12 Shocking Ways Schools Are Different Today Than Just a Decade Ago
A child’s school days are often seen as iconic and relatable. We all have moments when we see mean girls taunting others, when a school crush goes haywire, and when we root for the home team. America’s school life is famously portrayed on TV, movies, and Broadway shows.
We all know what public school is like, right? Well…Kind of. Things have changed over the course of the past 10 to 20 years. If you graduated around 2010 or even before 2000, you might be surprised at how much things truly have changed. Don’t believe it? Check out these ways schools changed since you graduated.
Common Core
Do you remember having to graph out and group numbers in order to add items? No? In the 1990s, memorization and learning how to “carry the 1” was the norm. Since 2010, states started to adopt common core.
This style of teaching is controversial, primarily because it’s often more confusing than it is helpful. Even parents have struggled to understand these math methods, which is why there’s now a growing movement to get rid of Common Core.
No more cursive!
Remember how you had to learn how to write in cursive? Cursive writing was developed to help children write easily and prevent quills from breaking. It’s been around for hundreds of years.
The advent of computers made cursive fairly obsolete. As a result, it’s no longer taught in school.
Crowded Classes
Depending on the school you went to, it wasn’t unusual to hear of classes as small as five or ten back in the 2010s. Unfortunately, that level of individual attention is increasingly rare.
Prior to the 2010s, class sizes were shrinking. Since 2010, they started to balloon once more. For example in Nevada, the average class size started at 28 students per room in 2009. By 2016, that number was 36.
More tech
Do you remember how teachers used to punish cellphone-toting students? Today, that’s mostly a thing of the past. Tech is everywhere at school, and most students still keep their phones on them.
Most lessons now involve tablets and computers. Teachers help students and parents navigate social media and other similar platforms as part of their job.
Lockdown Drills
Did your child recently have an active shooter drill? They’re not alone. The vast majority of states now require active shooter drills or lockdown drills in all schools. Back in 2013, that wasn’t entirely normal.
The early 2010s were the first years of law enforcement working to create lockdown drills for schools. Today, they are widespread and viewed as the norm.
More Mixed Demographics
America’s school systems now reflect the country’s changing demographics. The number of white students dropped from 52.4 percent to 46.6 percent from 2010 to 2019. Schools have become increasingly diverse, and that trend doesn’t look like it’ll stop anytime soon. As schools become more diverse, it becomes crucial for educational institutions to adapt their policies and support systems to serve the needs of students from diverse backgrounds effectively.
less fun
Remember how much fun you used to have at recess? That’s quickly becoming a thing of the past, but not because of cell phones. Rather, school administrators have been chipping away at students’ spare time.
Schools now have less playtime and recess time than ever before. Academics have taken on a bigger focus, leaving kids to suffer for it. The average school system slashed unstructured playtime by 60 minutes per week since 2001.
Mental Health
By now, it’s no secret that students are suffering from record-high rates of depression and suicide attempts. Youth suicides rose by a shocking 62 percent between 2007 and 2021, making it one of the most alarming changes this decade has seen.
Depression and anxiety over grade performance have also risen during these years. It’s gotten to the point that schools now have social workers and therapists on staff. Teen suicides are also one of the reasons for the new mental health crisis number 988.
Politics Included
Considering how divisive politics has become in recent years, it’s not surprising that it’s begun to creep into schools, too. Political movements have started to ban books at a record pace.
Politics have also thrown a wrench in classes like sex education, not to mention the way that schools treat students. LGBTQIA+ students are most frequently targeted by right-wing parents.
Checked-Out Teachers
Did you know that teacher pay actually decreased over the past 10 years? It’s true. Teachers are now paid approximately $3,644 less per year when compared to 10 years ago when adjusted for inflation.
They also are expected to pay for school supplies out of pocket. Between the sky-high cost of college and the low pay, it’s not surprising to hear that teachers are quitting en masse. It’s simply not a sustainable business model.
Focus On Food
Did you hear your kid laughing about the taste of bad school lunches? It’s no joke. School lunches have become so bad that they’re worse than jail meals in many districts. In Brooklyn, students even photographed lunches served to them covered in mold.
Between the higher cost of lunches, withholding student graduations due to unpaid lunch tabs, and the terrible food quality, it’s not surprising to hear that lunches are now a hot topic at school. School food is quickly becoming a major political issue at local levels.
Soft Skills
By now, everyone noticed that children have been struggling to find friends after the COVID-19 lockdown. Social skills have become stunted. To help students feel more connected to one another, schools are starting to implement soft skills classes that include lessons on emotional regulation and abuse recognition.
