Why School Should Be A Place For Children

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.

America’s school system and student population remains segregated, by race and class. The inequalities that exist in schools today result from more than just poorly managed schools; they reflect the racial and socioeconomic inequities of society as a whole. Most of the problems of schools boil down to either racism in and outside the school or financial disparity between wealthy and poor school districts. Because schools receive funding through local property taxes, low-income communities start at an economic disadvantage. Less funding means fewer resources, lower quality instruction and curricula, and little to no community involvement. Even when low-income schools manage to find adequate funding, the money doesn’t solve all the school’s

With landmark Supreme Court decisions in regards to education such as Brown v Board of Education, which made segregation within schools illegal, one would be inclined to believe that modern schools are void of any inequality. However, at a deeper glance, it is apparent that there is a glaring inequality within public school systems at the national, statewide, and even district-wide level. Such an inequality has drastic results as the education one receives has a high correlation to the college they will attend, and the job they will work. It is in society's best interest that public school systems be improved to equally supplement students with the tools necessary to succeed. While the public school system aims to reduce the inequality within it, they have proven ineffective in guaranteeing children of all races and economic classes an equal education.

“When we can predict how well students will do in school by looking at their zip code, we know we have a serious systemic problem” (Gloria Ladson-Billings 20). When we are able to forecast how a child will perform by where the child resides, then how can we say that every child is receiving quality education. The unsuccessful educational system infused into the United States is affecting the majority of minorities. In the United States students due to their race and social class, suffer from underfunded public schools, inexperienced teachers, and housing segregation, which in turn inhibit their opportunity to succeed through education. These difficulties plaque students from the very beginning of their public school experience and follow them throughout their academic life. There are a few solutions to these issues but they have to be implemented and enforced with a slow integration.

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

How far a student can go in life is already pre-determined by the generation before him. Success is no longer made up of solely intellectual ability, but rather if the streets the student walks through is gang-ridden or not, if their parents are absentees, and other conditions in which the child grows up in. Valerie Strauss expresses these concerns in her article, “What the Numbers Really Tell Us About America’s Public Schools” in which she discusses how income levels correlate with students’ success rate which is further accentuated through Kamiak and Mariner High School’s Standardized Test Results. “Motivation, a Major Factor in U.S. Student Test Performance” by Dian Schaffhauser continues this idea of external problems affecting low scores

Often times we seek motivation from those that are more successful than us. We put them on a pedestal and aspire to one day be a role model for younger generations after us. What we fail to acknowledge however is the time and hard work they put in before us. We overlook their journey and therefore miss details that could play a major impact on our path to success. Details such as their upbringing, social class, and education are things we should take a closer peek at when comparing their lives to ours. In her book Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life, Annette Lareau follows Caucasian and African American subjects from poor, working, and middle class families to understand the influence of socioeconomic class and race on adolescents raised in various households. After studying her subjects over the course of several years in their homes, schools, and extracurricular activities, she comes to conclude the greater influence socioeconomic class has on the skills acquired by children during their childhood.

There are diverse and contradictory views on school funding inequalities and school performance. Various research and reports have shown in great detail beyond this paper’s scope that inequalities in school funding does cause different outcomes for school children (Jackson, Johnson, & Persico, (2015. Unequal funding leads to unequal education: from the start, schools have different resources and means to educate our children (Kozol, (1991). Other reports suggest that different funding will lead to different social outcomes later on in life (Hyman, (2013); Biddle & Berliner, (2002). The fact is that schools in poorer neighborhoods all over the united states, funding are limited and they have poorer schools (Kozol, 1991). Schools in richer areas and especially in suburban white neighborhoods receive higher funding and they have better schools (Kozol, 1991). Some argue that school funding is not the problem and throwing money at the problem would not be the solution. This is somewhat contradictory because most well-funded schools are predominantly white. The schools are well lit, classrooms are spacious, student-to-teacher ratio is smaller, labs are well equipped, hot lunches are plenty, and teachers are experienced and well paid (Kozol (1991); Jackson, Johnson, & Persico, (2015).

