Funding for Education: Securing Essential Skills for the Future - Research Paper

Introduction

In the United States, funding for education is directed primarily to public schools. Through the funding given by the federal, state, and local governments, students can acquire primary knowledge at no charge from kindergarten up to the twelfth grade. The fundamental schooling process allows students to obtain a diploma showing their high school completion, which is a certification indicating the necessary skills of a student to employers. The funding for education has had a significant role to play in ensuring that most students access primary school. Also, the learning acquired could be of help in preventing any form of health disparities in a region, particularly in poverty-stricken areas mostly resided by minority populations. A significant connection exists between funding for education in the United States and the health system of the country. Therefore, this paper focuses on the effects of learning on the health system of the United States and shows that education has helped to improve the socioeconomic status and created social networks that have led to informed decisions that include getting insured and making healthy lifestyle decisions hence reducing the overall mortality rate.

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Effects of Education on the Health System of the United States

Importantly, funding for education has had a role to play in increasing school attendance among the United States' population. Most individuals, particularly in poverty-stricken backgrounds, face different financial challenges that make education difficult for their children. Thus, this called for the intervention of the United States' government to provide free education to the children in public schools. As a result, this has increased the number of students getting an education in the country. Asides from that, the high school attendance among the learners in the US has affected the healthcare system of the country significantly. According to Martens et al. (2014), some health benefits are associated with the education status of an individual.

As Martens et al. (2014) asserted, the links existing between health and education are reciprocal. It is worth noting that good health is essential for a student to take advantage of educational opportunities. However, the knowledge gained in schools is vital in promoting good health within a community. The funding for education enables most children to get educated that earns them employment, and others opt to start their businesses, which improves their socioeconomic status. According to Martens et al. (2014), the socioeconomic status of a society influences the health care system of a country. Persons with a low socioeconomic status have a significant degree of infections and ailments that could eventually result in mortality. Also, clinic and usage of hospitals are not common among persons of a lower socioeconomic status. In the United States, the healthcare system, although marred by different challenges, is characterized by the reduced mortality rate showing progress made within the society and respective state and local governments. As Sales and Vincent (2018) indicated, education and income often result in increased use of healthcare facilities, especially visits aimed at preventing a particular disease or infection. As a result, most educated individuals are likely to experience hardly any acute conditions.

Further, the funding for education in the United States has helped in boosting the social and psychological skills of the learners. According to Ramirez, Kamal, and Cox (2019), education in learning facilities and other opportunities given to students outside the classroom setting has a significant role in building skills and fostering traits essential throughout life and particularly critical to health. The characteristics include perseverance, conscientiousness, flexibility, negotiation capacity, and ability to form and maintain relationships. Such skills have proved crucial in helping in various challenges faced in life that include the management of one's health and navigating the healthcare system of the nation. Importantly, cognitive skills are one of the skills developed through the learning programs provided in schools. The cognitive skills are critical to problem-solving and fostering the essential traits in an individual ('Why Education Matters to Health: Exploring the Causes,' 2015). The opportunity to learn has exposed most learners in the United States to the positive development of the students' cognitive ability, self-control, and problem-solving skills as well. Such personality traits have been effective in reducing the mortality rate in the nation. The education opportunities have improved the coping abilities of a person that are effective in reducing the damage caused by stress.

Similarly, education boosts individual self-control that leads to the adoption of healthy behaviors and lifestyle, partly due to the knowledge gained in schools. The healthcare system is significantly improving due to the opportunity given to children to receive primary education. Mainly, this has yielded personal control among the learners that is important in fostering a positive lifestyle hence leading to a healthier community.

Nevertheless, education in America has led to improved social networks, which is another significant influence on the healthcare system of the nation. According to Sales and Vincent (2018), educated persons have more extensive social networks. Most people within the networks have financial, psychological, and emotional resources critical in reducing any form of hardships, thus improving the overall health of the society. The funds for education in the United States have helped learners gain knowledge. Mainly, this leads to the formation of social networks that have enhanced access to information and the exposure to the peers who practice the most acceptable behaviors ('Why Education Matters to Health: Exploring the Causes,' 2015). The social and cognitive skills gained during the learning process have a role to play in fostering positive social relations and contribute to the involvement in civic and organizational groups. With this in mind, the country's citizens are enjoying a healthcare system characterized by low death rates and reduced cases of mental health, especially among educated persons.

On the contrary, the educational opportunities given to the students in America have led to increased rates of school drop-outs, particularly in special populations that include the minority populations. The high rates of school drop-outs have increased crime rates leading to incarceration among the individual people. Mainly, this disrupts the social networks and weakens the social control hence posing a negative impact on the public health and safety of the community.

Consequently, education not only prepares students for a better job but also enables individuals to study about how to lead a healthy lifestyle. In the United States, opportunities to learn have enabled people to understand some of their health needs. Communication with health providers has improved significantly, leading to efficient diagnosis and treatment. It is worth noting that learning about the health and different risks associated with one's health is part of the school curriculum. Education helps in improving literacy and allows for the understanding of the multiple problems critical to an individual' wellbeing. Also, Mendez et al. (2019) asserted that well-educated individuals tend to be receptive to any form of campaigns of health. With the kind of education provided in the United States, people have developed the right and fundamental beliefs and knowledge on health. Thus, this leads to improved lifestyle decisions, better skills, and increased self-advocacy. The education received in America has enabled citizens to understand how to navigate the health system. Also, it has created awareness among the citizens when they should get reimbursements on their health plan. It is worth mentioning that education informs people to make choices of getting health insurance that helps the citizens to get better health care access.

Conclusion

To sum this up, funds for education in the United States has affected the healthcare system of the country in a variety of ways. They include improving the socioeconomic status of the communities, informing people on making the right health and lifestyle decisions, and improved social networks that help in creating health awareness. As a result, this has led to enhanced health choices among the people that include getting insured and creating health advocacies that have reduced the overall mortality rate in the country.

References

Martens, P. J., Chateau, D. G., Burland, E. M. J., Finlayson, G. S., Smith, M. J., Taylor, C. R., ... Bolton, J. M. (2014). The Effect of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status on Education and Health Outcomes for Children Living in Social Housing. American Journal of Public Health, 104(11), 2103-2113. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302133

Mendez, I. M., Pories, M. L., Cordova, L., Malki, A., Wiggins, M. F., & Lee, J. G. L. (2019). A pilot project to increase health literacy among youth from seasonal farmworker families in rural eastern North Carolina: a qualitative exploration of implementation and impact. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 107(2), 179-186. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2019.560

Ramirez, M., Kamal, R., & Cox, C. (2019). How has the quality of the U.S. healthcare system changed over time? - Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker. Retrieved 9 August 2019, from https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/how-has-the-quality-of-the-u-s-healthcare-system-changed-over-time/#item-start

Sales, N., & Vincent, K. (2018). Strengths and limitations of the Education, Health and Care plan process from a range of professional and family perspectives. British Journal of Special Education, 45(1), 61-80. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.12202

Why Education Matters to Health: Exploring the Causes. (2015). Retrieved 9 August 2019, from https://societyhealth.vcu.edu/work/the-projects/why-education-matters-to-health-exploring-the-causes.html