American Education And William A Henry Education Essay

American Education And William A Henry Education Essay In America today we believe that everyone should be educated and seek some form of higher education. We also believe that everyone should be entitled to the same educational opportunities and given every chance to become a productive member of society. Because of these beliefs it has made us the strong democratic country that we are today. In William A. Henry III’s essay â€Å"In Defense of Elitism† he believes that everyone should not be given the same educational opportunities; because he believes that not everyone is competent enough to make it in college. Henry thinks that a college education should only be offered to an elite few. He believes that if America would follow his method then the educational standards would rise and make college more prestigious. Henry believes that too many students in college today are only there to make more money in the future and he believes that this is the wrong reason to seek a college education. Because of this it is creating a tremendous downfall in our education system. Henry is not alone on this belief. Benjamin R. Barber shares this same belief in his essay â€Å"America Skips School.† Barber also agrees with Henry in the belief that there should be a very distinguished line separating vocational and academic education. Even though they share some of the same beliefs, they begin to clash when it comes to their ideas of improving America’s education system. Barber believes that we have failed to educate our youth. We have created a money hungry generation and by not allowing them to go to college will taking away the only opportunity they have to become well educated and a productive member of society. Barbers ideas and beliefs outweigh those of Henry, because he realizes the need and importance to have well educated citizens in order to preserve and strengthen the strong democracy that America has worked so hard to achieve. William A. Henry criticizes America’s views on education. He thinks that having this egalitarian outlook is degrading our educational values and taking away from the hard work and accomplishment of getting a college degree these days. Henry backs up his point by stating that there are too many students enrolled in college and eventually the standards and requirements for college will drop. Henry believes that it’s normal for your average young adult to receive a college degree and the prestige of possessing one is no longer there. Ultimately, he thinks we have allowed too many people who are unqualified to receive a college degree. Henry would like to see elitism brought back to America’s education system. Therefore he proposes that we reduce the number of high school students who go on to college by giving every senior a standardized test and shutdown down schools depending on the students performance. Henry thinks that every student is ultimately responsible for their own future and eventually they have to step up and take responsibility for their own actions. By separating the ones that care about their education from the ones that don’t will restore our education..