Inequality In Education

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 this paper, I will explore the aspects regarding racial inequality pertaining to education in the United States of America. It has come to my attention, based on my observations, that race is a definitive factor that plays a role in establishing socioeconomic status. In relation to socioeconomic status, variables correlating with race that I will be focusing on, is the educational and wealth aspects. An individual’s level of education is pivotal to establishing stable, consistent wealth and vice-versa; the access for quality education is inconsistent primarily among minority races/ethnicities. According to historical records ranging from the year 1980 to 2000, between Whites, Hispanics, African-Americans, and Native Americans, the educational attainment gap is widening (Kelly 2005). Education is seen to be a source of respect and key to gaining a higher income, which transfers over to greater wealth. Acknowledging the slow expansion of the educational attainment disparities, I argue that the society’s perceptions and actions addressing race perpetuates and produces social inequalities by limiting opportunities despite “equal” resources, privileges, and rights through social policies that have contributed towards the quality of America’s education system.

This article will help me demonstrate real life examples of how education inequalities is affecting students. It will also give people a better understanding in the outside world to see what’s really going on inside these schools, with the supports from the

Throughout the semester we have talked about the concept of community. Communities are more than just neighborhoods and cities. Communities are the social environment people grow up in interact throughout their everyday life. Communities have norms and procedures that transcend normal thinking. In the USA alone, there are multiple communities in multiple States and regions. In INT, we have talked about socio economic communities, racial communities, and even gender base communities. However, the problem in America, is that these communities are divided so heavily. So as we move forward with our education, a question arises. What do we do now? Do we allow communities to say so segregated, or do we try to change them? For society to survive and flourish, it needs a healthy community and happy citizens. Equality is key. Segregation and inequality directly go against this notion. I propose, for a stronger community and better living conditions, we as a society need to unite. Race, socio economics, and gender should not define a person's place in society. If America wants a true community that is prosperous for all, equality should be our main focus.

Racial inequality persists in the current U.S. education system, despite nationwide efforts to promote the acceptance of students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Minority students, most notably African American and Latino, receive lower qualities of education compared to the Caucasian majority and are, as a result, at an indisputable disadvantage after primary and secondary education. According to a 2014 study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, “students of color in public schools are punished more and receive less access than white students to experienced teachers” (Abdul-Jabbar 31). Higher suspension rates and an increased frequency of corporal punishment use, allowed in 19 states as of 2014 according to Business Insider (Adwar), for minority students are two disciplinary examples of underlying racial discrimination with the current U.S. education system. Economic repercussions of racial inequality in education have been proven to include wealth gaps, higher unemployment rates, and financial instability for minorities in later life. Due to the prominence of racial segregation within schools, it remains a controversial point of debate in modern-day society, resulting in attempts such as affirmative action to establish racial equality in education. In Grutter v. Bollinger (2003), the United States Supreme Court declared affirmative action to be a justified policy in the

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,

For the first century of the United States, Congress had a restricted but active position in education, which expanded after the Civil War in 1865. At that time, the federal government mandated new union states to offer free public schools and established an early form of the Department of Education. From the late 1930s to the early 1990s, the Supreme Court's opposition to congressional power decreased, clearing the way for a greater federal role in education. The federal role in education increased as Congress provided funding for the construction of schools, teacher salaries, and school lunch programs. However, this assistance was geared toward wealthier school districts, which negatively impacted poorer, urban schools (Martin, 2012).

In the article, “The Education Inequality Struggle” published by The Huffington Post, Marian Wright Edlemen discusses a new act by Congress, The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that serves to replace the No Child Left Behind Act. The purpose of the No Child Left Behind Act was to add need federal accountability in regards to the desegregation and equalization of education along with fiscal accountability. However, the No Child Left Behind Act failed to address the scholarly performance of children. ESSA is designed to track student performance by traits known to affect education; race, gender, ethnicity, disability, and language. At the same time, individual states create plans for education that have to be approved federally. Based on these

What grade would America receive for our education system? America would probably get a D because we cannot provide everyone with the same quality education as other public schools, private, and charter schools. Education is important in all countries especially in America, but there is so much educational inequality that everyone does not get an equal opportunity at a good education. This can be due to the location and income of families that can determine how successful they are going to be in school. The government has attempted to increase graduation rates by implementing new laws and standards that have actually in time proven to be unsuccessful. This essay is going to highlight the educational inequality in America,

In the modern world, education is the crucial key to the economic success. It can help a poor country become a developed country, or make a developed country become a more advanced one. A successful education system is a system, which makes sure that every student can have access to knowledge equally. Although the United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, there seem to be many inequalities in the American education system. In this essay, the education inequalities will be classified into four areas: race, economic background, gender, and standardized educational testing.

Although equality is an integral part the Constitution, it is not readily upheld. Specifically, education is a fundamental right which is far too often neglected, and therefore, a leading cause of poverty and inequality in the world today. The ACLU says, “The Constitution requires that all kids be given equal educational opportunity no matter what their race, ethnic background, religion, or sex, or whether they are rich or poor, citizen or noncitizen” (“Your Right). Without an education, one can not be expected to succeed. However, the positions that people are born into are hard to escape. These may include race, gender, and economic status. Because of this difficulty, many people get stuck in poverty and never become

Racial inequality is quite a hot topic in our society. Not everyone sees eye to eye, but racism is embedded into our very way of life. “Racism is the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, that a person’s social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics” (ADL, 2017). Race wasn’t developed for the way people use to in modern society. Scientists used race to classify the differences between each type of group of individuals. Science played a crucial role in the development of racism. Whether people want to believe it or not, every person has either witnessed a form of racism or has been a victim. Most people don’t intentionally commit these actions, but the society that we live in indirectly degrades certain types of people, while the opposite race benefit. While there are many aspects that racial inequality affect, I believe that education is one of the biggest problems. Along with that, I believe there are major problems in the employment and income area that needs to be addressed. Health and residential segregation are also factors that play a role in racial inequality. On the bright side, we as a community of diverse and very unique people have made some strides in the name of equality for all. However, we have a long road ahead if we want to call the United States of America a land that is truly free.

Fiscal policy is the public policy domain that I am most interested in. But education policy is a strong secondary interest of mine, and recently, with the school closings in Detroit and Philadelphia and persistent problems in public education, I find urban policy to be extremely important. Additionally, as a conservative, seeing the increasing income inequality, in terms of solutions, I would like to analyze the deep root of the problem in lieu of a solution that I believe only scratches the surface such as increasing taxes on top earners. I do not think this will solve this issue because there is a disparity between the top 1% of earners and the top 1% of wealth owners and there is no real wealth tax. Wealth is what creates inequality in opportunity. Strengthening equal opportunity through K-12 education is where I would start looking answers.

This paper will seek to discuss the significance of educational inequality and how it affects those who live in the United States. According to the textbook, education is a social institution through which a society’s children are taught basic academic knowledge, learning skills, and cultural norms (Strayer). The result of this worldwide educational inequality is a social concern for many countries; including the United States (Strayer). This paper will provide insight on the disadvantages of educational inequality through the achievement gap, location, and one’s race.

Science, math, and technology interests may discourage girls from entering many science fields related disciplines or may push them into “friendlier” disciplines (Lee 1998).