The Situation of Black Students in American Schools - Book Report/Review Example

? The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid The book is a depiction of how black, as well as Hispanic, are concentrated in several schools in the United States and end up being the majority of student bodies. Jonathan Kozol carried out some research prior to writing the book by visiting roughly 60 public schools. Based on his observation, he found the conditions to be abysmal for the inner-city children after 50 years since the significant ruling on the case of Brown vs. Board of Education, which served to dismantle the ideologies of segregations in school (separate but equal rule). Kozol realized that wealthier white families moved from the cities and settled in the suburbs, with the minorities remaining in the city where they were part of the public school system. Kozol uses a quote from Gary Orefield to summarize his findings: ‘American public schools have reverted back to the method of segregation, during the 1990s, the ratio of black to white students had decreased to a lower level in comparison to 1968’. (Charles, 2009) Kozol’s earlier book, ‘Amazing Grace’, was based on an outlook of the schools in the South Bronx, which were under the methodology of segregation. The author stated that he ‘noticed the drastic change on a national scale, and the fear witnessed from the media to publicize the change.’ He noted that the newspapers had ‘refused to see or reveal something that was clear to them.’ Media feared using the term segregation, even ‘98% of some schools had students or black and Latino races’. (Kozol, 2005) Kozol uses this book to attack the inequality of allocation of school funds between the schools in the cities and the wealthier suburbs. There was disparity in the tax system (on property) which would adversely affect public schools depending on the related states for funding. Kozol demonstrates his anger in his writing using facts to emphasize his points, such as New York City spending $11,627 on each child for schooling in 2002-3, while Nassau County spent $22,311, and the Great Neck spent $19, 705. Kozol determined that the comparisons were relevant to other metropolitan locations, because the funding of the schools was locally based. For instance, a primary white school would offer drama club classes, while a nearby black school would require more funding for a hairdressing class. The evidence that he provides in the book serves to justify his displeasure in the segregation and blatant disregard for racial equality, and the media are unwilling to ‘shed some light’ on the matter. (Sarat, 1997) In the first chapter, Kozol examines the situation in the urban school system, where the case of segregation is a serious matter. One of the disheartening experiences for the generation that grew up in the era of Martin Luther King, as well as Thurgood Marshall, would be to visit public schools today that have been named after them and see just how segregation has plagued the schools and their development’ (Kozol, 2005, p. 22). He discusses the irony of the quote, explaining how the same individuals who fought for equality would realize that their passing on has served to return segregation into the public schools, and it has become worse in some cases. Places such as San Diego, Seattle and Washington, where over 85% of the public school student are of the minority, are not even aware of the accomplishments or the ideologies that the schools that are named after activists strived to accomplish (Ravitch, 2000). It is a clear indication of how segregation has been used even as a medium for poisoning or depriving students from the nature of students in the schools. It is a clear neglect of parts of US history. Chapter 2 is based on looking at the manner in which children are targeted as a manner of changing US history by excluding its important parts, such as the acts of Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Thurgood Marshall. It demonstrates the level of school disparity between urban and suburban populations regarding formal education. ‘In the fall of 2002, only a third to a quarter of the children in the district of New York received a year of preschool education. Less than two years of pre-K instruction, this is common in the majority of the affluent communities’ (Kozol, 2005). Kozol’s focus in the chapter is based on illustrating the disparity between the suburban and urban communities, especially in regards to formal education. (Tyack, 1995) Chapter 3 and 4 are based upon illustrating how public schools were using a single strategy in order to encompass all students to save costs and reduce funding. The main aim for public schools was to develop a single program that would be used for educating students. This meant that teachers would follow created lesson plans, regardless of whether they would be applicable to the students or not, which was under the notion of ‘Success for All’. (Kozol, 2005, p. 63) Kozol illustrates that the program was based on giving a strict guideline as to the occupation that a student would want in the future. ‘Would you like a Manager’s job? This was the first line on a kindergarten poster’ (Kozol, 2005, p. 89). It demonstrated the limitations of the curriculum, in that they were designed to limit the possibilities of a student regarding an occupation they would like to have in their adulthood. In chapter 6 and 7, the author looks at how the urban dwellers are limited in a manner that curbs the level of opportunities for students. ‘These people are blind to the fact that the two systems are inextricably linked, with each existing, with the aid of the other’ (Kozol, 2005, p. 141). Kozol states that the system is designed to illustrate the correlation between the urban and suburban schooling system; it is a means of justifying the reason for the