“The school districts with the highest minority enrollments receive an average of $877 less per student than school districts with the lowest number of minorities enrolled.” In turn, these children are able to go further with more resources readily available to them. However, children in less affluent school districts face serious educational shortcomings due to little investment in the beggared communities surrounding the school. It is more accurate to say that America has two systems of public education. The first system, based principally, but not entirely in the suburbs of America and in wealthier urban districts, is in many respects mediocre, specifically in comparison to international peers in advanced industrial nations. However, the second system, based principally in poorer urban and rural areas, is an absolute failure; in which an exceeding number of students dropout well before high school graduation. An astounding number of students receive high school diplomas that do not certify academic confidence in basic subjects. An outstanding number of students are unprepared for the world of employment. An incredible number of students are unprepared to matriculate to institutions of higher education or advanced training.

It is not hard to understand then how disadvantaged children may not aspire to complete school or attend University due to the unfamiliarity of the concept and lower family expectations. Economic disparity plays a large role in school outcomes wherein greater affluence can provide families with a wider range of education choices and activities to enhance curriculum understandings. In the scenario it is noted that Dexter’s parents want him to do well in school however they are constrained by economic realities. Poor families have less choice in their lifestyle and education selections which can impact on outcomes. Decreased access to resources such as books, educational materials, high quality early education and learning opportunities diminish their ability to start school on an equal footing with more affluent children. As well the poorest families struggle to find good schooling opportunities and have to accept what is offered to them (Ewing, 2013, p. 84). These factors are not so easily addressed at the school level and will require serious changes at the State and Federal levels to negate the influence of

However, parents who live below the poverty line find it more difficult to send their offspring to a school that offers even mildly decent education. In contrast, financially stable parents have far more access to resources that can aid their children, such as tutoring. A lack of proper schooling can serve as a hindrance to the needy children in the future and prevent them from ever ascending the economic ladder. Statistics show that only 3% of students at top colleges come from the poorest quarter of the population (“Inequality and the American Dream” 1). This can attest to the idea that the American Dream cannot be achieved regardless of class; it can only be fulfilled by those who have the resources to do

About one in five children in the United States has the misfortune of living in a family whose income is below the official poverty threshold (Borman and Reimers 454). Poverty has harmful effects on a child’s academic outcomes, general health, development, and school readiness. The impact of poverty has on a child depends on many factors for instance community features ( crime rate in neighborhood and school characteristics) and the individuals present in the child’s life like their parents, neighbors, or relatives. It is clear that schools and outside environmental factors contribute to whether a child is successful or not in their academic life. A child’s family, neighborhood, and type of school effects that are related with poverty

The theory that children living in a negative family environment, with little to no family involvement in school, cannot succeed academically has been researched by urban school districts hoping to find the key to make a change. Urban districts with a high number of children who live in poverty, or have language barriers, or lack a strong parental unit struggle with the notion that they cannot change the future of these children. Family involvement dictates much of a

America has gained global notoriety for its excellence in education. Where in many countries education is considered a privilege, America has deemed education to be not only one's right but also their duty. American culture suggests that a healthy school system ultimately creates a stable economic system and causes the country to thrive. One of the greatest strengths of America’s educational system is the ability one has, to choose how they want their children to learn. Public schools are often praised for their capacity to provide children with experiences that cause them to be well rounded socially, while private schools pride themselves on providing students with a premium education that prepares them to become prospects for the most prestigious colleges and careers. However, there is one less attractive option. Nearly 3% of all school-aged children are homeschooled. This method is growing in popularity, as it is a viable option for families that often relocate, such as military families, as well as children with various types of religious obligations (Lois, 2013). It is also utilized for children with different disabilities parents who feel that the school environment is harsh for their children. Finally, parents who want their children to have a private education without the high cost of tuition use homeschooling (Lois, 2013). While homeschooling is unregulated, the increasing numbers of parents choosing to homeschool their children have necessitated that some

Today a majority of people believe that success in education and equality is congruent to teacher and parental influences, as well as the students themselves. It is less popular to acknowledge that educational success is closely related to socioeconomic status, curriculum, state legislature, and community sources even more so than teachers, parents, or students (Eng, N). All these factors play a role in educational success and equality; however, socioeconomic status and family backgrounds are factors that play even larger roles. A study of 4,000 schools and 645,000 students was done in the United States about fifty years ago (Eng, N). This study, the Coleman Report, concluded that socioeconomics and family characteristics influenced academic success more than school faculty and school programs. The Coleman Report advocated for reform that went beyond school curriculum and programs. Other studies and research have supported the ideas of the Coleman Report; however, many policies do not acknowledge these findings and continue to ignore this research due to the popular belief that schools, faculty,