The Effects of Educational Inequality
Introduction
Education is an institution that was originally put in place to allow individuals the equal opportunity to achieve their dreams. It was intended to provide the same level and quality of education regardless of the individual’s gender, race, or socioeconomic class. Over the years, it has changed into a system that provides some with opportunities while placing others at a disadvantage. Those that are given the advantages typically have high socioeconomic status. The individuals that fall into this category, have the means to pay for college, attend well known secondary and post-secondary schools, and typically obtain jobs with higher wages. While those that are at a disadvantage typically
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School segregation can be described as the separation of students in schools based on their racial/ethnic background. For example, students from the minority ethnic group, such as African American, Native American, and Latin, would attend a school that is most likely in the city and students from majority ethnic group, such as Caucasian, would attend another school that is most likely in the suburbs. According to Logan, Minca and Adar (2012), the issue of separating students based on racial/ethnic background is important because it places minorities in disadvantaged schools. These school are typically characterized by having inexperienced staff and administrators, and having test scores that land in the 30th percentile (Logan et al., 2012). This can also have an impact on the opportunities that student’s have to learn the course content. It can include the use of tutors, and after school homework clubs. Schmidt, Burroughs, Zoido and Houang (2015) explored the link between socioeconomic status and opportunity to learn. They found that there is a positive correlation between socioeconomic status and the opportunity to learn and that the more opportunities a student has to learn, the better the outcome (Schmidt et al., 2015) Gamoran, Barfels, and Collares, A.C. (2016) also found that opportunity to learn is impacted by the racial composition of the institution. They found that schools that are composed of mainly Caucasian students have more
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.
America’s education system is one of the most respectable, reputable and sought after commodities in our society, but it is also the most overcrowded, discriminatory, and controversial system ever established. Most people yearn for a higher education because it 's what 's expected in this society in order to get ahead. It means a better job, more money, power, prestige and a sense of entitlement. But this system has let down the children that are supposed to benefit from it. Education discriminates against minorities, and poorer class students are not expected nor encouraged to attain a higher education. The education system is set up to ensure that every child get a basic
The United States is a country based on equal opportunity; every citizen is to be given the same chance as another to succeed. This includes the government providing the opportunity of equal education to all children. All children are provided schools to attend. However, the quality of one school compared to another is undoubtedly unfair. Former teacher John Kozol, when being transferred to a new school, said, "The shock from going from one of the poorest schools to one of the wealthiest cannot be overstated (Kozol 2)." The education gap between higher and lower-income schools is obvious: therefore, the United States is making the effort to provide an equal education with questionable results.
One such educational opportunity is college, which studies have shown that students with low incomes are less likely to enroll at or graduate from (Left Behind). Meanwhile, 90% of students with high incomes are still enrolling and participating at colleges (Left Behind). In addition, one’s education is compromised when funding for schools is low or non-existent as schools cannot afford the necessary materials for learning. Unsurprisingly, without an education, one does not possess the required knowledge to attain and maintain a high paying
Education still remains the institution that indorses equality of opportunities in America society as the textbook explains. Even though education diminishes inequality among individuals with different backgrounds, inequality still exists in the sense that not everyone who graduates from high school has the same opportunity to attend college. Individuals born into wealthy family will have more opportunities in attending college compared to someone born to a poor family. Although, opportunities are more limited in America, having education will compensate those that do well in school by rewarding them with life opportunities. Social class, race, and gender play a major role for education success, experiences, and outcomes.
Education is the factor in our society, or any society for that matter, that allows people to strive for their chances of equality, or better yet, greatness in a convoluted world belonging to both marginalization and wealth. However, at the same time, many people are being forced to miss out on their chances for an education and the opportunities that come with it. If we improve the opportunities for education, we also stand to diminish troublesome income disparities. Such a course of action is something that depends on the school districts and the resources that are available to them. If one takes a look back at the history of education in our country, they could undoubtedly see challenges to education access and how far the United States has come since then in providing said access. The positive development has seen increased education access for demographic groups ranging across four specific categories: ethnics, race, gender and one 's place in the class system.
