Students Are More Equal Than Others : Multiculturalism And Poverty

Kozol comments that, “nearly forty years after Brown vs. the Board of Education many of are schools are still separate but no longer even remotely equal.”

Topeka, Kansas, 1950, a young African-American girl named Linda Brown had to walk a mile to get to her school, crossing a railroad switchyard. She lived seven blocks from an all white school. Linda’s father, Oliver, tried to enroll her into the all white school. The school denied her because of the color of her skin. Segregation was widespread throughout our nation. Blacks believed that the “separate but equal” saying was false. They felt that whites had more educational opportunities. Mr. Brown, along with the NAACP and many civic leaders, fought for equal educational rights for all races. Brown v. The Board of Education case and the events leading up to it had a positive effect on education and society.

Ever since the establishment of equal education in the United States, there has been a disparity in academic success between children of different races. The education of African American children has become a prime example of this. As discussed in the historical text, A Letter to My Nephew, which was written during the time of the civil rights movement in the 1950’s and 1960’s, African Americans were not given equal opportunities to succeed educationally and could do little to change their futures for the better. They had to work much harder than whites to receive even a portion of the recognition and success that whites achieved (Baldwin 1). Although many today believe America has overcome this problem, it still remains a pressing issue in many aspects of society, arguably the most important being education. The racial achievement gap, an important term to familiarize with when discussing this topic, refers to the disparity in educational performance between students of different races (National Education Association 1). As of now, although the education achievement gap has been narrowing, there still remains a large disparity between African Americans and their racial counterparts. According to a study by Roland G. Freyer and Steven D. Levitt, professors at Harvard University and W.E.B Du Bois Institute, respectively, African American students enter kindergarten already significantly behind children of other races, and their test scores continue to drop

With the advancement of thinking in the United States since the Jim Crow era, shouldn’t school segregation be a thing of the past? Well, this is an ongoing epidemic in the United States, and it has a dangerous effect on the youth. School segregation rates are at an all time high, and the main reason for this increase is residential segregation, or segregation of neighborhoods. Although school segregation can be a result of economic policy, housing policies have a greater influence on segregation. Many neighborhoods that are classified as low income, have a negative connotation attached with them. This causes a difference in funding of schools located in those districts, and those students end up paying the price.

Today, we have a diverse student population within our public schools. However, more can still be achieved for equality in our society. The struggle with racism and segregation are still very present in America; we see proof of their existence in the news almost every day. The shootings in Charleston, SC and Ferguson, MO are evidence that heinous crimes, which extend beyond education, are still committed in America based on race. However, the removal of the Confederate flag and movements to end racially-motivated crimes are signs of

In the article “Still Separate, Still Unequal: America’s Education Apartheid” author Jonathan Kozol informs us about inequality and segregation in today’s school systems. Kozol talks about schools were minority’s makes up the student body. For example, Kozol refers to John F. Kennedy High School where the majority of the student body is made up by African Americans and Hispanic students, only a third of the students are white. Kozol states that schools like these are typically underprivileged schools that normally have structural issues and also lack behind in technology and resources for students. Kozol also brings up the predominately white schools where on average there is more money spent on students and funding is not a problem, these

the long term, it has changed the racial relation in the States as the equality of people of all

Almost six decades have gone past since the struggles of Brown vs Board of Education. The segregation of that era still persist in today’s black American community but through a different form. The new Jim Crow is not law decreed but through institutional racism. Black students attend school where around 90 percent of students are nonwhite or minorities. Public schools around black

Without a doubt, in current times the public school’s roster reflects the demographic makeup of its neighborhoods; racial and culturally, and these are the results of economics, more than a racial circumstance. That said, in continuing to change there will be more court cases on isolated discrimination and beyond the school system to allow changes needed. Currently, being able to have schools with diversity opens the minds of our youth to explore the world’s culture, it provides early on people to steer

Despite the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, that outlawed segregation in public schools, African American children have remained in segregated and unequal educational environments (Blanchett, Mumford & Beachum, 2005). A significant tactic in maintaining school segregation has been the disproportionate assignment of African-American children to special education classrooms (Blanchett, 2009).

The 1896 Plessey v. Ferguson Supreme Court case marks a significant point in history where the segregation of African Americans’ and white Americans’ was upheld as constitutional, provided the facilities were equal. Over 50 years after that decision, the Brown v. Board of Education ruling renounced the previous stating that the segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. History shows that the integration of public schools was a protracted process, wherein many states tried to fight back against this integration of public schools. Today, many believe that segregation is an issue of the past, but observation would say otherwise. Activists and researchers are discovering and fighting against the effects of racially and socioeconomically

In 1954, the Historic Brown vs. Board educational decision took place to discontinue racially separate schools. Today, students of all races come together in a safe environment to learn. However, in American schools one can currently find evidence of desegregation in the system. Racial integration has become a large problem in today’s school systems. Instead of getting better after the Brown vs. Board decision, it is steadily worsening. The schooling system has strived to reduce stereotypes and racial biases that their students struggle with, but one can find evidence of failure. Racial integration is a growing monster that is hovering over America’s schools. Once the monster grows too big, there may not be a solution to scare it away. The problem of segregation is seen through unawareness, unintentionality, and unacceptance.

As I learn more about the realities of education, there was one issue that sparked my interest and passion – segregation. Though it is difficult to see first-hand, I can definitely see remnants of segregation through comparison of resources available at schools I’ve worked at. My belief that education serves as an accessible tool for social mobility led me to explore the issue of segregation with the perspective of a future educator. Over 50 years ago in the Brown v. Board of Education case, the Supreme Court deemed that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. With this in mind, I was under the impression that schools were not segregated (at least to a far lesser extent). However, I was shocked to learn that segregation in schools

Throughout the history of American education, students have faced many dilemmas that have caused interference to the community in many ways. For the past half century many of the educational reform movements (e.g., school desegregation, head start, and bilingual education) have attempted to promote racial and class equality in education. So why is it that these reform movements haven’t been successful in equalizing educational opportunities? There have been notable achievement gaps between mainstream and minority students that researchers haven’t found a solution for and my explanation for this is that once a debate has been “solved,” a new one arises. It isn’t so much that educational equity isn’t achievable, but I strongly believe that the ignorance of individuals creates a barrier between the reality of a situation and the false belief of one. This is to say that those who believe in stereotypical speculations about certain racial groups, often alienate that group; so much so that equality is farfetched.

Education today faces major equity issues and the number of inequities grows as society progresses. Equity in education has two dimensions, fairness and inclusion. According to research, the educational systems structure affects the school systems equity. “Traditionally, education systems have sorted students according to attainment and evidence from studies of secondary and primary schools, which suggests that such sorting can increase inequalities and inequities, particularly if it takes place early in the education process” (OECD, 2008). One major issue of inequity amongst the schools is financial differences. Students who come from a low-income based background have less money which means a less chance at a better education and less opportunities. This is a prime example of how students from different social classes do not have the same fair chance at an equal opportunity in education. Those coming from an upper class can afford to put their children in a private school which means smaller class sizes as which is an advantage in learning. There is so many things that add to the inequities of education and these social domains have direct effects on what and how much children learn. “Children growing up in low-income neighborhoods, for example, are much more likely to experience repeated stress from violence and crime that may inhibit cognitive development” (Russel Sage Foundation, 2017). Racial discrimination is something else that still exists amongst our