In order for education to have a positive impact in communities, it is essential to ensure equality in learning for all people. This does not necessarily mean ensuring equality in education outcomes for all people because individual factors such as competency and ability varies among people. Students from poor families are more likely to attend schools with a worse infrastructure, less qualified teachers, less ambitious peers, and outmoded practices. Because of this, they are more likely to have lower learning outcomes. Therefore, reducing educational inequality will have positive effects on developmental outcomes. Ensuring equality in education delivery will also reduce discontent in countries and cities (Inequality in education: The challenge of Measurement). Because of this, urgent solutions are needed to address educational inequality.
Duncan and Murnane argue that economic and educational inequality greatly affects children’s educational and developmental outcomes in Restoring Opportunity: The crisis of inequality and the challenge for American education. Duncan and Murnane point out that since the 1970s, there has been a shift in technology and globalization. This makes receiving a K-12 education more important for life skills than it has been in the past. Since the 1970’s, globalization and computerization have decreased blue-collar jobs and enhanced the job market. Despite this, there is still an issue of students attending and paying for college, and this problem is
Throughout decades, education inequality is still one of the most deliberate and controversial issues in the United States. Thus far, the privilege or right to receive education has not attained the level of equality throughout the nation. Poor districts obtain less educational funds while rich districts obtain more, which create an immense gap between the quality of schools in poor and rich areas. In other words, the education gap is the root of inequality in America. Inequality in education is linked to the major problems in the society. The need for studies to be done to find ways of overcoming these inequalities is very inevitable. The means of mitigating these inequalities are important for the entire world. This is something of great interest due to the fact that children need quality education which is a pillar for a guaranteed future. Generally speaking, the distinctions among races, genders, and classes in the society have caused the educational inequality in America.
In public schools across the United States, educators work to provide students with the knowledge necessary to function in modern society and to continue an academic career. Quantitative minimum standards exist to evaluate preparedness, which ultimately provides evidence of disparity across race and economic class. In search of the solution, journalists, politicians, and educators look for the source, but too many factors play equally affecting roles. Articles and research generally group the abundant causes of disparity into a singular category: unequal opportunity. Additionally, the important differences between equality and equity should be defined; the end goal may be equality in education, but bringing struggling education systems up to modern standards is not salvageable without equity. Journalists Alana Semuels and Abe Feuerstein look to financial distribution for a possible solution to a multifaceted problem. Semuels evaluates the levels of sources of educational funding and argues against district responsibility as the sole contributor of financial support; similarly, Feuerstein seeks for better distribution of power between local, state, and federal powers in education funding. However, Feuerstein’s argument depends heavily on opinionated analysis of broad issues rather than the more convincing argument of Semuels that incorporates data and quotes from experienced education politicians, lawyers, and advocates.
is through socioeconomic status. According to Sean Reardon, a main outcome of the widening income gap for families has been a widening gap in achievement among children, which he refers to as the income achievement gap (Reardon, 2011). Therefore, the children of the poor remain at an educational disadvantage when their parents’ income becomes as much of a predictor of their educational achievements, as their parents’ educational obtainment. To emphasize the results of the income achievement gap, Reardon states, “As the children of the rich do better in school, and those who do better in school are more likely to become rich, we risk producing an even more unequal and economically polarized society” (Reardon, 2011, p. 111). For example, as standardized testing shifted towards standardized achievement testing to determine a student’s academic achievement, parental investment in their children’s cognitive development began to increase. Educational disparities occur when affluent families can very easily afford tutoring outside of the classroom for their children to perform highly, while children being raised in impoverished homes are at a disadvantage, and at a lower chance of doing well on these exams. This becomes problematic when SAT reading, math, and writing scores increase with income as exemplified by the disproportionately small amount of minority students in higher education (Brand lecture,
From an early age, individuals in America have tried to do everything in their power to reduce the inequalities of gender and race; however, the inequalities of education have proven to affect the future of the country the most. Education is a fundamental human right that is indispensable to both the well-being of an individual and society. To many people, it is considered a great equalizer in America, improving the lives and opportunities for children from a young age. Nevertheless, the great equalizer is constantly threatened, affecting the developments of these opportunities. The unequal distribution of wealth affects students of all ages in the education system. In order to reduce education inequality, the funds allocated to the low-income neighborhoods in a state should to be increased not only to decrease the gap between rich and poor and decrease the amount of poorly paid teachers, but also to provide schools with enough resources to ensure success.
Education is the foreground to success in modern society. The quality of education and the amount of education one receives is a large determinant in the financial wellbeing of individuals. Studying the inequalities found in the American educational system is essential because it uncovers how social stratifications, inequalities, and social constructions of race, class, gender, and sexuality are created as well as reinforced. Although many of the notions about races, classes, genders, and sexualities have been created outside of the school, it is in the educational system that children are presented with the social constructions of race, class, and gender that dominate our society.
