Inequity in the Education System - Essay Example

? Inequity in the Education System First Affiliation Even though the educational sector may be seen to be one of the many beneficial sectors to the human development, in the recent past this sector has been marred by some problems that have led to this sector becoming characterized with certain anomalies with particular concern that way people are handled. The issue of inequalities has in the recent past come up. This is especially due to the fact that people of a certain region believe that the ways of teaching and the way information is possessed is superior to the ways of other cultures. This brings to question the exact role of education. Is the education offered supposed to be universally acceptable by all that are targeted or is it supposed to be oppressive to a particular group? In connection to this question, it has come to be seen that the education in some regions is seen to be superior to other regions. In this particular, case the one from North America Education is one extremely noteworthy thing in the development of any given society. This has been the general belief for quite a long time now. However, it is worth noting that even though the relevance of these phenomena, it is not always realized equally by all the stakeholders. The stakeholders in this case refer to individuals who are affected by education. The students are in perspective in this case. There are various assessments and researches that are carried out globally for the purpose of pointing out the achievements of education among the populations. The United States is the country that is in focus in this case. The most recent research, which was conducted by one of the Educational Research foundations, was done in the year 2009. There were some things, which the research hoped to achieve. Some of the key issues in this case were the examination of the reading skills, which the students possessed. This is not forgetting their literacy with regards to mathematic and scientific concepts. The Program for International Students’ Assessment is also another body, which engages in research on the part of educational competencies of students in several countries of the world. In the past, the results released by this body point out that the educational levels in The United States are on the decline. Take for example, in the year 2000. This was at the inception of the 2000s and it is noteworthy that at this point only Finland scored higher than the United States when it came to literacy levels of reading. There is a particularly worrying trend when it comes to the educational performance of the students in United States. The decline in performance is exhibited by the top achieving students. On the other hand, the students who do not perform well do not also show signs that they can improve their performance. This improvement is meant to compensate for the decline, which is exhibited at the top. In order to get further understanding of the causes of these inequities it may be of the essence to examine some of the factors that come into perspective. In this case, the benefits of education in a person’s life start being realized at a remarkably tender age. However, the participation of Americans in early education is low in comparison to other OECD countries. This is also exhibited in the expenditure, realized for the development of pre-school education. What, this shows is that access to pre-school education is on the lower side in the United States. The children from a disadvantaged background are the ones who end up getting affected in this case since they may not get the education, which is indispensable for their early development. It is worth noting that the effect of this can still be exhibited in the later life stages of a person. An individual who was unable to access early education may certainly not get access to other primary and secondary education. As such, the benefits that come as a result of quality education will not be realized. The society may end up suffering in the process. This is through increased dependency on the society by the person. At the same time, crime may be perpetrated by such an individual with the hope of catering for their needs. There are also disparities exhibited in the case of education, which is offered, by the public schools and private schools in the United States. It is seen that those children who are in private schools are better off in comparison to those children who are in private schools. This is because for starters, they are able to associate with the other children who are well educated. In the process, they get to develop their knowledge and experience. Public institutions, on the other hand, do not offer favorable learning environments as the private schools. In such public schools, there is the concept of peer pressure; the facilities are also not appealing. The public schools also have a difficult time attracting better and more experienced teachers as compared to the private schools. One of the recent studies conducted pointed out that school factors and the peers of the child, in addition to the child’s IQ and the resources of the family indeed have an enormous impact on the overall grade and performance of the student. There is a lot of competition between the children in public and those in established private schools. However, at the end of it the private institutions of learning emerge better off in comparison to their public counterparts. Those students in public schools exhibit tendencies associated with slow learning as well as ill discipline. The finding, which comes from the government, is not sufficient for the various students in the public learning institutions. A remarkably small percentage of this is targeted, on the various diverse needs of the students. The remainder of the funds is more associated with the general needs of education. Access to information and communication technology is also another variable, which brings about the inequalities in the education system. The children who live in homes that are low socioeconomically have less access to such information. This is again made worse if the children are living in communities that are remote or out of urban areas. It is worth addressing such an issue especially bearing in mind the technological revolution, which in the world. There may be a widening digital divide, even in a developed country like the United States. Technology is one of the learning tools, which ought to be embraced in all levels of education. This is because it boosts on the knowledge, which a person has. At the same time, it may serve as a motivational tool especially for the students that are under achievers. The geography of the country contributes significantly to the disparities in education. This phenomenon especially favors those students who are in urban areas as compared to those that are in rural areas. The educational performance of the students in rural or remote areas is significantly low in comparison to their urban counterparts. The main reason for this is due to the limits that are seen when in the choice of subjects. These students in rural areas also have to face several factors affecting their lives such as socio-economic inclinations. These may make them less likely to complete school. The performance of American students in relation to the skills that they possess is comparatively low to that of other countries. For example, the international level of proficiency has been set at base two. However, it is alarming to note that around 14 per cent of American students did not even reach this level. This is in comparison to around 17 percent for New Zealand and the United States. In as much as PISA classifies United States as an average country in terms of educational equity, still a lot has to be done for the purpose of bringing education to the inhabitants of the nation. Still on the issue of the baseline score, gender comes into perspective. There are other sectors where the performance of boys is better in comparison to that of girls. This is in the areas to do with math and science. However, when it comes to reading skills, boys trail behind. The results point out that close to 20 per cent of boys fails to reach the average baseline score as compared to 9 per cent exhibited by girls. The inequalities, which are pointed out in the American education system, have wider implications as opposed to affecting only the students at an individual level. The economy, for example can suffer. This is due to the lack of knowledgeable people. These people in the society are ready and willing to work and study for the benefits of their lives. However, the impediments that come their way act as limiters to their pursuits with regards to educational a career lives. With this realization, it may be helpful for the government to come up with ways and means, which may avail equal opportunities for all people especially in the case of education. If this is done, significant developments may be realized in the country’s education system. References Checchi, Daniele. The economics of education: human capital, family background and inequality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print. G. Kalb and S.A. Maani, "The importance of observing early school leaving and peer characteristics in analyzing academic performance", Melbourne Institute Working paper no. 05/2007.  Ornstein, Allan C.. Class counts: education, inequality, and the shrinking middle class. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Pub. Group, 2007. Print. Read More