Difference between revisions of "Education"

Revision as of 15:09, October 20, 2009

Education is the process, whether in a formal setting or not, of acquiring skills and knowledge. It is most familiar in the schooling of the young, but continues throughout life. It is considered a human right, and Article 26 of The Universal Declaration on Human Rights (1948) recognizes education along with other necessities such as food, shelter, and water as a fundamental human right, and that parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.^[1] The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by 192 countries in 1989, affirms the right of all children to free, relevant and quality education.^[2] As a catalyst for human development, education provides people with the tools and knowledge they need to understand and participate in today’s world. It helps to sustain the human values that contribute to individual and collective well-being. It inspires confidence and provides the skills needed to participate in public debate. It makes people more self-reliant and aware of opportunities and rights.

Academic performance correlates most closely with the amount of time kids spend on homework. The United States has a socialized education program, though there are also smaller, competing, privately-run schools within the country. While it has been the establishment for some time, many have argued against the merits of government run programs.

Quality of life

Education enhances the ability of households to manage health problems, improve nutrition and childcare, and plan for the future. In developing areas of the world particularly, basic education provides girls and women with a greater understanding of basic health and nutrition, as well as of their own potential.

• Educated women marry later and receive better prenatal care.^[3]
• Children of mothers who have received at least a basic education are healthier, better nourished and more likely to receive education themselves than children of mothers who have never received education.^[4]
• In the Philippines, maternal primary education reduces the risk of child mortality by half and secondary education by a factor of three.^[5]
• Education helps to prevent the labour, trafficking and sexual exploitation of children, and their use as soldiers.^[6]
• It is one of the most effective weapons against disease, and raises awareness of living conditions and environmental protection.^[7]
• Life expectancy rises by as much as 2 years for every 1 per cent increase in literacy.^[8]

Economic development

Education is essential for economic development and eradicating poverty. It allows people to be more productive, to play a greater role in economic life, and to earn a better living.^[9]

• An adult with a primary education earns twice as much as an adult without any education.^[10]
• In Niger, the incidence of poverty is 70% in households headed by adults with no education, compared to 56% for households headed by adults who have received basic education.^[11]
• Farming practices can be improved through basic education.^[12]
• In Uganda, four years of primary education raise a farmer’s output by 7%.^[13]
• It is the foundation for acquiring knowledge and skills necessary to participate in and benefit from globalization and technological change.^[14]

Political stability and democracy

Education makes it possible for people to be responsible and informed citizens, and to have a voice in politics and society, which is essential for sustaining democracy. It also provides people with the knowledge and awareness needed to promote tolerance and understanding among people.^[15]

Ideology in modern education

In addition to purely academic teaching, education forms a part in developing a moral and political worldview. In many countries formal religious instruction is part of public education, while the United States, which holds to separation of church and state, no longer formally engages in such. However, it is argued by conservatives that the modern degree of exclusion of religious belief from the State was not the historical norm.^[16][17] One example invoked in support of this contention is that an estimated 75 percent of the school systems in the South had religious services and Bible readings as late as 1962, when in Engel versus Vitale, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that school-sponsored prayer was unconstitutional.^[18] It is also argued that it is impossible to completely separate an educational system from moral beliefs,^[19] and that the modern divorcement of religion from education constitutes an official "establishment of a religion of secularism" - a term used by U.S. Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart in dissenting from the decision rendered on June 17, 1963 in Abington School versus Schempp, which outlawed State-sponsored Bible reading in public schools.^{[20] [21]}

Education in America, especially as its higher level, is typically seen by conservatives as promoting liberalism and helping to promoting moral degeneration. A (disputed) study showed that 50% of American college faculty identified themselves as Democrats and only 11% as Republicans (with 33% being Independent, and 5% identifying themselves with another party). 72% described themselves as "to the left of center," including 18% who were strongly left. Only 15% described themselves as right of center, including only 3% who were "strongly right."^{[22][23] [24]}

References

See also

• Citizens For Excellence In Education
• Homeschooling
• Liberal Myths About Education
• Pygmalion effect

External links

• U.S. Department of Education, the major federal agency for education in the U.S.
• National Center for Education Statistics, an excellent research resource for educational statistics.
• National Assessment of Educational Progress, for researchers and educators interested in assessment issues.
• A history of the modern homeschool movement, from the Cato Institute.
• National Home Education Research Institute, a research resource for homeschoolers.
• The Effort Effect - According to a Stanford psychologist, you’ll reach new heights if you learn to embrace the occasional tumble.
• Why Won't Politically Correct Professors Teach English and American Literature? - Dr. Elizabeth Kantor at The Heritage Foundation talks about why English professors don't seem to want to teach English and American literature, and about why the consequences of that failure are more important than you might think.
• What Liberals Say - Category: Education, Accuracy In Media