Nowadays there is the only name that is seen in the headlines of an every news portal all over the world. We can still observe the ongoing debate on the web about how the elections results will affect American society.
Who Exactly Is the New US President?
Donald John Trump is American businessman, billionaire, construction magnate and the owner of a large chain of hotels and casinos. He is also an author of the plenty of books about business and self-development.
There was a chance for Trump to become a President since the 80s, but he couldn’t determine his political views. By 2009, he had finally found himself in politics and joined the Republican Party. Donald has been promoted to participate in the presidential election in 2011, but the businessman said that he was not ready to leave the private sector.
On June 16 in 2015, Trump changed his mind and stated his alacrity to fight for the presidency. Trump’s presidential campaign was strictly thought out: the first thing he visited New Hampshire, traditionally considered to be a stronghold of the Republicans, then made a Nevada and California tour – these states have previously received a solid financial infusion from the Donald. Trump also repeatedly held rallies in his support to entertain electorate.
The main theses of Trump’s campaign were focused on the following areas of American society: the immigration, the health care, the economy and the domestic policy. But what does he think about American education?
Current Problems That Need to Be Solved:
- American education isn’t the best in the world anymore. It ranks 26th. Trump states that some of 25 countries that are better than the USA belong to the third world countries category. So, in this aspect, the country is becoming the third world according to his words;
- The data of the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy indicates that 32 million adults in the USA can’t read – this is about 14% of the whole population. So, here we have a serious problem with literacy;
- Lack of the discipline in American schools;
- An inefficiency of the Common Core – only 46% of the teachers maintain it;
- Low level of the safety in schools.
Trump promises to make some changes, which will, in his view, improve the educational system. He is going to:
- Establish the school vouchers;
- Nominate billionaire Betsy DeVos as a Secretary of Education;
- Eliminate the Department of Education and the Common Core;
- Set the local control on the education;
- Focus on studying of the USA history;
- Introduce a comprehensive education;
- Make the students study the citizenship.
The School Vouchers – Are They Good or Evil?
Donald Trump affirms his $20 billion school voucher plan. Many low-income families will be able to get enough money to spend it on the children’s education not in the public, but in the private for-profit, virtual or religious school to choose from. The new President notes that this decision allows parents to pick out the exact school in which their kid must go. Also, it brings an element of competition in the admissions process. “Let schools compete for kids.” – Trump said.
On the other hand, the excessive funding of private schools through vouchers may provoke the closure of many state schools in the poorest areas. It will force parents to move to other cities to let their children attend the school.
Moreover, the students studying in private schools because of vouchers demonstrate the lower rate of advancement than pupils who continue their education in the public establishments. The data of the annual LEAP testing indicates: those students got a score less than 40% while the state average is 69%. Worth noting: not every private school is excited with the vouchers – statistics shows that for-profit schools are losing popularity among the people who can pay for the education without any vouchers.
The Secretary of Education without Any Educational Experience
The nomination of the new Education Secretary Betsy DeVos provoked strong reactions among both politicians and citizens: the opinions of the important persons on this issue are very different. Also, she became the kind of an internet meme on the web. And here’s why:
- A majority of people claim that she is billionaire and supports private schools more than public ones;
- She obtained a degree, but not in education which is the desirable option to occupy this post;
- It’s also likely that she has attended only private Christian schools instead of public as well as her own children;
- DeVos has never worked in school environment;
- She endorses for-profit organizations.
A veracity of these complaints shows that she is totally involved in the private schools’ support programs. Does it mean that public educational establishments will remain in the doldrums? We will see.
Trump’s Opposite Views on the Department of Education and the Common Core
Donald Trump admitted: “Education has to be run locally. Common Core, No Child Left Behind, and Race to the Top are all programs that take decisions away from parents and local school boards”. He thinks that both the Department of Education and the Common Core must be eliminated. New President is going to relinquish management to the local governments. In his opinion, now Washington is the one who decides which disciplines students should study and this is a real problem.
Donald Trump favors comprehensive education instead of limiting subjects. To his mind, a study of a little bit of everything leads to success more than the deepening in the one field of science. Nevertheless, the student shouldn’t forget about the main specialization.
The Safety Concern and Lack of the Knowledge about the Roots
The President cares about the schools safety and proposes to teach citizenship. It means that an education establishment must motivate pupils to finish the schooling and to show higher results. The school must be a place where the children are studying, not only pretending to study.
Also, he remarked that the residents of the USA possess a small amount of the information about their ancestry. He cited as an example his trip to Scotland, where he revealed the new things about himself connected with his Scottish ancestry. Trump found that these discoveries are useful for business too. It is possible, that the President would like to enhance American history as the school subject.
Donald Trump seems to be an unpredictable person, so no one knows how things go. In general, we will wait for the development of the school voucher system and the empowerment of for-profit and private religious schools. The nomination of Betsy DeVos will contribute to it. The significant changes also will concern the Department of Education and the Common Core, which are being so disliked by Trump.
