Race Inequality in Education - Essay Example

Race Inequality in Education The phenomenon of race has throughout the past decades continued to have a significant effect in the society, as this influences the relationships among people. Although race represents the diversity of humans and hence, a reason for celebrating humanity, this has on the contrast resulted in different problems in our society. Racism and negative ethnicity are among the problems that humans have to experience because of their diversity. From these two stems inequality. There are different kinds of inequalities that people of different races experience today. Such inequalities are detrimental to relationships in society, and do not promote equality in different aspects among people. This paper focuses on institutional inequalities, and specifically in the area of education, and offers recommendations on how this problem can be addressed. Educational inequality based on race is a problem that is experienced in the United States, as well as other countries that are highly multicultural. The high levels at which this racial problem is experienced calls for urgent measures to ensure that it is put under control. The racial inequality in school systems is mainly perpetuated by the school practices that the schools adopt, including the mislabelling of students and academic tracking (Collins 2). There is different evidence that prove the existence of racial inequalities of the educational system. However, there are various measures that can be adopted in order to cease the practices that promote racial disparities in schools. If more research is conducted on this problem, including how this affects students’ performance adversely, and effective policies put in place to address this problem, the inequalities will lessen, even as more students experience academic achievement. Education provides many opportunities to individuals. Individuals that have an education are therefore, more privileged than those that do not get an education. Similarly, students in school might perform differently; as others will have better grades than others. On the other hand, some students might drop out of school. Putting all these aspects into perspective, it is important to note that although the personal efforts of an individual student may help them to succeed in their academics, there are different structural factors that equally contribute to the success of students in schools. Fitzgerald (218) considers these structural factors to include aspects of social class, gender, race, nationality and sexuality. With regard to race, different researches confirm that there are racial differences in the American educational system, and this has a significant influence on the performance and drop-out levels of students in schools. The case of racial differences in the American educational system has not experienced major changes today, as compared with how this situation was in the past. About sixty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were inherently unequal and therefore, unconstitutional. Although this changed only in how segregated schools were abolished, today, the same situation has persisted. This is the case, as some public schools still offer students of colour an inferior and unequal education, as compared to their white counterparts (Collins 2). Today, if any observer of any background or area of expertise walks in the halls of a traditional public school and peaks in the classrooms, he or she will witness the disproportionate representation of minorities in particular areas of the school. A research by Franklin, Waukechon, Larney, Timmer, Pennekamp (1995) shows that in special education classes, in-school suspension, and remedial courses, there are more African American, Latino, and American Indian students, while there are more Caucasian students in advanced level courses (Collins 2). A comparison between the past and current educational system in America shows that not much has changed, as far as racial differences and inequalities are concerned. Fitzgerald (215) considers the case of schools in Jim Crow South in the late 19th Century, when racial segregation was constitutional. In the 1930’s for instance, “Colored High School,” (now Monroe Colored High School) was the only school for Black students in Monroe with 1100 black students and only one teacher for each grade. This school had no learning resources as compared to the neighbouring schools for whites; hence a proof of the existing inequalities between whites, the dominant race, and the other races. Fitzgerald (215) also provides of the present day Luther Burbank Middle School in San Francisco and how this compares to the 80-years-ago Colored High School. Luther Burbank Middle School serves black students from low-income backgrounds. In this age, this school lacks physical infrastructure and learning resources, hence suffers a similar case as that of Colored High School eighty years ago. Education is important, as it helps an individual to live a better life. Therefore, when students of color are denied equal and better education, this limits their possibilities of leading successful lives. Evidence from the US Census Bureau 2010 Population Survey (in Fitzgerald 217), shows that the graduation rates of white college was higher as compared to that of African American and Latino college students. Non-Hispanic whites are more likely than all other groups to have a high school diploma, while the Hispanics are the most likely to lack a high school diploma. On the other hand, Asian Americans are more likely than all other groups, to earn a degree. This trend also remains the case for high school drop-out rates. For the past forty years, the drop-out rate for racial minorities is alarmingly higher compared to that of whites and Asian Americans (Fitzgerald 218). In early March of the year 2014, the US Department of Education’s Officer for Civic Rights released comprehensive data in the education