In Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools, Jonathan Kozol exploits extreme inequalities between the schools in East St. Louis and Morris High in Rye, New York in the 1990s. The living conditions in East St. Louis were deplorable. There was no trash collection service, the sewage system was dysfunctional, and crime, illness, poverty, and pollution ran rampant. The schools in East St. Louis had a predominately black student population, and the buildings were extremely obsolete, with lab equipment that was outdated by thirty to fifty years, a football field without goalposts, sports uniforms held together by patches, and a plumbing system that repeatedly spewed sewage. In addition, there was a substantial lack of funds that prevented …show more content…
The majority of students at Morris High were white or Asian, and the school had the latest computer technology, glorious landscaping, high teacher salaries, and offered students with a variety of foreign languages to study. The interactions that Kozol had with the students from East St. Louis were drastically different from those with the students of Morris High. The students from East St. Louis were poorly educated, as they had faulty grammar and vocabulary, struggled with the concept of time, and had inadequate social skills. These deficiencies are be observed through Kozol’s discussion with the children about the rape and murder of a young girl, who happened to be the sister of one of the children. The discussion Kozol had with the students from Morris High, on the other hand, was completely different. The children displayed their polished vocabularies as they shared their insights on the issues of racial inequality in schools. While the children at Morris high discussed these issues cunningly, Kozol noted that they did not acknowledge the issues as reality, but rather as a theoretical …show more content…
Louis alone are certainly alarming, I am most dismayed by the responses of the children from Morris High. It is evident that the children at Morris High do not fully understand the implications of racial inequality, nor do they regard the immense suffering of children in schools like those in East St. Louis. However, if I were a young white girl from a high class family attending Morris high, I too might have the same outlook. I likely would have been taught to acknowledge the inequalities faced by the minority, but would not have been taught the privileges I have experience for being white. If I were suddenly to start attending East St. Louis schools, however, the inequalities faced by my new peers would become much more apparent. Although race appears to be the source of these inequalities, it should be noted that other factors contribute as well. For instance, if a black child came from a high class family, he could afford to attend Morris High. Likewise, a white child from a low class family might only have the option of attending a school in East St. Louis. Through Kozol’s Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools, it can be observed that children like those at Morris High are taught about racial inequalities, but are not taught to recognize white privilege. In addition, they seem to only be passionate about issues that have potential to benefit them personally. Helping children like those in East
Many of the black high school’s resources were hand me downs…since the black students couldn’t fit on one bus, some children routinely missed their first class,” (Green 39). This was not the case at the white school six blocks away. If the separated schools were equal, Moton would not have had dilapidated buses, nearly 75 kids per classroom, or a lack of facilities. In the white high school, if this issue had
About 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education, the debate continues over racial inequalities in the nation’s school system, largely based differences in resources between schools in wealthier and economically districts across the
Redlining is the discriminatory practice of denying or limiting financial services, such as loans or insurance, to specific neighborhoods, typically based on race or ethnicity. This practice was prevalent in the mid-20th century in the United States, and its effects can still be seen today in the form of segregated neighborhoods and disparities in wealth and opportunity. Based on academic performance, graduation rates, and student diversity, East Irondequoit High School in Rochester, NY surpasses Monroe High School, indicating that it is a more effective and inclusive institution for secondary education. Therefore, comparing the two schools can provide insights into the impacts of historical redlining on present-day educational inequality.
The American education system provides less resources and inexperienced teachers to schools with low-income students, which are said to be mainly African American and Latino. This continuing inequality has detrimental effects on society. In 2013, only 66 percent of African American graduated on time, while 83 percent of White students finished high school in four years. These facts undermine our core beliefs about education and equality. It also undermines our national ability to be competitive in the global
Introduction Race and racism are uncomfortable topics, but ones that must be openly and honestly discussed in order to begin the process of change. This paper will review my background, analyze readings, and openly discuss how the readings relate to me. The readings will be Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” Beverly Daniel Tatum’s “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” , Christopher Edmin’s “For White Folks who Teach in the Hood,” and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva’s “Racism without Racists.” Through these readings, I will define race, racism, white privilege, then I will reflect on how I identify with them and they affect education.
