The Importance Of Education In Education

Even though, schools should be equally funded, everybody knows of one or two schools that are “richer” than other schools near them. These “richer” schools can be described as High Priced and High Privileged schools. High Priced and

Children who grow up in a poor area go to school where there are 50 kids in one class and individual attention is never given, and children of high class families will go to schools that have smaller class sizes and individual attention. Even when a poor child goes to a better schoolteachers will question if the work done is their own and also only expect hard work from the rich kids. “if you are a child of low income parents, the chances are good that you will receive limited and often careless attention from adults in your high school.” Theodore Sizer “Horace’s Compromise,” “If you are the child of upper-middle income parents, the chances are good that you will receive substantial and careful attention.” (203) These quotes from another author showcase that school in America is often times based on the social standing of the parents.

A persistent educational goal of school was to give everyone the same chance to pursue wealth, which is known as equality of opportunity. Equality of opportunity is the idea that individuals compete with one another with all participants starting at the same point, which Horace Mann referred to as the, “great balance wheel of society” (Spring, 2016, p. 66). Schools provide everyone with an equal opportunity to pursue an education and wealth; however, I believe there are factors that alter that equilibrium. Mann believed that equality of opportunity would reduce tensions between the rich and the poor. It allowed the poor to believe that regardless of their circumstance their children had an equal chance to compete with children of rich families (Spring, 2016 p. 67). However, there are factors that will contribute to your opportunity to succeed, but schools give students the opportunity to all start on the same path that end in different destinations.

Gary Orfield a professor of Education, Law, Political Science and Urban Planning at the University of California Los Angeles states in the book “Closing the Opportunity Gap”, chapter four of “Housing Segregation Produces Unequal Schools”, “Educational opportunity is directly and deeply connected with housing segregated neighborhoods linked to segregated schools produce unequal education. Where a family lives generally determines the quality of the schools its children attend” (Orfield 40). In many cases minorities attend schools that are generally linked to segregated schools because their

The resources available to an urban, lower income school are to be equal to those available to a suburban, higher income school. Two schools in New York, one from a wealthy school district and one from a poor district, were given computers. The State provided the same number of computers to each school, therefore claiming to evenly supporting each school. However, the school with the poorer children had a larger number of students; the nicer school had twice the number of computers in proportion to the number of their students (Kozol 84). It seems that the biggest factor keeping the children of lower income homes behind is the school funding available. The poorer school district does not have the money to spend on the things a wealthier district may, but there is no real evidence that spending money makes much difference in the outcome of a child's education. In many cases, family and background have a greater influence on how well a child does in school (Kozol 176-77). Richard Kahlenberg, a member of the Century Foundation, says, "Research findings and common sense tell us that the people who make up a school—the students, parents, and teachers—matter more (Lewis 648)

We can’t look at the inequality given to our students without looking at the expenses used per child in certain areas of the country not too long ago. While desegregation of our schools had taken place before this time due to many of the schools zoning laws we find that there are still many schools facing challenges because of this issue. People choose to move to good neighborhoods for the right price and if you have a family to think about you are also looking into the school rating. If you have the privilege to be able to choose where you want to live and you have the availability to make it happen, you can find yourself in a wonderful neighborhood with a wonderful education system. But what about those who are fighting to make ends meet and can only afford so many housing opportunities and an unfortunate reality is that these neighborhoods are

I interviewed my fiancé, David Carter, because he went through two different school systems in his education. From kindergarten through mid-seventh grade he went to a school which had an African American population near 40 percent, Beaver Falls, and from mid-seventh through graduation he went to a school which was around 3 percent minorities, Quaker Valley. Both of these schools are in the Pittsburgh area and are within 45 minutes drive of one another. The Beaver Falls School District was in a very poor neighborhood, and at this time David was being raised in low income housing (a.k.a. ‘the projects'). He says that the teachers at Beaver Falls seemed to be frustrated with the students quite often and this affected their performance as teachers. Beaver Falls is not considered a good school system if you are shopping for a house. Quaker Valley, on the other hand, is in a middle class to upper middle class area and is considered a very good school district. It actually was a Blue Ribbon School for the 1992-93 school year David graduated in. This means that it was considered to be one of the top 500 schools in America. David lived in a middle class neighborhood at this time, and he said that the teachers of Quaker Valley were highly motivated and exceptional leaders in

