Is This a Sign of America’s Declining Education?

Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 –

Image of the misspelled sign

The United States spends more than any other industrial country in the world on education, but trails in student scoresin reading, math, and science.  As these haunting statistics reveal inherent flaws in the education system, educators around the nation advocate for reform and change — though apparently they don’t always know how to spell.

The statistics may state that the United States manages to achieve 99% literacy of citizens over the age of 15, but it seems that people still cannot spell. Recently, reports the NYPost, an obvious spelling mistake on the street sign outside a Manhattan high school went unreported for months. Outside of Marta Valle High School, the road sign declares “SHCOOL X-NG,” a blunder made by a utility provider in July of 2010. Only this past Tuesday did local traffic officials ground up the H and C to correct this misspelling.

To the local residents, this blaring mistake “speaks volumes about the dumbing down of American culture,” according to Derek Pacheco, a Flushing securities-industry worker.  Locals and commuters were stunned when they realized that the students and administration failed to realize the mistake right outside their school.

Could this truly be a sign of the decline in education, or do these students just enjoy a good prank? Either way, the only conclusion I can come up with is that this painter needs to learn how to spell, or let the experts handle it.

– A. Li

Category: News, Regulations