By Michael Taylor
Staff Writer
High school is supposed to teach teens, but America’s school system is highly flawed.
According to a 2015 study by the Princeton Review, only 10 percent of students say succeeding in school is important because they value learning.
Over 40 percent of high school students in the study reported that their main academic drive is getting into college.
Furthermore, 50 percent of students in the study said their parents encourage them to do better when they receive bad grades, while 77 percent of parents say they do.
According to Shireen Jaffer, a 2011 graduate of Palo Alto High School and a 2014 University of Southern California grad, students are taught to fear failure and discouraged to think imperfectly.
The Princeton Review also found that stress is preventing students from succeeding. Although failure is a growth opportunity in the real world, it is punished in high school.
Students in the Princeton Review study said that they spent one-third of study time feeling worried, stressed, or stuck.
Ms. Jaffer said students believe school discourages teamwork and genuine learning.
Parents aren’t doing their part. The Princeton Review study said 64 percent of students feel they cannot turn to parents for academic support because their parents are not familiar with concepts.
The study also found that parents of boys are more likely than parents of girls to say their child’s favorite subject is math, even though boys and girl choose it equally. This would mean that schools are promoting gender inequality.
Finally, the study also found that 43 percent of students say their parents check in about their grades more often than monthly, leaving 76 percent without the support of their parents.
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