• Format : Typed, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, in Microsoft Word or an editable document.
• Must be written in English.
• Include a title and a cover sheet with the author's name and contact information
• No identifying information should be within the essay itself.  
• Only one essay may be submitted per person.  
• All aspects of the Emory Honor Code will be enforced, citing any references or copyright materials where relevant.  
• AI Tools (e.g. Chat GPT, Grammarly) can be used to edit a draft, but not to formulate ideas or write an initial draft. If used, AI tools must be credited at the conclusion of the essay.  
• Submission : Submit your essay via the submission form by clicking on the button below  by 11:59 EST on October 6th , 2024.
• Contest Rules: You must read the following rules of the contest to enter. By submitting an essay, you agree to the aforementioned rules.
• Evaluation Criteria : Essays will be judged based on critical engagement with the essay themes, creativity, organization and structure, and adherence to the rules of the essay contest.
• Winners : The review committee will select first place and runner-up graduate student essays well as as first place and runner-up undergraduate student essays. First place essays will receive  $500, and runners-up will receive $250.

Ready to submit your essay? Click the button below: 

Questions : Please reach out to Charlie Hammons ([email protected]) , International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) Senior Associate Director, via email .   

Good luck, and we look forward to reading your essays!  

• Frank Cerabino
• Nation & World
• Fort Lauderdale

Middle school teacher suspended for 2 days after three domestic battery charges since 2022

The teacher has been charged with battery three separate times in the last two years. but until now, he's never been removed from the classroom..

A computer science teacher at a public school for kids with emotional and behavioral disorders has been charged with battery three times in the past two years, but until now, he's never been removed from the classroom.

Mark Minge, 47, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery twice in 2022 and most recently in June 2023. At least two of the incidents resulted in injuries. Now, he's been suspended by the school board for two days after failing to report that he was arrested in December for violating his probation by driving without a license.

School employees are required to report most arrests to their supervisors within 48 hours of arrest.

Minge, who has been an employee with the district since 2016, has been disciplined twice since 2022. On Aug. 21, the school board approved a two-day suspension for Minge during which he will not be paid.

In June 2023, Minge was arrested and charged with battery after his girlfriend at the time told police he headbutted her when she confronted him about infidelity, according to police records. When police arrived at Minge's home, they found his girlfriend, then 53, bleeding from her head and surrounded by pools of blood. She told police that Minge fled in her vehicle after he attacked her.

More: How to file for a restraining order against domestic violence in Palm Beach County

At the time, Minge was issued a written reprimand by the school district for failing to report his battery charge within two days. He was not disciplined or removed from the classroom for the conduct itself.

The court had placed Minge into a pretrial diversion program, in which his charges would have been dropped if he had completed an anger-management course and community-service hours and was not charged with any new crimes for one year. Minge was arrested six months later and charged with violating his probation by driving without a license.

Minge has worked at Indian Ridge School in West Palm Beach since 2016. Indian Ridge is a day school that primarily serves students with emotional and behavioral disorders, according to its website.

Bob Jarvis, a law professor on sabbatical from Nova Southeastern University, said people charged with domestic abuse are too often allowed to continue working in their fields without reproach.

"This is a real problem that we have all sorts of domestic abusers working in the teaching ranks and the police forces. It's in all sorts of public jobs," Jarvis said. "If the person has special skills and they don't want to lose them … that's a factor that will come into play."

"This person is at an alternative school; that usually is a very difficult position to fill," Jarvis said.

Computer science teacher says, 'Let my previous 46 years of life and achievements speak' for themselves

But the June 2023 incident wasn't the first time Minge had been arrested and charged with a violent offense.

In April 2022, a woman's friend called police after the two were FaceTiming and she saw the woman bleeding near her left eyebrow.

When police arrived, the woman, whose name was redacted from the reports, said Minge had thrown a phone at her head after she confronted him about his infidelity. The woman, who had been dating Minge for about a year, told police that Minge said he was going to kill her.

In interviews with police, Minge said the woman ripped his sheets off while he was sleeping and told him to give her phone back. Minge said he threw the phone at her, but she didn't catch it. He was arrested and charged with domestic battery. Later, Minge was placed on probation and required to attend anger-management classes.

More: Judge bans Boca-area parent from buying, possessing guns after antisemitic comments, threats

After that incident, Minge was issued his first written reprimand by the school district for failing to report his arrest to his supervisor.

Just five months later, in September 2022, Lantana police were called to the Old Key Lime House restaurant by staff employees who said they'd seen a man grab a woman by the throat and then flee from the restaurant. The woman is not named in the police record, and her relationship to Minge is also redacted.

The man, identified by police as Minge, was meeting another woman for a meal at the restaurant. He'd met her on a dating app.

After learning Minge was on a date with a woman at the restaurant, the second woman went to the restaurant to confront him. Minge stood up, grabbed the second woman by the throat and pushed her away, according to police reports. Then he fled, leaving both women behind.

More: Months before his arrest, teacher was investigated for letting students touch his beard

Following that arrest, Minge pleaded guilty to battery and was ordered to complete another anger-management class and have no contact with the victim. Ultimately, adjudication was withheld, so Minge was not convicted.

Although the school district originally investigated Minge for failing to report his September 2022 arrest, the district ended its investigation after Minge completed his anger-management class and the case was closed by the courts.

Reached Friday, Minge said he thought the school district has been "very thorough and fair" in its handling of his discipline.

Asked how he would answer to parents concerned about him teaching students after multiple arrests for violence, he said that "although it was multiple arrests, it was an isolated incident. Let my previous 46 years of life and achievements speak for the person that I am."

Battery charges not 'disqualifying offenses' for middle school teacher, district says

None of Minge's charges from the past two years disqualified him from teaching, and district records show he was allowed to continue working in the classroom.

On Aug. 21, the school board approved Minge's two-day suspension. He has until Sept. 12 to appeal.

If he does not appeal, the suspension will go into effect on Oct. 14.

Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at [email protected] . Help support our work; subscribe today.