For instance, “...when we have students in our classes from minoritized groups, they invariably tell us of the misery of high school and all of the unconscious attitudes and behaviors from the dominant group...”(Özlem and DiAngelo). In other words, this shows that students of minorities are often treated differently, a lot of the time the education system is inadvertently biased. Adding this emotional detail will lead readers to the aimed conclusion that change needs to happen in our education system. Despite the different rhetorical strategies used to convey the purpose, the main idea of both texts have the intent to inform and advocate for equality, disregarding one's background or social
Amidst the protests about student deaths like Michael Brown, a light shines on segregated school districts in cities, and it is evident from student successes that a proper education is key to success. The power of a proper education is astounding, and yet the political machines rarely aid education reform. Themes in The Wire, The Other Wes Moore and “School Segregation, the Continuing Tragedy of Ferguson” all showcase the importance of education in every child’s life. Both Wes Moore and Mah’Ria’s showcase the importance a proper education in destroying racial oppression.
Now while all this is in occurrence, another more beneficial school has ease of access to any ideal high school should and more. They have very well curriculums for students to become the best they can be and hold numbers resulting into most of their school ranking in Advanced Placement classes. The differences between these schools are far from becoming equal but this is evidence that our educational system is not equally diverse and that many students are suffering lacks of education forcibly due to education system. The education system has flaws spread out many schools in our nation. That being, our system is ready for an improvement.
That goes to show that the public school system only want students to have certain careers and to limit their choices in life not knowing how it’ll affect their future. Kozol felt as if the inner city districts are limiting minority students instead of encouraging them to
How would an individual feel if their school was integrated? Or had conditions so bad to the point where they can’t focus on their education? Well I’ve been given multiple sources to analyze Detroit Public Schools and schools in the 1950’s to tell you how they dealt with these issues and many others; So, I’ll be comparing and contrasting the two. Both subjects had multiple comparisons and contrasts, but some more than others.
Whitewick (2021) says “education alone cannot tackle entrenched racial inequality, but it's a start.” This emphasizes the fact that racial inequality will be coming to an end with each and every generation that is coming. Although most people say races are all equal, some people have different views and were raised differently. If the education system allows children to learn about certain situations that different races and ethnicities had to go through throughout history, the children's eyes will be widened to accept everyone for who they
Segregation and its inequality effects have left a very heavy impression on the city of Berkeley. While it would be wrong to ignore the interventions taken up to decrease the achievement gap as expressed by neoliberal scholars above, we can not turn blind eye to the several post desegregation academic issues still prevailing. Segregation has lawfully been abolished (Landsberg 2015), however, obverse statistics exemplify a reality of unequal opportunities and resources amongst children (Yang & Qiu 2016). Daunting political history and extreme marginalization have forced individuals into a poverty trap, which educational programs must partake in, in order to alleviate the ramifications of (Wade 2015). Although the Berkeley Unified School District
Brown vs. The Board of Education: Impact Education is a very important aspect of the current world. In order to be successful, people have to have a good education because it is difficult to see a world without one. Well, in the 1950's, white Americans segregated themselves from African-Americans. They believed that education should be equal even when separate. The case of Brown vs. Board of Education has had a deep effect on the people of the United States and proved that unsegregated education had an educational, social, and political impact on the people of the U.S.
Martha Peraza SOC 3340 Inequality in Education California State University, Bakersfield Abstract In the United States, there exists a gap in equality for different demographics of students. The factors contributing to educational disadvantages include socioeconomic struggles, gender of students, language or culture, and particularly for the scope of this paper, race.
2Shortly after the Rodney King riots in L.A., new school teacher Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) wants to experience the difficult freshman class of Wilson High School, made up of some ethnic groups’ kids that the system has given up on. The optimistic young teacher Erin comes up with her confidence to try her best to get the kids to learn more about themselves and the world around them, finding the meaning of their lives in journals, while fighting with fellow teachers and the school principal about her techniques. Erin tries her best to break the ice between the people with love and understanding, while school including dean keeps on racism and regard students as hopeless people. More generally, Basing on racism, on the one hand, some people that are