There was a time when the United States was considered as a country with the smartest young minds in the world. Education in the United States provided either by private or public schools were envied and being used by other countries as models for their own educational systems. There was a time when academic tests scores of American students were on top when compared to other developed countries.However, the educational system of the United States, particularly in the public schools, is now struggling to compete academically with other developed countries. The United States' educational system according to the most recent assessment now only ranks fifth in the world. Another notable change that has occurred is the prevalence of the growing incidence of violence in the public school system of the United States. Numerous reports of shooting incidents since the 1999 tragic shooting at Columbine High School have been seen in the news recently and this is a result of the deterioration of the educational system of the United States.
[...] Most discipline problems experienced in schools today are far from being serious as using illegal drugs or the carrying of deadly weapons to school. Most misconduct involves student lateness, cheating, insolence and bullying. A majority of teachers have noted that students seem like they do not know what appropriate behaviors are inside the classroom. Students today do not care if they are chewing gum in class, yawning loudly or if they are putting their feet up on their desks. However, it was also noted that teachers still have a lot of well-behaved students but these students are being affected by the misbehaving few. [...]
[...] Most of American school systems however have a very strict zero-tolerance policy when it comes to dangers such as illegal drugs and guns. Since after the 1999 shooting at Columbine, leaders of school districts created policies that would eradicate the most devastating dangers to students. Teachers of more than 8 to 10 middle and high schools state that the schools where they teach are implementing zero-tolerance, no-nonsense policies in dealing with drugs and deadly weapons. Teachers also report the presence of an armed police officer assigned in their schools to reinforce these policies. [...]
[...] Discipline is further defined to be the training in order to produce an expected character or pattern of behavior. Discipline also means the controlled behavior which results from a rigid training. Another definition which is associated to discipline is the punishment which is intended to correct a behavior or to train a person to behave specifically. Discipline, as it is simply stated, is the enforcement of simple classroom rules in order to maintain a good academic environment that would facilitate learning with little or no disruptions. [...]
[...] Because of this, teachers tend to ignore the minor misconducts because of the time that would be wasted in attending hearings that they only reserve their hearings on serious discipline cases. One major factor that contributed to the deterioration of discipline in American schools is the presence court rulings that provide safety nets to misbehaving students. In the late 1960's and early 1970's, a number of court decisions limited the ability of schools to issue punishment to students and further prohibited these schools from restricting student activities because these activities are protected by the First Amendment. [...]
[...] Discipline in American schools is so bad today that 7 in 10 middle and high school teachers have serious problems with students who disrupt classes in their own school. These teachers further add that their schools have persistent troublemakers who should be removed from regular schooling in order to maintain peace and order in their school. American classrooms are also frequented by other kinds of misbehavior that take up instruction time and disrupt the flow of classroom activities and learning. [...]
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