What are the most common student challenges that are faced today? Why are students being silenced in schools that are difficult to get accepted into?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether they\u2019re in elementary school or college, students don\u2019t have it easy. Some areas students may struggle with include mental health, social inequality, and a lack of academic preparedness, all of which can be brought on by flawed school systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Below we\u2019ll look at some of the major student challenges that need to be addressed to make students\u2019 lives easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Two of the biggest student challenges are caused by AP (Advanced Placement) courses. We\u2019ll look into the first one here. As AP course offerings expand, high school students are feeling increasing pressure<\/a> to take them, in order to be competitive in the college application process. Psychologists and high school students themselves have pointed to the potential mental health effects this can have on teenagers<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When AP courses were a new thing, only the most well-prepared students could take them. In an effort to make them more accessible to everyone, restrictions have been lifted on who can take them and how many classes a student can take. Many students, feeling pressure to excel above their classmates, will take 12-15 AP classes throughout their high school career, beginning as early as ninth grade. Since these classes are more time-consuming than regular high school classes, students experience increased levels of stress and anxiety and get fewer hours of sleep. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In an opinion piece, two Texas high school students penned a detailed critique<\/a> about the effects the AP program has on students\u2019 mental health, calling for a cap on the number of AP courses any one student can take. They say the AP program motivates students and allows them to explore their passions, but it may not be worth the struggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A proposed solution to this problem would be to institute caps on the maximum number of AP classes a student can take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another challenge students are facing in AP programs is that the courses really don\u2019t have college-level standards. This means when a student takes one of these classes and gets credit for the college equivalent, they can be put at a disadvantage when they reach upper-level college classes. <\/strong>And teachers don\u2019t have control over the curriculum\u2014they\u2019re given the curriculum and expected to teach it in a way that gets students to pass the exam in the end.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Former Boston College Professor John Tierney, who has also taught high school AP courses, calls AP classes a \u201cscam\u201d saying \u201cThe AP classroom is where intellectual curiosity goes to die.<\/a>\u201d By this, he means that teachers have such a rigid structure and so much material to cover that they can\u2019t possibly delve into deeper learning and critical thinking exercises. This is in contrast to college courses, where professors have the freedom to design their own curriculum and can focus on deeper exploration of the material, rather than just \u201cteaching to the test.\u201d Psychology Professor Peter Gray agrees, calling AP courses a \u201cracket.<\/a>\u201d Like Tierney, he argues that, although the College Board is technically a nonprofit, it\u2019s run like a corporation, with an emphasis on profit, and this dilutes the value of the program.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tierney also points to the lack of criteria for taking the courses, arguing that because they\u2019re open to anyone, many unprepared students take them. He believes that about two-thirds of the students in his AP classes shouldn\u2019t be there. Not only does the lack of criteria set those students up for failure, as mentioned in the previous section, but it drags down the whole class, as the teacher has to spend time trying to get those students up to par. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this case, both Tierney and Gray\u2019s proposed solution would be to abolish the program altogether, and in the meantime, they advise parents and students to opt out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we know how AP courses fail to prepare students for higher education, let\u2019s look at the challenges students face when trying to get into elite schools or are currently attending them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Excellent Sheep<\/em><\/a> by William Deresiewicz, elite schools use strict admissions criteria<\/a> because they stay in business by marketing themselves as highly selective<\/em>. <\/strong>A school is considered highly selective if it only accepts a small percentage of its applicants, and usually these schools rank high because they attract upper-class students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s explore how these selective admissions criteria hurt students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Highly selective criteria harm students who are slated to attend elite schools. Deresiewicz claims that as students prepare to meet highly selective criteria, they feel intense pressure to prioritize achievement over experiences that build self-insight<\/a>. <\/strong>This takes a toll on their mental health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The author criticizes parents for pressuring their children as early as middle school to be perfect so they\u2019re prepared to meet selective admissions criteria. Parents pack their children\u2019s schedules with extracurriculars that strengthen their resum\u00e9s. They pressure their children to perfect their schoolwork and prepare for tests instead of developing hobbies that nurture self-insight. As a result, students have little free time, experience intense stress, and develop a fear of failure<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even after students are admitted to US elite colleges and universities, the legacy of selective criteria continues to harm them. Deresciewicz argues that college<\/strong> students continue to prioritize achievement over self-insight. <\/strong>This emphasis further degrades their mental health and makes them afraid to pursue their own interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s examine a couple of reasons why students at elite colleges continue to prioritize achievement over self-insight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Excellent Sheep<\/em><\/a>, elite schools\u2019 criteria are so selective and narrowly defined that mostly only upper-class students have the means to meet them. <\/strong>He argues that this exclusion of non-elite students perpetuates social inequality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Admissions teams consider the following factors, each of which privileges upper-class students:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Standardized test scores. <\/strong>Admissions teams rely on these scores as a measure of intelligence, but the author cites evidence that standardized test scores correlate with family income instead of intelligence. This correlation reflects the fact that wealthy families can afford to access supports that boost their students\u2019 scores, such as well-funded schools, test preparation courses, and tutors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leadership experience.