Current trends and issues in education
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On any list of current issues in education, school funding ranks near the top. As you may be aware, the American public education system is composed of primary and secondary schools that are supported by taxes. Over 90 percent of the funding for public K-12 schools comes from state and local governments. In the wake of the Great Recession, most states made cuts to funding for schools. That was understandable, since the bulk of state funding comes from revenues generated by sales and income taxes, both of which drop in times of recession.
However, many states are still giving schools less cash now than they did before the Great Recession. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that, as of the 2017-2018 academic year, 29 states were still spending less per K-12 student than they did a decade earlier.1 That's why the formulas that states use to fund schools have come under fire in recent years and have even been the subjects of lawsuits. For example, in 2017, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the legislature's formula for financing schools was unconstitutional because it didn't adequately fund education in the state.
Less funding means that smaller staffs, fewer programs, and diminished resources for students are common problems in school. In some cases, schools are unable to pay for essential maintenance. A 2017 report noted that close to a quarter of all U.S. public schools are in fair or poor condition and that 53 percent of schools need renovations and repairs.2 Plus, one survey discovered that teachers spent an average of $530 of their own money on classroom supplies.3
The issue reached a tipping point in 2018, with teachers in Arizona, Colorado, and other states walking off the job to demand additional educational funding. Some of the protests resulted in modest funding increases, but many educators believe that more must be done.
School safety
Over the past several years, a string of high-profile mass shootings in U.S. schools have resulted in dozens of deaths and led to debates about the best ways to keep students safe. In a poll conducted shortly after 17 people were killed in the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, 57 percent of teenagers said they were worried about the possibility of gun violence at their schools.4
Figuring out how to prevent such attacks and save the lives of students and school personnel are problems faced by teachers all across America.
President Trump and other lawmakers have suggested that allowing specially trained teachers and other school staff to carry concealed weapons would make schools safer. The idea is that adult volunteers who are already proficient with a firearm could undergo specialized training in how to deal with an active shooter situation until law enforcement can arrive. Proponents argue that armed staff could intervene to end the threat and save lives; in addition, potential attackers would be less likely to target a school if they knew that the school's personnel were carrying weapons.5
Critics argue that more guns in schools will lead to more accidents, injuries, and fear.
According to the National Education Association (NEA), giving teachers guns is not the answer. In a March 2018 survey, 74 percent of NEA members opposed arming school personnel, and two-thirds said they would feel less safe at work if school staff were carrying guns. To counter gun violence in schools, the NEA supports measures like requiring universal background checks, preventing mentally ill people from purchasing guns, and banning assault weapons.7
Opponents argue that banning suspensions and expulsions takes away valuable tools that teachers can use to combat student misbehavior. They maintain that as long as disciplinary policies are applied the same way to every student regardless of race, such policies are not discriminatory. In fact, one major study found that the racial disparities in school suspension rates could be explained by the prior behavior of the students rather than by discriminatory tactics
School vouchers are like coupons that allow parents to use public funds to send their child to the school of their choice, which can be private and may be either secular or religious. In many cases, vouchers are reserved for low-income students or students with disabilities.
And a name can be significant. In a 2018 survey, a group of American adults was asked whether they supported common standards across states. About 61 percent replied that they did. But when another group was polled about Common Core specifically, only 45 percent said they supported it