The achievement gap between rich and poor is extending. In the 1970’s, African Americans had nowhere near the amount of education opportunities as whites did. Thanks to desegregation, by 2012, there was a 50% decrease compared to 35 years ago. Why stop at 50% through? American society is dragged down by racial disputes, but race is no longer the main issue of education. Education is a necessity in society due to its application to one 's occupation. A surgeon must study human anatomy like a bus driver needs to be educated on driving in order to drive students to the schools. The choice of someone 's study and their level of education impacts the jobs they receive. A graduate in the field of psychology should result in a job as a psychologist. “And yet American higher education is increasingly the preserve of the elite” (Porter, 2015). Children of college graduates are twice as likely to attend college than a high school graduate, and seven times more likely than a high school drop-out’s child. The origination of the problem is not, however, in the academics of college and high school. According to “Too Many Children Left Behind” by Russell Sage, the day kindergarten begins, children from families of low socioeconomic status are generally a year behind the privileged individuals in subjects such as reading and writing. Even the children of the lower class who are extremely intellectual eventually fall
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,
Education in United States had come a long way since the last century with the acceptance of diversity in schooling; racial is not a problem in school, but rather economy is the obstacle. The article Racial Stratification and Education in the United States: Why Inequality Persist mentions “In the past the problem was “racism” and was blamed on the whites; today the problem is “poverty” and is blamed on the underclass. In the article also shows the studies of black and white children in the classroom. Both middle-class white and black children tend to do better in school than lower-class children. In the lower-class, the children might have more struggles outside of school in the money aspect; therefore, children have to take on different jobs
The segregation system within our laws were thought to be hindered after the Civil Rights era, but finds itself to be subtly instilled in modern times.Students coming from poor families are given less opportunities than those who are privileged and wealthy. Many aren’t given access to schools with stable funding in their education departments. There is a clear division between the rich and poor students within the school systems throughout different cities. In A 'Bleak' Portrait of America's Urban Public School System, author Tanvi Misra says, “in a majority of the 50 cities, low-income and minority students were less likely to attend high-performing elementary and middle schools, take advanced classes, and take the ACT or SAT tests than higher
The Education Department in U.S. has advocated, “tracking perpetuates a modern system of segregation that favors white students and keeps students of color, many of them black, from long-term equal achievement.” (Frankenberg, Siegel-Hawley & Wang, 2010) Therefore, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is taking effort to change this system in order to reduce segregation at schools. There are also other effects those minority students’ academic achievement. Segregated schools are less likely to provide a stable and good learning environment, experienced and qualified teachers, and adequate learning materials and facilities for students, and more likely to have unstable enrollment and high drop out rates. These drawbacks will undoubtedly lead to negative and profound impacts to the minority communities and to the whole
Is the education system of the United States fair to everyone ? Although many find it fair, we are living in times when segregation is still part of one of the most important systems that supposed to treat everyone equal, and to provide the same opportunities for academic success. However, there still a big gap, and children in low-income communities are suffering the consequences. I argue that segregation in the education system is harming the low-income communities and putting children that lives in these communities on academic disadvantage from those who lives on a wealthier community.
Imagine being a senior in college. You’re about to graduate Summa Cum Laude in Aerospace Engineering, prepared to enter an internship over the summer. You’d think that offers would be piling up at your feet, right? Wrong.
Society holds a beneficial belief that education is a very prominent source that is necessary to engage in life’s successes. Education gives one the endurance to gain knowledge and the will power to accomplish goals and reach high standards. It allows individuals to know and understand the skills of life and the values it hold. Education has a history that has been around for hundreds of years that continuously develops as education improves, but the history of equal opportunity in education must continuously improve as well. Although education is known for its good deeds, inequality still plays a significant role in education today. There are opportunities that students must receive to relinquish some inequalities that are still present
The persistence of segregation [in schools] is a problem because, today as in the Brown era, separate schools are unequal. "Schools of concentrated poverty and segregated minority schools are strongly related to an array of factors that limit educational opportunities and outcomes," wrote the authors of a 2012 report by the University of California–Los Angeles's Civil Rights Project. "These include less experienced and less qualified teachers, high levels of teacher turnover, less successful peer groups and inadequate facilities and learning materials." (Barkhorn 2013).