<\/strong> The evidence admissions officers use to measure a student\u2019s leadership potential<\/a> reflects a bias toward leadership experiences wealthy students can access (such as service trips) over those of many lower-income students (such as providing childcare for siblings).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Extracurriculars. <\/strong>Elite schools prefer students who engage in many extracurricular activities, believing this indicates well-roundedness. However, these criteria privilege upper-class students, who are more likely to attend well-funded schools. Well-funded schools offer many extracurriculars such as sports and clubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Social identities. <\/strong>Elite colleges show a preference for students with identities associated with wealth and power, including legacy students (children of alumni). This is because these children and their families are more likely to pay full tuition and later become donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The exclusion of non-elite students through these high, narrow criteria negatively impacts society. Specifically, Deresiewicz argues that elite schools\u2019 exclusive admissions criteria stall social mobility<\/a>.<\/strong> He offers two main reasons for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, selective criteria that exclude non-elite students reduce their access to leadership positions. The author notes that attending an elite college opens doors for careers in political leadership. This means fewer people from lower-class backgrounds end up in positions that provide them with a platform for increasing social mobility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A second way elite schools\u2019 admissions criteria stall social mobility is by limiting students\u2019 opportunities for collaboration across social classes. Democracy thrives when people collaborate to envision and fight for social change. Because elite colleges\u2019 student bodies are majority upper class, there are few opportunities for students from various social classes to learn how to collaborate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The last challenge students have to deal with is being silenced in the classroom, thus not being exposed to diverse viewpoints<\/a> that reflect real life. The corporatization of university life, the interests of university administrators, and the growing fragility and entitlement of today\u2019s students all combine to create an atmosphere on campus that is highly threatening to academic freedom<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Coddling of the American Mind<\/em><\/a> by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt says that colleges increasingly fear being sued by students who claim to have been offended by something a student or professor said to them or by something they may have been assigned in class, administrators have promulgated onerous campus \u201cspeech codes\u201d that define what ideas and modes of expression are and are not acceptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These codes are deeply damaging to free speech on campus and frequently lead to instances of overreaction to and overregulation of ideas, and affect students\u2019 education by censoring real issues.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Professors now teach in an atmosphere of intimidation<\/strong>, in which using the wrong term or assigning \u201cproblematic\u201d work for students to analyze can lead to social sanction from fellow faculty; student boycotts of one\u2019s class; and disciplinary action by the university, up to and including dismissal. This leads to censorship in education that ultimately fails the students because they\u2019re not being exposed to new ideas and experiences that broaden their minds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To avoid running afoul of this intolerant atmosphere or having a biased report filed against them by a student, professors tiptoe around topics that are likely to lead to such controversies. In law schools, for example, professors report being unable to teach topics like sexual assault law. This only serves to impoverish the students intellectually, while ultimately harming the survivors of sexual assaults themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another example deals with critical race theory<\/a> being taught in K-12 schools in America. Critical race theory is the idea that racism is a social construct<\/a> embedded in legal systems and policies, perpetuating discrimination in systems that are meant to be exclusive. However, many lawmakers have sought to ban critical race theory from being taught in schools, believing it\u2019s \u201canti-American\u201d and promotes villainizing White people. CRT education opens up an honest conversation about racism in America. However, with lawmakers attempting to silence teachers who are willing to talk about it, students don\u2019t have the opportunity to confront racial realities and change them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These challenges faced by students in all education levels don\u2019t prepare them for the real world. As they graduate high school or college, many will be dealing with mental health issues and lack proper knowledge about societal problems. To fix this, officials need to take a close look at the flawed school systems, and students should stand up for their rights in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are there any other student challenges that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What are the most common student challenges that are faced today? Why are students being silenced in schools that are difficult to get accepted into? Whether they\u2019re in elementary school or college, students don\u2019t have it easy. Some areas students may struggle with include mental health, social inequality, and a lack of academic preparedness, all of which can be brought on by flawed school systems. Below we\u2019ll look at some of the major student challenges that need to be addressed to make students\u2019 lives easier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":78934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,24],"tags":[521],"class_list":["post-102645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-society","tag-list","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\n2. AP Courses Don\u2019t Prepare Students for College<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Selective Admissions Criteria Put Pressure on Students<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Intense Pressure Harms Prospective Students<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Admitted Students Become Fearful Followers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Selective Admissions Criteria Perpetuate Social Inequality<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why the Exclusion of Non-Elite Students Perpetuates Social Inequality <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Colleges Silence the Voices of Students and Teachers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Teaching in Fear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Final Words<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n