The equality of American public education - Essay Example

The equality of American public education Although claims regarding the equality of American public education are made by various people belonging to different classes of the society, the reality is clearly not aligned with such assertions. A number of facts point towards the inequality that is endured by students belonging to the socioeconomically deprived classes of the society. Overall, the performance of students belonging to the working-class or the ethnic minorities is poor in schools. Their drop-rates are higher than their socially privileged or ethnically superior counterparts (Mehan 3). Another interesting fact is the discrimination based on color, that is felt and reported by certain classes of the society. On various platforms and in different researches, it has been reported that the black colored students are lagging behind their white or Asian counterparts. In some cases, it appears to be a divide that is created intentionally by unseen forces (Solomon n.p.). Another stark inequality is manifested in the form of access to Advanced Placement courses which is largely reserved for the affluent and privileged classes of the society. Schools which focus on the education of deprived classes of the society are unable to offer such placements to their students, mostly secondary to their lack of resources. On the other hand, schools which cater to the needs of the influential class students possess and provide abundant opportunities to the students regarding placement in advance courses. Although the immediate effect of such discrimination may not be evident; the long term consequences may be observed in the form of heightened professional success among the privileged students, since such courses prepare them in professional terms (Klugman 1). ‘Culture’ as a tool to describe all problems related to achievement gap has become widely accepted among the vast majority of teachers who interact with students of color on daily basis. Although every individual, whether white or black possesses a cultural background; the notion of ‘culture’ is considered associated only with the deprived classes of the society. This may be considered an extension of the teacher’s self-esteem issue, since it is quite common for teachers to associate culture with everything that is non-white. So, instead of looking for the real explanation that lies behind the achievement gaps, white teachers are more inclined towards labelling it a ‘culture’ thing which therefore has either ‘no cure’ or needs a ‘prolonged therapy’. It has become extremely common to associate culture of poverty to the achievement gap that is evident among students. Although the reality that lies behind such gaps may be puzzling and in some cases difficult to determine, the common path chosen to explain such gaps is the over-simplistic approach that ignores every other factor and points to culture as the causative agent of all sins. For this reason, it has been rightfully pointed out that it is not the culture of poverty that is the cause of widespread achievement gaps; it is rather the poverty of culture that contributes towards such outcomes (Ladson-Billings 104 - 107). One of the mainstream concepts that surround educational discussions is the ‘achievement gap’, which attempts to compare and contrast the educational outcomes that prevail between students of color and the whites (Ladson-Billings 3). Interestingly, the huge amount of research dedicated to looking for the cause of underachievement is directed towards tracing the cause in the origins of individuals who are in fact the victims of the prevailing system. This notion which is termed as ‘cultural deficit’ again blames the ‘culture’ as being the main cause of achievement gap. The assertion is that although the educational system functions in an unjustified manner and retains and promotes certain inequalities at institutional levels, the cause of underperformance should be sought within the social and cultural background of the underperforming students. That is to say that the ‘oppressed is in fact his own oppressor’. In my understanding, the research should have focused on the interventions that are in place at educational institutions, instead of blaming the culture of the deprived students. This is the only way to explore the underlying causative factors. Additionally, there is a need to understand the fact that research is not meant to ‘blame’ a particular segment of population; instead it is conducted to assist the deprived classes of society that are dependent upon the assistance of others for their existence and success. It should be emphasized that even if ‘cultural deficit’ does exist, measures to overcome this issue should be taken at educational institutions to prevent the unfortunate students from becoming victims of underachievement. An additional issue that has repeatedly been pointed out by various researchers is the inequality that is promoted by the system as a whole. The social network of the society is meshed in a way that promotes inequality among different classes of the society. The privileged class of the society is inclined towards bestowing their likes. The chain of events that lead to the professional success of the socially successful class start right from early education. The system favors segregation of the whites and the black into educational setups that raise them according to clearly different guidelines. Lack of resources is the main theme that surrounds schools that take economically deprived students. This is compounded by the lack of access to courses that bestow advanced professional skills that are essential for success in professional life. The story does not end here; employers also follow the routine. Jobs of high value are reserved for those who are professionally sound and have an educational career that is flawless. This system of course favors such students who have been bright throughout their educational career, and forces the weaker students to fail in professional terms. So the viscous cycle continues due to the fact that failure to get a high salaried job means continuation of poverty, which therefore runs generation after generation. On the other hand, students from rich backgrounds rise to the top, have better jobs, are professionally more successful and in turn they are able to educate adequately their upcoming generation. Social capital is an additional area which forces students from deprived families to endure damages. Although access to this resource may vary within a particular class of the society, the overall lack of relationships that can benefit a student in education or professional terms is more profound in the deprived classes. The information, supervision and support gained from closely knit relationship networks is definitely contributory towards the success of students and most students of the economically deprived classes lack such support (Oseguera et al 1137). Generally speaking, the family of a student is the main supplier of social capital and successful families have widespread networks of social connections that contribute towards their success. However, it seems appropriate to assume that the children themselves may develop and enhance their social capital during their stay at educational institutions. Of note is the notion that students have to be the dwellers of multiple worlds; one world is their family world where norms and customs are different from the world which they visit during their school days (Phelan et al 55). Even if a dweller of the deprived world manages to enter the privileged world, the social restrictions and borders are such that they render the person incapable of functioning successfully; thus the ultimate outcome is very less likely to be favorable. It is therefore safe to assert that although equality as a value is promoted on national level; the reality of education at the public schools of country is not in accordance to the principles of equality and there is much that needs to be done, not only in the education sector but also on social level. References Klugman, Joshua. "The Advanced Placement Arms Race and the Reproduction of Educational Inequality." Teachers College Record 115, no. 5 (2013): 1-34. Ladson-Billings, Gloria. "From the achievement gap to the education debt: Understanding achievement in US schools." Educational researcher 35.7 (2006): 3-12. Ladson‐Billings, Gloria. "It's not the culture of poverty, it's the poverty of culture: The problem with teacher education." Anthropology & Education Quarterly 37, no. 2 (2006): 104-109. Mehan, Hugh. "Understanding inequality in schools: The contribution of interpretive studies." Sociology of education (1992): 1-20. Oseguera, Leticia, Gilberto Q. Conchas, and Eduardo Mosqueda. "Beyond Family and Ethnic Culture Understanding the Preconditions for the Potential Realization of Social Capital." Youth & Society 43.3 (2011): 1136-1166. Phelan, Patricia, Ann Locke Davidson, and Hanh Thanh Cao. "Students' multiple worlds: Negotiating the boundaries of family, peer, and school cultures." Anthropology & Education Quarterly 22.3 (1991): 224-250. Solomon, Nancy. "Mind the Gap: Why Good Schools are Failing Black Students." Interview. Read More