Social Promotion; Education's Curse.
             America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. It is where every man is free to do as he wishes. It is the land of opportunity, prosperity, and justice for all. If America is all of these things, then what is the excuse for the state of her public education system? In comparison with other western nations, America's public education system is poor. There is no argument about that. There are many things which factor into this assessment, including the lack of funding, the lack of teachers, the lack of material, and the lack of student motivation. Is the quality of American education not directly linked with the quality of future American life? Social Promotion is education's curse.
             Every year, High School seniors are awarded a diploma of graduation. This is to certify that these graduates have satisfactorily completed a twelve step course of study specifically designed to provide a well rounded education. However, in 1996, 19.6% of graduates had at one point or another failed one of these twelve steps. If the system is designed correctly, how can it allow for failure? Many failing students are allowed to continue onto the next level because of an unwritten policy of social promotion. Social promotion is a term used to describe situations when a student is advanced to the next grade due to factors other than academic achievement. Such factors include age, physical size, and social or emotional considerations. Social promotion is rarely implemented in levels above the sixth grade. It is very commonly used in levels one through four.
             As previously stated, the American system of education is designed to be completed in a chronological order. For example, the lessons learned in grade four are necessary for success in grade five. If a student is passed onto the next level without having mastered the current levels skill sets, that student will not be successfu...