You could spend endless hours reading about what is wrong with the U.S. public school system and another eternity reading about how we should fix it. According to the Pew Research Center, U.S. students continually score in the "middle of the pack" internationally. We're used to being number one in most international competitions. From personal experience, watching the Olympics as an American is incredibly satisfying. Today, we hear the echoes from post World War II of being the greatest country in the world. How do we have world-class universities, yet lag behind other developed countries in K-12 education?
I don't think the solution is to increase competitive incentives, and standardized testing isn't helping either. Like most governmental issues, there are multiple layers to the problem. Our nation's children need to be nurtured academically, socially, and healthily (meaning access to health care and proper nutrition). We need to start praising effort more than talent. Children's confidence in academics can be jumpstarted in Pre-K programs. Unfortunately, access to quality preschools is limited.
Cultivating a child's natural curiosity at a young age will set them up for a more holistic education and motivate them to pursue the joy of knowledge. This drive will ultimately push a society to evolve intelligently. Investing in early education prevents older kids from having low self esteem and playing a constant game of catch-up. Many kids get tired of this game.
If the people of the U.S.A wish to remain to be a leading society, focused efforts toward early education will hold up other pillars of American excellence.
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