Comparing Ethnicity as an Aspect of Urban Learning in the UK and the US - Essay Example

Comparing ethnicity as an aspect of urban learning in the U.K. and the U.S. Introduction Learning is an integral part of our lives. For some, learning takes as much as a third of their lifetimes, while others consider learning as a life long process. There are many forms of learning and education and it might be as formal or informal as it can get. Factors such as age, intelligence quotient (I.Q.), financial status and others affect the level and quality of education a person can get. As such, schools and educational systems are tailored for each individual’s needs and specifications. Learning today is facilitated not just inside a formal classroom, it make take place anywhere, anytime., although it still take a large amount of time and effort to go through it and finish it With today’s level of technology, education is available to anyone who can provide the time and diligence required to learn. Urban learning, a relatively modern system of learning prevails today. Urban learning tailors to clients that are situated in urban areas, taking in consideration the areas transport systems, access to public facilities etc. It also caters to the less fortunate and underprivileged urban citizens who want to continue their education but cannot afford tuition and other fess from private learning institutions. Being situated in that type of area, several issues are raised such as that of ethnicity, class, gender and /or ethnicity. These aspects play a significant part on how an urban learning situation works and how it affects the whole learning system itself. Urban learning An urban area is quite commonly termed as a town or city, which hosts sprawling industrial, commercial and residential areas. An urban area boasts of an efficient transport network which serves millions of commuters each day. Its industrial areas are its centres of production, capable of producing goods and services to urban residents. An urban commercial centre in turn is its centre for commerce, business and leisure and often, it is referred to as the metropolis where its residents transact business, go to work or go about with leisure while residential areas provide the citizens with the housing that they need (Wikipedia, 2006). Urban learning centers are often located near the residential areas or inside the residential area itself. Residents spread among various age, gender, and racial groups go to these urban learning areas for their education and as such, an urban learning area is vital to the growth and development of any city or town. A significant number of underprivileged and financially deficient individuals go to these institutions to continue their education through the various programs offered and tailored for them. Learning on the other hand, refers to the process of developing skills, good values and behaviour, as well as a working knowledge of things. Learning supports the overall development of an individual and as such is considered a life-long process. Learning takes a lot of time and effort and as an individual grows and develops, his learning capacity also increases (Wikipedia, 2006). Learning enables us to make most out of our resources and to cope up with our mistakes. An urban learning system facilitates the education of its students by adjusting to their needs. If for example, a student is part of an ethnic or minority group and he has difficulties using the native language then he or she will be able to gradually learn the language by having an instructor from her ethnic or minority group to teach the native language to him or her. This way, the learning processes is eased and speeds up. No education system is flawless and every system is subject to analysis and criticism. The urban learning system’s efficiency and affectivity has been questioned through time despite some negative feedback reported, the good news is urban learning is an excellent educational system. The British Broadcasting Company reports that a certain scheme called “Excellence in Cities” is effective in raising test scores (especially in math) of certain students in Key stages 2 to 4, in schools that admit underprivileged students (BBC news British Broadcasting Corporation, 2005). Urban Learning Institutions A typical example of an urban learning institution is the University of Gloucestershire’s Urban Learning Foundation (ULF), establishes some 30 years ago in Cheltenham. One of its first objectives was to tap the talents of teachers who have not yet experienced urban teaching. As a result some students at the foundation, who came from various non-urban areas stayed for the quality of education the foundation provided while the teachers made themselves readily available to service. The ULF was formed primarily to solve the lack of quality and affordable education in that area and also to teach their students and potential teachers on how to thrive in a multi-cultural environment (University of Gloucestershire, 2006). Another institution that supports urban learning is the University of Hull, which offers a curriculum on urban learning and teaching techniques. Students taking up the urban learning curriculum are taught community development and various interpersonal skills as well as awareness on several issues on education, educational policies and urban teaching techniques (University of Hull, 2006). Other urban learning centres situated around the U.K. and the U.S. includes: 1. The Los Angeles Educational Partnership (Learning exchange, 2003), formed from the merging of several business and higher education communities around the Los Angeles region. 