The location is very important to choose a school when it comes to education. Everyone would want to know how the school environment is and if it’s a good school. A high school student doesn 't have that much of a choice to pick any school they want. For example, if Mary lives in Westland, then she has to go to a high school that is in Westland unless she chose to go to a private or charter school. She would have the advantage to take the

Choosing the right schooling is crucial to the students’ development. Parents of higher income have the luxury to send their child to a

One point that is brought up is the idea of the middle class. Middle class (or higher) areas get better public school funding than lower class areas, primarily because funding for schools is primarily based on property taxes of those living in the area (Dobratz, 125). This suggests that schools that are situated in middle/upper class neighborhoods have the resources to hire better trained teachers and counselors and have better facilities. If a student attends a school with more resources, they may get more exposure at a young age to the importance of post-secondary education, how to navigate college, and even how to apply for college (due to having better trained counselors, and more resources to present to students about college). This has the possibility to give middle/upper class students a leg-up in college from lower class students before they even begin

By being able to choose which school to send their children, whether it is within their home district or not, parents will be able to fulfil their children’s needs and talents. If there is a child with autism and no school within that child’s area that specifies in teaching autistic children, that child will have a rough time in school. The same example goes for blind, deaf, and any other child with any health or mental disabilities. Also,if there is a child with a special talent such as playing a musical instrument, art, or just being very bright, they may not have the opportunity to go to a school that will embrace that talent because there may not be enough funding for these programs in the schools within their district. There are some schools that mainly focus on art and music. There are also some schools especially for very smart and intelligent students. If parents have permission to send their child to any school besides ones in their home district, their children with these abilities will be able to further them and have a chance at a more successful

important for children from the same neighborhood to attend the same school in order to increase a

Because public school systems are primarily financed by local property taxes, children in low-income, property poor areas, are forced to attend schools with significantly less funding than those in in wealthy, high tax districts. Unfortunately, this can lead to an abundance of poor quality schooling systems concentrated in low-income areas, all plagued with underqualified teachers and critical shortages of academic resources. Faced with this immense disadvantage at such a pivotal stage in their lives, it is no surprise, then, that low-income individuals are often unable to compete with the privileged and heavily prepared students of the upper-class for the jobs necessary to elevate their economic status

In my old elementary days, I was always struggling with my work. I was falling behind, stuck on questions, and eventually frustrated with myself while the other students were steps ahead of me. I was a shy kid back then, so getting my teacher’s attention was difficult for me; my teacher’s attention would always go to the kids who were considered smart and all the praises would go to them. At those moments, I would sulk at my desk waiting to see if someone would notice me, but no one came. Eventually, I was accompanied with an ELL teacher and they would pull me out of class to help me read, do math, or anything I was struggling on. It was fun for the most part, I would always have a conversation with my ELL teachers. This lead me to become more aware of my weaknesses and learn from my mistakes because they would help me in ways that got me to think for myself. I know that children who are in the same situation as me never got the help that they needed and honestly; without the help of my ELL teachers, I would have never become the person I am today. This is why the education system in America should be changed because, using the stories: The Secret to Raising Smart kids and Marita’s Bargain, I believe that hard work and more school days would benefit children from actually learning.

As American’s, it is our legal right to stand up for what we believe in. All citizens should have an equal say, regardless of not only race, religion, or sex, but profession as well. Being an often underappreciated profession, teachers should have their voices heard, especially when it comes to the modern educational system in which their lives are consumed. John Dewey’s statement acts as a form of encouragement for teachers to think deeper about and challenge the ideals of our education system. While the field is constantly evolving, teachers are often neglected and their first-hand, personal experiences are ignored. Sure, the government has all the power, but legislators should at least consider those who are in the classroom each day.