America's To-Do List: #1-Fix Education Education is a critical aspect of every civilized nation. The goal of public education in America is to transform uninformed children into knowledgeable citizens who are fully capable of participating in a society guided by democracy and economics. Every year hundreds of thousands of students drop out, and those who remain receive a less than satisfactory educational experience due to lack of funding, inadequate teachers, and flawed educational strategies. Americans must improve school funding and increase teacher pay to ensure that all students receive a quality K-12 education, as well as reduce retention and dropout rates through improved learning standards, effective assessment tools, and initiatives. programs that prepare students for college and the world of work One of the major afflictions of the American public education system is money, or the lack thereof, and the impact that inequality in funding has on the quality of education. Benjamin Barber, in his article “America Skips School,” states that the federal government only funds about 5% of public education (121). Funding for public schools comes primarily from local property taxes, meaning that suburban schools can have up to twice as much money to spend on education as those in urban areas (Barber 122). Increasing federal financial aid to public schools could solve the problem of funding inequality by providing low-income schools with more available resources without taking money from other schools or raising local taxes. The increased funding would allow schools to provide better facilities and repair “degraded and permeable habitats” often found in poor school districts. More money would allow all schools to hire better teachers and improve… the average… high schools unable to provide adequate college preparation (Tremaine, par.2). Schools that have participated in various early college initiatives have seen high school graduates simultaneously earn an Associates Degree and a diploma (Tremaine, para. 5), with college acceptance rates as high as 98% (Tremaine, para. 7) . a host of problems including funding shortages, college cleanup, and high dropout rates. If children are expected to become productive members of society, it is the responsibility of all citizens to ensure that students have the tools they need to succeed. Without competent, well-paid educators, substantial resources, and effective academic strategies, the institution that provides free and equitable education for all is at risk of collapsing, leaving future American generations economically and democratically disadvantaged..