Still Separate, Still Unequal

Unequal Education In Schools

The American dream has always been conceived as the abundance of opportunities that the United States has to offer. One of these includes the offer of equal and quality education for all kids, no matter who they are or where they come from. But the startling truth is that schools in the U.S. are NOT equal: some kids receive a high- quality education, while others do not. What is the reason for this, may you ask? Well, the quality of education is based upon the schools themselves, where social class and race separate kids. The segregation of schools based on socio- economic status has caused unequal education opportunities for kids in the United States. As a result, kids are not able to achieve future success in

It is certainly not helpful in a college setting, where learning practically depends on critical thinking and analysis of every topic covered in class. These students’ education is practically useless in the professional job market, where a college education is not only needed to function, but is also required. The unfortunate part is that “working- class” or inner- city schools are far from improving, as Jonathan Kozol emphasizes in his essay “Still Separate, Still Unequal.” He states “As racial isolation deepens and the inequalities of education finance remain unabated and take on new and more innovative forms, the principals of many inner- city schools are making choices that few principals in public schools that serve white children in the mainstream of the nation ever need to contemplate” (Kozol, 6). He basically claims that as the conditions get worse at inner- city schools, which also have high numbers of low- income minority students, many principals have to implement rules and certain teaching styles that really do not benefit the intellectual development of kids. So, knowing all the negative results that come from getting an education in the terrible conditions of these schools, many families who have a low socio- economic status try to avoid it all together. However, these families’ resources are scarce and their options are quite few. They could try paying for a private school, which can be very costly, or take their chances in

It is disheartening when great minds become trapped in these unfortunate learning situations, because we lose what they could have been able to achieve. It is obviously not a child’s fault that they were born into the social class they belong to, but they have no way around it. So when they get stuck in a school that does nothing to provide for an active learning environment, many kids become frustrated with school due to the lack of intellectual stimuli and eventually come to dislike school all together. Some may even develop destructive habits, as they have nothing else to serve as a distraction. Mike Rose is one person who had this experience, as so accurately recalled in his essay, “I Just Wanna Be Average.” In the essay, he recounts being placed in the vocational track of education in his school, where he learned nothing but useless information that did nothing to academically challenge him. He observes how easily dreary all of his school subjects became and describes the way many of his fellow classmates felt being in vocational education for two years, being deemed as “slow.” They became confused and frustrated at the restrictive work, eventually rejecting their education and beginning to accept their status as “average” learners. Rose states “ The tragedy is that you have to twist the