sector. The data indicated the extent of racial inequality that continues to plague the education system of the nation. The data showed that black Latino and Native American students have less access to advanced math and science courses and are more likely to be taught by first-year instructors, as compared to the white students. In addition, the expulsion and suspension rates of black Latino and Native American students were higher than those of whites and other groups (U.S. Department of Education Web). The Education Department also conducted an examination of the school discipline at the pre-K level and found out that black students, from those aged as young as four, faced unequal and unfair treatment from administrators of schools. Nonetheless, the evidence provided is a clear indicator of how urgent the problem of racial inequalities in education, and why there is a dire need to develop appropriate interventions for the situation. The unequal representation of minority students in advanced level classes is responsible for the ever increasing gap that exists between the achievement of color students, including African American, American Indian, and Latino students and their Caucasian counterparts. There is therefore, need to stop the blame game and ensure the involvement of the government, teachers, and parents in addressing this issue. The government should effectively address this situation by ensuring that the education policies that are adopted do not promote any form of inequality in the educational system. In order to address this situation, it is important that the government through the U.S. Education Department considers appropriate funding for schools. This is especially the schools that serve the low-income collared students, as these are the worst hit with lack of funding. Strauss also suggests that the Education Department should ensure that schools receive additional resources, based on the needs of their students (Web). Schools that serve students from low income backgrounds should be entitled to more resources than those that serve students from wealthy backgrounds. According to Orfield, Federal funds can play an important role in addressing the issue of race in schools (Web). He notes that since the administration of Reagan, which provided for the federal desegregation aid program, schools have not received federal funds to address the issue of race. This law in Reagan’s rulership funded programs that involved training of teachers, helping students address racial divisions in schools, and working on curriculum, among others. This law was successful in improving the race relations and raising achievement in schools. This law also led to the rise of effective and integrated schools that had clear desegregation standards, free transport for all students and had no discrimination based on disability. These schools also reached out and recruited the underrepresented groups (Orfield Web). Therefore, it may be effective today if the U.S. government revives the federal desegregation aid program or developed a new similar program that aims solely at ensuring that there are no inequalities in the education system. All educators, school administrators, policymakers and stakeholders must be well aware of the fact that the achievement gap that exists between the minority and the non-minority students is a result of the inequalities and injustices that prevail in the education system today. As noted earlier, any child that is denied an education, or quality education, is most likely to achieve less in life. For this reason therefore, everyone must be held accountable in the development of strategies that will help to rectify the damages that have already been done, and help to prevent future damages that racial inequalities will do to the education system (Troyna 196). A major recommendation is that schools should adopt quantifiable measures that will enable them to assess their level of racial equity, and develop and work towards the achievement of different goals that will foster equality (Collins 7). The schools should also ensure that the public is well informed of their progress as far as racial equity is concerned; and they could ensure this through annual reports that the public can access. In conclusion, racial disparities continue to be a major problem in different countries. The education systems of countries that are highly multicultural are marked by different inequalities that emanate from the aspect of race or ethnicity. This paper has focused on this issue and how it affects the United States, which is one of the most highly multicultural nations. Various evidence provided in this paper clearly point to the existence of racial disparities in the education system of the U.S. Although this problem was also experienced in the past decades, it is expected that by now, the various related bodies would have addressed this. The persistence of this problem in future might lead to detrimental effects to the U.S. as a whole. The lack of quality education and no education for most minority groups might increase the level of poverty and crime in future, hence putting the whole nation at risk. It is therefore, important that the U.S. government and all individuals play a collective role in effecting measures to address this situation. Furthermore, there is need for further research to find additional solutions. Works Cited Collins Jessica. “The Racial Inequalities of Our Educational System.” n.d. Web. Fitzgerald Kathleen. “Recognizing Race and Ethnicity: Power, Privilege, and Inequality.” New York: Westview Press, 2014. Orfield Garry. “Race and Schools: The Need for Action.” National Education Association. 2013. Web. Strauss Valeria. “Why education inequality persists — and how to fix it.” Washington Post, 16 May, 2012. Web. Troyna Barry. “Racial Inequality in Education.” New York: Routledge. 2011. U.S. Department of Education. “Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC).” 2013. Web. Read More