Evolution of our education system lags behind current realities: what can be done about it?

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Evolution is often a slowpoke. People have managed to develop a complex system of social institutions in a few thousands of years, but we are still often lead by primal instincts. The same is with the education system. Although it is within our powers to change it, we prefer following a well-worn path.

Let’s take a look at our universities. Why do they function the same as several decades ago, when today’s students are different? Now, many of them cannot afford having only the standard student life: they work, have spouses/kids, may come from low-income families, attend additional trainings or run their own business.

45 percent of today’s students are between 22 and 40+, so they became older in general. They are not necessarily just-after-school dudes with no responsibilities.

Then, more than a quarter of students are between 22 and 29 while another 20 percent are 30 or older. More than a quarter of college students have children (http://postsecondary.gatesfoundation.org/areas-of-focus/incentives/policy-advocacy/advocacy-priorities/america-100-college-students/), and some of them are caregivers for their relatives.

About 62 percent are employed (https://postsecondary.gatesfoundation.org/areas-of-focus/incentives/policy-advocacy/advocacy-priorities/america-100-college-students/), so they cannot dedicate most of their time on studying.

As we can see, there is no one-size-fits-all path for everyone today. It was always like that, but now student population is more diverse than ever.  Educational institutions should adapt their programs to new realities. Otherwise, we can only plug holes in the system until it becomes inefficient.   

Thus, students are often given tasks that lack value and purpose. For instance, they need to write a lot of academic papers. That is a good thing, however, topics educators choose for essays are often secondary, over-researched and not important. Students cannot feel they can add any value. Of course, firstly they need to learn how to express their thoughts properly, but why do they have to do meaningless stuff in the process?

I think, that is the reason why essay writing services like https://www.paperwritings.com/ are so popular among students. Yes, young people can be just lazy. However, there are also those who do not have time for something like that.

Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton, a researcher, author and professional speaker, says in her blog (https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2012/09/13/why-do-we-make-our-students-write-essays/) that educators ask students to write papers, so they can learn how to write. In her view, the topic and content areas are secondary and knowing how to write cogently and construct a written report that has elements like an introduction, a body and a conclusion is a useful skill to know. Young people kinda learn how to write reports, letters, policies, whatever through writing essays.

Indeed, the ability to structure information is a very important skill. And writing reports, letters, etc. is probably something almost everyone does regardless of his or her job. But this type of writing is different.  Moreover, fresh university graduates who used to be straight A students often do not know how to get rid of their habit to write in an academic style.

I agree with Jon David Groff (https://jondavidgroff.com/2013/04/13/why-do-we-make-students-write-essays/), a school teacher, who believes that essays are a highly inauthentic form of writing. Students simply do not see how they can apply their skills in the future.

And then some of them realize they hate the system enough to break it. They have no moral issues with buying or selling academic papers. For example, Dave Tomar, a former ghost writer says (https://www.chronicle.com/article/An-Academic-Ghostwriter-Comes/133904) he is very disappointed with the existing education system, so he is ok with making money by selling papers. It is also his way to show disrespect.  

Unfortunately, Dave does not know what has to be changed. "We are so deeply entrenched for a lot of economic reasons in this cost structure where colleges have inflated their costs so dramatically, but the return on it is completely static," he says. "I think everyone is a co-conspirator."

As for me, educators should reconsider the type and amount of writing they demand from students. Even if they cannot change the system at once, there are possibilities for initiatives on the ground. It is absolutely possible for them to spend a bit more time and find more interesting topics, provide more assistance and explain the importance of writing skills. Of course, educators are not the only ones who are responsible for implementing new approaches. It must be a cooperation between them and students.