Refinement by Kaleigh

Refinement by Kaleigh - September 2025 Scholarship Essay

When asked the question of what changes I would like to see in education within the next 10 years, I begin to ponder this thought. Horace Mann was credited with establishing the public school system in the US. 1,000 years ago education looked very different; limited student count, contained religious focus, advanced subjects, more strict disciplines, and smaller facilities. Current school systems are based around state requirements,educational standards, and local training. In this essay I will highlight the progress of standards and technology.
The first change I would make is to the standards that every state makes. In Ohio the "Ohio Department of Education" makes the policies for schools to follow. These include subjects that students need and what curriculum they must understand before moving onto a new grade level. In 2010, Ohio adopted the "common core" standard of learning and this is the main thing that I would want to see changed in the education system. Firstly, the common core can be looked at confusingly because it is very broad and doesn't give clear detail on how it should be taught to students. Secondly, when schools are enforcing the common core standards, the locals are focusing on the standardized tests at the end of the year versus focusing on students comprehension of lessons. Lastly, this will cause a vast majority of states to begin competing for higher end of the year scores, which could result in high conflict.
The second aspect to educational standards is what the state requires. The state requires 4 credits of English Language Arts, 4 credits of math, 3 science, 3 history, and 2 foreign languages. I would like to see these all (except foreign language) be required 4 credits for graduation. Many schools wish to see more student engagement and get upset when schedules aren't filled; this could be resulted if schools required the same number of credits and electives to be taken all through high school.
The second main change I would want to see in the education system is with technology. Many schools rely on technology for teaching purposes and we hardly use actual text books. Using technology for 8 hours a day causes many problems such as; distractions, decrease in social interactions, risks to privacy, and higher screen time. I can say from experience that working on technology for most of my school classes takes a more negative toll on my academic life. When I am given papers or textual books; these aspects make me feel more engaged with the subject, allow me to take my own personal notes, and be more creative. However, technology does help students find evidence for documents at a faster pace. But how reliable are these resources? Are they primary sources or secondary sources? Is the author reliable (background, knowledge) on the subject? All of these factors you have to be very crucial with when looking online for answers to questions.
In conclusion, the education system has changed drastically over the years. From the styles of teaching, requirements, and environments. I am not sure how fast at the state/local level that they can change standards of education but I highly support that they look more thoroughly into state standards of education and how much time students are spending on technology. Changing standards could decrease the feelings of competition and better equalize the states teaching styles. Reducing technology will help with social interactions and reciting proper sources. When you are asked a question about the future you have to do this in three stages; how was it laid out in the past, how has it been presently changed, and what could you recommend be changed for the better of the future.