2. The Urban Learning Centre located in Levassor Avenue Covington, Kentucky found in 1998 through the partnership of the Northern Kentucky University, Thomas Moore College and other noted educational institutions in the Kentucky area (Urban Learning centre, 2006). 3. The Urban Education Partnership located in the Los Angeles area formed from partnerships of several urban schools in the said area (Urban Education Partnership, 2006). 4. The Jared Polis Foundation located again in the Los Angeles area and ran by the Jared Polis Foundation in collaboration with high schools around Denver. (Jared Polis Foundation. 2004). 5. New American School Urban Learning Centre Again from Los Angeles, California, developed by the United Teachers Los Angeles, Los Angeles Educational Partnership and the United School District All of these institutions aim at providing education for low-income urban residents who cannot afford going to private schools in their area. The Urban Learning Centre for example aims to reduce or eliminate their student’s financial requirements on transport, day-care and other expenses (Urban Learning centre, 2006). On the other hand, the Academy of Urban Learning serves underprivileged minors through their educational programs (Academy of urban learning, 2005) while the New American School Urban Learning Centre aims to improve the education system by redesigning schemes for teaching, training, governance, management and community (New American Schools, Urban Learning Centres, 2003). They also aim to improve the lives of their students by supporting livelihood programs and other profitable ventures and other enterprises that the student may get profit from. The issue of ethnicity Diversity amongst people attending urban learning centres exists and issues arise from these aspects of urban learning. Among them are age, gender, financial status, ethnicity amongst others. Probably one of the major issues present in any urban learning community is ethnicity. Ethnicity is commonly viewed as derogatory, but a little understanding is required to fully comprehend what ethnicity is. In state universities, diversity and ethnicity abounds, so there real is no need for a new student to adjust to the surroundings but rather, he or she might learn that Ethnicity groups people according to their race and nationality, common language or dialect, traditions, religious order and anything that pertains to similarities in social and cultural characteristics (Wikipedia, 2006). Through the years, racial discrimination has put a negative tag on ethnicity. On an urban setting, a number of ethnic groups live, work and interact with each other without much trouble. People belonging to ethnic groups are proud of their heritage part of which is how they dress, what they eat, how they celebrate their traditions and much more. (Revision-notes, 2003). In today’s urban learning environment, ethnicity is no barrier to education since people under this environment treat each other as equals. Analyzing the admission requirements of urban schools in both the U.S. and U.K. Reveal that these institutions accept any individual regardless or race, religion and ethnicity. Student of every nationality are present and mingle with other students quite well not unlike in the past when being of a particular skin colour or having a different eye shape would stir controversy. Racism, the enemy of ethnicity has been minimized, if not totally eliminated. Publications such as Campaign against Racism and Fascism (CARF, 2006) and Childline (Childline, 2006) help raise awareness against racism and its evils. Amongst ethnic groups perhaps the most discriminated are the African-Americans or blacks. Their history as slaves brought upon a foreign land, is a testament on how people treat other people who tend to be different from them in more than one way. The original African Americans were brought in through the slave trade by trade ships. As the slave trade became illegal and inhumane, the African- Americans settled, and as time passed by emulated the culture of their former masters (Kearl, 1996). Up until the time they were treated as equals, African-Americans were heavily discriminated. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, posts an article detailing the various inequalities blacks face today. Which includes deficiencies in salaries, educational level, access to transportation and many more (The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education., 2006)? The other ethnic groups such as Asians, Latinos and Native Americans are now referred to as “cultural minorities”. Pocket populations of cultural minorities can be found on most urban areas establishing a niche for themselves there. Often a portion of a town or city is dedicated for them like “Chinatowns” for Chinese residents and “Manila towns” for Filipino residents. Children from these minorities tend to go to urban learning centres located in their area, forming a microcosm of the world’s societies. Examining the financial profiles of these children, reveal that they qualify for certain programs available in urban learning centres. Delinquency in both U.S. and U.K. urban learning centres is quite common as conflict may arise from 2 or more groups who have different views or opinions on certain issues. Not all groups are at peace all the time and when old rivalries between groups are triggered, a conflict