The American education system is not working and therefore must be reformed.

1. High Dropout Rates

1.1. "More than 25 percent of students fail to graduate high school in four years; for African-American and Hispanic students, this number is approaching 40 percent.” (Klein & Rice, 2012).

1.1.1. If minority students are dropping out at a higher rate than White students, there is clearly an issue connecting to these students.

1.1.1.1. “In 2013, Black students had an average score that was 26 points lower than White students. This performance gap was narrower than that in 1992 (32 points).” (U.S. Department of Education, 2013). These students need to be supported so the system must be reformed.

1.2. If students are dropping out of school, the curriculum must not be engaging or relevant to them.

1.2.1. If curriculum and instruction are not relevant to students, it must be changed.  Students today learn differently than students in the past.  Education must keep up with students the same way business must keep up with their consumers.

1.3. An education system that is failing a significant portion of its  pupils is doomed for failure.  This has economic repercussions and threatens our status as a world leader.

2. Failure to prepare students for college or careers

2.1. “A recent report by ACT, the not-for-profit testing organization, found that only 22 percent of U.S. high school students met "college ready" standards in all of their core subjects; these figures are even lower for African-American and Hispanic students.” (Klein & Rice, 2012)

2.2. Students are not graduating with the skills they need in order to be successful.  This means that our K-12 education system and our higher education system are not in sync.  In order for our country to continue to be successful, we must have a seamless education system from primary through higher education.