Anyone reading the news today would assume that bathrooms are the biggest issue facing our education system. Why are we fighting over something as trivial as which bathroom a student prefers to use when our education system is one of the worst in the modern world?
In a nationwide survey in 2013 64% of America’s 8th graders are behind in math. Joel Klein, the former Chancellor the NYC School system, recently said that “educational failure puts the United States’ future economic prosperity, global position, and physical safety at risk.” Our failure as a nation to provide the next generation of leaders with the basic skills they’ll need to succeed is going to haunt us for generations.
Let’s take a look at some of the data from our education system:
- The majority of our students live in poverty.
- Less than 25% of our high school graduates are ready for college.
- Massachusetts, the top state in the country for education, would rank 16 globally.
- Only 39% of schools have wifi.
And all we are talking about are bathrooms. What message does this send to our youth about the priorities of our country?
Let’s stop talking about school bathrooms.
Let’s talk about how our schools compare on a national level. Let’s talk about students in poverty. Let’s talk about STEM skills. Let’s talk about how we can ensure our students have the intellectual grounding to drive the economy forward and solve the next generation of problems.