What is the power of education? I am sure we have all seen and heard politicians, motivational speakers, business men and women and professors talk about the power of education. It seems that education has become almost a religion. People are devoted to their schools, colleges and universities.
In the United States in particular we have spent billions of dollars on our education system and I can say that some of this money has made some people rich. But, what about the rest of us poor folks? Where do we go for education today? What are the choices we have? Who do we turn to for answers?
We live in a society where there is an obsession with education. Teachers are everywhere. There are teachers’ associations, professional associations, career counselors, and college and university placement counselors. There are counselors at both public and private schools. There are also numerous private and state-funded “private” schools that provide excellent education today.
Private schools are often the first choice of parents who are trying to give their children the best. They are believed to be more rigorous and thus, better. Parents also believe that their child will fare better in a private school environment. Parents have the option of sending their child to a public or private school, but they have even more options these days.
With so many options today, how does one make sense of the options? Education has become almost an obsession in our society. Almost every other aspect of society, from politics to sports to business to religion, you name it, has some connection to education. We have classes, camps, seminars, and classes. We have college degrees, certificates, licenses, diplomas, and degree programs.
How much do we know about education? Do we really know what it means? What is the power of education? Why is education important? And how do we get the education we need?
We all want the best for our children. We should strive to be better parents, teachers and coaches. We should raise smart, well-achieving children. When we ask the question “What is the power of education?” we need to pay very close attention to how we view education.
Education is one of the most important things to mankind. The definition of education is the ability to learn without formal instruction or the aid of textbooks. It is the ability to learn by doing, and to learn by seeing. In its broadest sense, education can be described as the training of the whole person, providing knowledge and skills through the experiences of the teacher and the students themselves. In this way, education is the gateway to a happy and successful life.
Education is very important in today’s world, because there are more children of poverty, hunger, disease and war than ever before. Today’s school systems provide an inferior quality of education that leaves our children at risk for crime, health problems, physical and mental abuse and a shortened life span. The international community aspires to provide its children with an education equal to that of their peers around the world. This dream has now reached millions of children across the world. The United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization are committed to the principle of equality of access to education and to the full enjoyment of all children’s right to learn.
What is the power of education? It’s the power of schooling our children to be independent, self-confident citizens ready to contribute to their countries of birth, to be the best that they can be. It’s power is represented in the United States by the United States Department of Education. The U.S. Department of Education is a great example of how education can lead to greatness.
The Department of Education has a history that dates back to the very first public schools in America. Education was viewed as a ladder of opportunity that would eventually lead to the White House. By the end of the nineteenth century, just after the Civil War, the number of students enrolled in higher learning institutions had increased dramatically and the number of teachers had also doubled. With this huge increase in educational opportunities, came a need for new ways to evaluate teachers and educators and the new National Standards for Education or commonly known as the Common Core Standards created by the United States Department of Education. These standards are designed to create a uniform framework by which to compare and grade schools and colleges.
Today, we live in a world where every student, from birth to death, is entitled to an education. We owe it to our children to give them a chance at a better tomorrow. The power of education should not be underestimated, nor should the value of an education be underestimated. Education is one of the greatest values of a society could have and it is a valuable commodity that has the ability to shape a person’s entire life.
