There are many good teachers in America who are willing to go the extra mile and teach because this is their passion and what they love to do, but if only they were allowed , without pushing too far the limits of the curriculum imposed on them by the school system which bases progress only on statistics and test scores. Our school system should strive to elevate students' minds by focusing on student progress with higher assessment standards and hold each school accountable for the quality of education instead of downgrading it to basic knowledge. In Compulsory Mis-Education, Paul Goodman said: “Aptitude and achievement tests and fierce competition for top grades are a race for high-paying jobs in businesses around the world, including the education sector. In this race, time is literally money.” (Goodman Ch.10) Living in a fast-paced economy, it is no surprise that schools provide fast-paced education. After all, education is profitable and money is a necessary commodity to sustain oneself. But what about our students? Knowledge cannot be retained when schools evaluate only the highest scores “and indeed design the tests and curricula to pass them.” Not all children are empowered learners, sometimes it is only after they leave school that they begin to remember, apply and appreciate what they have learned. The system should not expect to see immediate results as some of these individuals are self-directed learners. As a result, some schools adopted poor standards as a bare minimum so that test scores could improve when in reality students weren't learning much. These schools purposely underestimate the abilities of our students and focus on improving the reputation of their institution rather than the progress of students. Teachers are the direct point of contact with students and have often taken advantage of this