by Stefanie Chow

Created on: July 25, 2009   Last Updated: July 26, 2009

Education costs money, but you can't put a price on knowledge. A classic example is Albert Einstein - renowned for his theories on relativity but rejection of schooling, because he claimed that it suppressed creative thought. This exemplifies the fact that there is not always a direct relationship between education and knowledge. For a positive correlation to exist, there must be a high end and a low end of a spectrum; the value of an education must somehow be measured. From elementary school to high school, education rating systems utilize standardized testing scores to determine which school offers a better education. (Colleges maintain a similar rating scale, partially based on acceptance rate.) However, the fact that more prestigious schools are better is a mere construction by our society. We often perceive a good education in terms of usefulness in obtaining a job. Good is relative, not synonymous for better.

What is a good education? What is knowledge? In our society, different types of both education and knowledge exist, and the assumption that one is better than the other traces back to American and European history. During the Enlightenment era, the determination of a learned man was based on a strong foundation in the arts and sciences. Because the improvement of societal living conditions constantly demanded new inventions and scientific discoveries, knowledge and understanding of the scientific world was beneficial to that time period.

Today, this innovative spirit is valuable, yet completely transformed in the face of education. The importance of education has evolved into intellectual stimulation. Varying types of education provide different springboards for thought. While past institutions have promoted knowledge for enlightenment and status, more contemporary educational systems have emphasized the interaction between students. (This is shown by gender and ethnic integration within the classroom, as well as a greater assortment of curriculum.) The definition of a good education is simplified to highly-rated teachers and test scores according to recommendation sources. Much of our current society believes that a positive intellectual stimulation (thus the construction of greater knowledge) is gained from interacting with experienced teachers and other students with similar academic capacity.

Many of the top-paying jobs in the United States exist in the medical field, which is strong motivation to pursue a science-based course of education.

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