ensues. Ethnicity issues in the U.K. Generally, as with the case of other European countries in Europe, the various ethnic groups have defined territories and are autonomous (Revision-notes, 2003) Ethnicity in the United Kingdom is a rather confusing matter, as the Kingdom has a loose definition of citizenship among it’s territories (Scotland, Wales, England etc) along with the fact that several cultural minorities have established their niche there. With this in effect, the U.K. is much more relaxed and much less discriminant of its foreign settlers. The United Kingdom aims to improve its education system and has been consistent in doing it. The improvement of urban learning centres in the U.K. has included online expansion and more benefits for its ethnic clients. The United Kingdom is considered one of the most develop territories in the world and as with any form of progress, it’s residents will feel its repercussions. The U.K. now has a number of urban learning centres that serve its students regardless if he or she belongs to a certain ethnic group. Ethnicity in the U.S. Being a nation of vast diversity, the United States is much more prone to racial discrimination in learning environments. Before there were sections not only in school but also in other public facilities which have separate sections for some ethnic groups. But as time passed by, and with the help of Dr. Martin Luther King and other individuals like him, equal rights f or ethnic groups were slowly accepted in their society. As the United States progressed, its urban areas also expanded. Given this situation, a number of urban learning centres emerged to provide high quality, affordable education for a multi-cultural environment. Perhaps the most established cultural group in the U.S. are the Native American Indians and the Afro-Americans. The Native American Indians are the original inhabitants of the Americas long before it was settled by Europeans who dubbed it “new found land”. Time passed and a bitter civil war between the settlers and native was fought ending up in a shaky truce between factions. Today, Native American Indians consider themselves as the country’s roots and several foundations have been built to in order to protect them from being abused or molested. Though they are slowly being urbanized, Native American Indians still preserve their heritage and traditions through their descendants. A prominent fixture in American urban learning systems is Afro-Americans or “blacks”. They are considered an integral part of America’s society today, as discrimination and racism is slowly lifted off from the country’s veins. In urban learning centres, Afro-Americans are usually part of the poverty stricken minority groups alongside Latinos, Asians, Russian migrants etc. such are the bonds that tie Afro-Americans as they refer to each other as brothers, united in everything they are for and against. With the help of these urban learning centres, Afro-Americans are able to excel in the academic as well as athletic fields. Asians such as Chinese, Korean, Filipino and Japanese migrant represent a fraction of the total minority population in the United States. Most are children of foreign settlers who have come to the United States to work. And/or migrate. As with Afro –Americans, many Asians benefit from urban learning centres to provide them with proper education they deserve. Other ethnicities There are still other ethnic and minority groups in existence, with their myriad beliefs, traditions, languages and cultural backgrounds and all benefit from the existence of urban learning centres for their education. Despite these barriers, urban learning centres and the system itself helps in bringing those barriers down. There is no doubt that as long as urban areas exist and there are people populating it then maybe in the near future, urban learning systems will be changed and/or improved. Conclusion Among the many aspects of urban learning such as deprivation, gender, social class, ethnicity stirs as much negative impact as any other aspect. It borders on racism and sometimes the two terms are interchanged or misinterpreted. Fortunately, urban learning institutions cater to the underprivileged individuals, many of which belong to an ethnic group or cultural minority. Benefits from these urban learning institutions range from financial to moral rewards. For example, some urban learning centres help minimize a student’s expenses on transportation, meals lodging and others. It also eases up and speeds up the learning process by making the activities and exercises within the capacity of the learner. Both the U.K. and the U.S., the gap between ethnic groups and the mainstream population is slowly being closed, due to legal and moral factors. In the United Kingdom, there is as much confusion internally about their own ethnic group and foreign ones. In the United States, there are many more ethnical and minority groups among which, the Afro-Americans are most well known. Urban learning centres, its system and the people behind it are true to their noble purpose of providing quality and affordable education to the masses. Urban learning is starting to be the bridge in which these cultural barriers are crossed, and eventually it might be the reason why racism or fascism could be eliminated once and for all aside from providing an efficient and effective learning system. Perhaps one day our educational systems would produce results that will change our lives forever. 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