The United States has a reputation for being free to all with promises of equal opportunity. America is not as equal as people think. In regards to income and wealth distribution, the U.S. has fallen behind a number of countries, such as Iran and Turkey ,and despite the freedom granted, America has become a place where inequality thrives and lower class people have little opportunity to move to the next financial class. This inequality finds its source within America’s education system, specifically alongside the disparity of opportunities and resources imposed on students in elementary school
inequality in public schools is a huge problem, if you are someone of renown in the community, a wealthy family or athlete you get better attention than regular or poor kids. Even talented artists or musicians are not treated as well in public education. That doesn’t get community dollars like football games do. People can change this by showing up at schools meetings, having there voices heard, stricter restrictions on teachers to pay attention to those falling behind instead of those who are progressing. those progressing need to phase up to another teacher. change the format of schools from grades to phases to encourage progress at every level without limitation. Someone may graduate at level 26 and be a whole year into college classes
The most pressing public policy issue affecting my community is educational disparity and inequality. Education is the key for racial equality, yet the federal government continues to neglect the educational discrepancies that plague various African American communities. Opportunities that are not offered to African American students are a microcosm to the present struggles minorities endure. The continued growth of the Black middle class since the 1960’s has serve to expand the social and educational advancement of black students. However, recent reports show that an increased number of minority high school graduates in urban settings suffer from inadequate school and educational conditions. Since the 1964 Civil Rights Act that prohibited
Furthermore, my research in education inequality will encompass not only supreme court rulings such as "Separate but Equal" it will also include other supreme court rulings such as the 1954's court ruling "Brown vs Topeka," declaring segregation unconstitutional, Jim Crow laws and even two-year college purpose or impact on segregation will also be studied. Concepts whit a hidden meaning will be under my research. For example, "differentiation" or "tracking" those concepts used in the public education jargon only perpetuate segregation; those concepts mean nothing but segregation. Furthermore, I will include educational reforms such as 2001, "No Child Left Behind," and I will make research on theories which are not educational theories but it could be helpful to understand and advocate for education inequality such as "Neoclassic Human Capital theory," and "Social Capital."
In the 21st Century everything is digitized, from emails to the education system. This trend is especially prevalent in Marin County, where the median income is $90,535, nearly double that of the national median income. The elementary schools in the county teach their students to use websites like StudyIsland™ and TypingPal™ to help students learn, study, and excel in the ever evolving technological world. This trend follows in the middle and high school curriculum. With a culture so embedded in technology as a result of the assumption of wealth and access, the district, faculties, and students have grown accustomed to amenities only a minority of people have access to. Certainly, this isn’t the case as there are students who are economically
Poor African American communities enjoy less public educational support in relation to White Americans. According to “2011-12 school year data from the US Department of Education”, about six percent of white students attend a high-poverty school, but the figure amounts to 40% for blacks (Jordan, "Millions of Black Students”). Reflecting this inequality in resources, “a report called ‘Unequal Education’ by the Center for American Progress” informs that schools wherein minority students comprise 90 percent or more of its student bodies “spend $733 less per student” than schools with “90 percent white students enrolled” (Shaw,"Public Schools Spend Less”). As an effort to address this problem, the Title I Programme grants extra funds for underfinanced
In America, there is a definitely a link between income inequality and diminished opportunities. This link occurs especially in education. On average, student outcomes and their opportunity to learn are more determined by the neighborhood where a child lives, than his or her abilities. The current education system in America is more likely to reinforce the existing patterns of inequality than to make opportunities accessible. Additional state funding should be given to low income school districts to give them an equal opportunity.
“Upon the education of the people of this country the fate of this country depends,” remarked Benjamin Disraeli. In the United States of America, we need to focus on education to prepare the next generation for leadership. Unfortunately, the U.S. has a widening socioeconomic status-based achievement gap (Huang, 2015, p. 1). This means that not all children are receiving the same quality of education they deserve, thus our country is not adequately preparing them for their future. In spite of the belief that all schools are adequately funded and all students have the same opportunities for success, the American government should increase funding for the education of children from low socioeconomic backgrounds to eliminate the achievement
The reason why this injustice has come about falls into two groups of social and economic imbalance. Socially, the inequality of academic guidelines and circumstances has been linked to students’ positions in society. A student’s social class has become the prevailing factor for the scholastic disparity socially. For example, Linda Hammond states, “Few Americans realize that the U.S. educational system is one of the most unequal in the industrialized world, and the students routinely receive dramatically different learning opportunities based on their social status.” Referring back to this statement, classrooms throughout the U.S educational system contain students representing all of the three social classes that include the lower, middle,
A significant barrier for improved wages and social mobility for the lower class, is the lack of easy access to a high-quality education, a mandatory pre-requisite for many of the most lucrative careers. Perhaps the most obvious barrier to entry is the excessively high cost of college tuition, a factor that most wealthy children never have to consider. Often poor individuals are discouraged from pursuing higher forms of education due to the large quantity of student loans often required to finance studying at a four-year institution. Consequently many low-income students forego attending entirely, limiting their scope of potential careers to low-wage entry positions, and ultimately preventing