Disparities And Inequalities Within The St. Louis Public Education System

Abstract

Children in the education system are often told the adage “school comes first”. A statement which implies that an education is more important than any other extracurricular activity, social relationship, or family event. For the purposes of this specific essay, the term “education” refers to K-12 public education in the United States, specifically in the Saint Louis area. Recent research on the disparities and inequalities within the Saint Louis public education system have challenged the notion that “school comes first” for every child. It is no secret that education gaps and literacy gaps exist between rich and poor areas of Saint Louis. Data from Colin Gordon’s book Citizen Brown: Race, Democracy, and Inequality in the St. Louis

In William Brennan’s article, “Julie Washington’s Quest to Get Schools to Respect African-American English”, he explores a case-study which reveals that speakers of AAVE (African American Vernacular English) are often belittled, ridiculed, and overlooked. The ignorance for their dialect of English results in statistically low-performing standardized test scores. While some would argue that this phenomenon occurs because their vernacular is incorrect, other researchers have decided that this dialect difference accounts for the black-white literacy gap. Author Curt Dudley-Marling asserts that “children must learn the formal language of schooling. There is little to be gained, however, by pathologizing the language and culture of children living in poverty” (368). As a baseline, teachers should be trained to acknowledge the resources and backgrounds all children so that they may be able to recognize the strengths of non-native English speakers. A wholistic evaluation of minority groups is necessary for their successful integration in to the education system, if traditional practices are to continue in society. Many children in poorer areas are forced to “code-switch” between their home dialect and the dialect spoken in school. Teaching one “correct” way to speak and write can have major implications for a young person’s confidence and

However, it is important to ask ourselves who will advocate for students who do not benefit from the traditional education system. Additional research is necessary to determine specific modifications that could help education become more accessible for people of different backgrounds. I had prior knowledge of education injustices in Saint Louis, but I had not looked very much into its implications or potential solutions. I believe that everyone in America deserves a free public education that is tailored to their needs, and funding guidelines should be reallocated and reestablished in Saint Louis legislature. In this way, poorer areas will have increased access for supplies, better training for teachers, and greater success rates for students. Advocacy will become more powerful when teachers, students, and parents are able to come together and educate themselves about this issue, and raise awareness for legislators to enact change. It is difficult for underprivileged children to put their education first if the system refuses to put their needs