Challenges Facing Public Education Today
Public education today faces many challenges, most of which stem from budget cuts and decreasing enrollment. Unfortunately, these challenges are only going to get worse as the economy continues to decline.
One of the biggest challenges public education faces is the low enrollment rates. In the United States, the number of students in public schools has been steadily declining for the past decade. In 2008, there were over 129 million students in public schools, but by 2013 that number had dropped to just over 112 million. The main reason for this decline is budget cuts. States have been forced to reduce their spending on public education, which has led to a decrease in the number of students in public schools.
Another major challenge public education faces is the increasing cost of tuition. Over the past few years, tuition prices have been increasing at an alarming rate. This increase in tuition prices has forced many students to stop attending public schools and to instead attend private schools. In fact, the number of students attending public schools has been declining even as the number of students attending private schools has been increasing. This trend is likely to continue as the cost of tuition continues to increase.
Public education is facing many challenges, but with continued budget cuts and increasing tuition prices, it is likely that the challenges will continue to increase.