"A world-class education is the most important factor in determining not only whether our children can compete for the best jobs, but whether America can outperform countries around the world. American business leaders understand that when it comes to education, we must up our game, which is why we must work together to put an exceptional education within reach for every American child" - President Barack Obama , July 18, 2011Although. everyone agrees with the president, and most are aware that the current system is broken, but not everyone agrees on what course of action should be taken to fix it. There are those who believe that addressing the problems through a government education oversight department and a standardized compulsory curriculum is the answer. Others are dead set against it, arguing that greater government involvement would do more harm than good. Furthermore, there are those who believe that parents or the individual should decide on their own education. What is not discussed is that to reach a common agreement all parties will have to put aside their politics, religious beliefs, moral differences and personal ideologies and this is easier said than done. When analyzing the efficiency of the American education system, attention tends to focus on the steady decline of our testing programs; But what is more alarming is how American students compare to students in other industrialized countries. American students lag far behind their peers in nearly every educational field in both Asia and Europe, especially in math and science. Furthermore, data suggests that American students are progressively declining and continue to fall further behind each year. Whichever side is in favor... middle of paper... held back bureaucrats who don't seem to have our best interests in mind. Let me be clear, leave no doubt in your mind that if the education system in America dies, the American dream dies with it. Works Cited Chabot, Leo L. “A United States Department of Education? YES - It's time to give education the status it deserves" Interview with Daniel B. Taylor, West Virginia State School Superintendent US News & World Report May 29, 1978; Pros and Cons; Pg. 75Deeptha thattai “A History of Public Education in the United States” http://www.serventfree.net/~aidmnejournal/publications/201-11/publiceducationinthe Unitedstates.html.WEBFlores, John. “Keeping America Globally Competitive” Deseret Morning News August 6, 2011 Gordon, Howard RD “The History and Growth of Professional Education in America” Tappan NJ: Allyn and Bacon, Prentice Hall, 1999. Print