disparity in education quality (Donald 2001). The concept is based on the ideology that suburban schools are established for the implementation of a better education system, while the public urban, school system exists due to funding from individuals who are part of the suburban schooling system (out of pity). In the conclusion of chapter 6, Kozol uses Roosevelt School district as an example. There was a petition to remove the school and make it part of the suburban school district of East meadows. However, the petition was met with hostility, which was based on the element of the need for a racial divide. (Rury, 2002) ‘In computer classes, one student stated they (the class) talk about what they would do if they had computers’ (Kozol, 2005, p. 171). Kozol demonstrates the level of disparity in the schools in chapter 7. He uses Oklahoma as an example; it is overcrowded and filled with trailers that lack heating and cooling mechanisms, making it uncomfortable for students to study or learn. Chapter 8 and 9 are based on false hope or the deceit of better aspects for the public schools. ‘Justified suspicions that the promises they talk about today relating to new measures of eliminating segregation in schools. But it is just more talk that results in more disappointment’ (Kozol, 2005, p. 192). The quote describes the nature of promises to eradicate segregation, as well as improve the nature of public schools; however, the hope only turns into more despair, because the same people who make promises only end up disappointing. Eventually, the promises they make never materialize, and students are left with further disappointment. ‘What do we need to do to alter these realities’ (Kozol, 2005, p. 215). Kozol begins to some of the questions that delve into segregation. He bases his answers from his experience as a teacher in the 1960s. He had to teach using a program that was intent on cutting costs, but provide a program that could apply and serve as an improvement on the mechanisms of teaching before the program. It was eventually abandoned after 7 years due to several shortcomings. Chapter 10 and 11 provide a national picture of the extent of the poor education system and the rapid spread of segregation, and how this factor was concealed to the public. ‘Shaw realized that most of the Americans were unaware of how children had no constitutional protection of equality of education. The fact that education is not a protected right in the constitution was a shock to several citizens’ (Kozol, 2005, p. 254). Chapter 10 delves into the nature of how the legal system can be used as a weapon to eliminate apartheid in the education system. Kozol provides evidence that is used to illustrate how courts were unwilling or unable to address and tackle segregation. (Dorn, 1996) ‘In the president working on his re-election in 2004, he stated that the system was making a difference. It is a lie that has become believable due to the fact that it is constantly repeated, and citizens believe it to be true’ (Kozol, 2005, p. 284). Kozol demonstrates the severity of the element of segregation by going to the executive arm of the law. He demonstrates how apartheid has been neglected by the president as a minor issue. The book argues on the fact that though students may be told that they can succeed, without adequate funding, schools will eventually struggle. (Krug, 1964) Even though the author spends the entirety of the book depicting the failures of segregation in schools, chapter 12 demonstrates the limited cases of excellence in segregation schools. ‘There are schools I call Treasure places, they are a reminder of the possible’ (Kozol, 2005, p. 300). The final (twelfth) chapter provides examples of schools that are a beacon of hope, such as the one of Mr. Bedrock, who works in a segregated school in New York, but still manages to make the best out of a deplorable situation. ’Teachers and principals should not allow their profession to be redefined by individuals who have little respect or knowledge of the hearts of children’ (Kozol, 2005, p. 299) In conclusion, the general aspect of the book is to demonstrate how the United States is divided even though it is united (Tyack, 1982). J. Kozol bases this fact with the use segregation in schools to prove this point. He uses eleven chapters that delve into the core of how apartheid has become acceptable in society, even though the public is against it. From the lows of public schools to the executive arm (U.S. president), the author demonstrates how neglect is evident in all circles of society. The positive factor of the book is that Kozol spares the final chapter to illustrate that hope, hope even in segregation, for a country that is severely divided, even though it is the United States of America. References Kozol, J. (2006). The shame of the nation: The restoration of apartheid, Broadway. Charles H. (2009). Social Inequality: Forms, causes, and consequences (6th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Sarat, A. (1997). Race, Law, and Culture: Reflections on Brown V. Board of Education. Oxford University Press. Ravitch, D. (2000). Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms. Simon & Schuster. Tyack, D. (1995). Tinkering toward Utopia: A Century of Public School Reform. Harvard University Press. Donald, H. & Parkerson, A. (2001). Transitions in American Education: A Social History of Teaching. Routledge. Rury, J. (2002). Education and Social Change: Themes in the History of American Schooling; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Dorn, S. (1996). Creating the Dropout: An Institutional and Social History of School Failure. Praeger. Tyack, B., & Hansot, E. (1982). Managers of virtue: Public school leadership in America, 1820-1980. Basic Books. Krug, A. (1964). The shaping of the American high school, 1880-1920, Prentice Hall. Read More