What do you think is one of the biggest flaws in the American education system?

“In my opinion, one of the biggest flaws I’ve noticed is that [the education system] is more focused on conformity. Most of our education is very standardized and focuses on how fast you finish certain tests; rather than testing intelligence, they test for speed. Tests are all about comparing you to everyone else. I think we should focus more on individual needs rather than judging [students] based on how well they do on a test. I definitely have my personal gripe with it, like the [Scholastic Aptitude Test]. I took it a couple weeks ago, and I remember doing [American College Testing] prep and the advice I received was, ‘If you don’t actually know what’s on the test, just guess or eliminate at least two illogical solutions within the span of about 30 seconds.’ Realistically, when working at a job or even a career, you’re most likely going to have more than 30 seconds to find a solution to the task at hand. So, I feel like timed tests just place unneeded stress on students. We should just focus on what the individual is needing. I’d like to think every teacher has at least an idea of what their students are like and some of their strengths and weaknesses. Teachers should try to appeal to that knowledge and pay attention to struggling students and teach them how to help themselves in the future.”

What are your thoughts on the American education system? Let us know in the comments below.