Jonathan Kozol definitely brings to light many of the issues that are currently plaguing public schools in New York and in many other states throughout the country. One of the more important points he brings up is the disparities in resource allocation between schools in poor neighborhoods and those in more affluent areas. I don’t think it’s a shock to anyone these days that school districts in affluent neighborhoods receive much more funding and resources for its schools as opposed to school districts in poor urban areas. Although the children in these poor neighborhoods are in greater need, they are often overlooked and neglected when it comes to providing the resources necessary (Teachers, computers, supplies, etc) to improve learning. With these schools lacking adequate resources, many issues arise including overcrowding and poorly maintained school buildings. These disparities in resources lead to severe inequalities in public school education. I was amazed by the condition that many of the schools in these poor districts where in. It is a shame that these students have to learn in such horrible conditions. This severely hampers the quality of education that these students are able to attain and this is one of the main reasons why there is generally a huge education achievement gap between white students and minorities.
One of the main reasons that such inequalities continue to persist is the fact that there exist the belief among legislators and public officials, that pumping money into poor schools is a waste and will not help turn those schools around. Many of them believe that teachers don’t want to teach in these schools, although when teacher salaries are increased that problem is erased. It is sad that many of these individuals view the students in these schools as poor investments and do not give them the same help and attention that they continuously give to the more affluent schools. Money may not solve all the problems that exist in these poor school districts but I feel it would help tremendously. There definitely appears to be a strong level of bias in the treatment and perception of poor students and schools which only further perpetuates the inequalities in education.
Is it fair and/or correct to assume that many of the inequalities that exist in public school education are a result of falsely held beliefs about poor students and schools? Is the lack of money the main factor in the existence of such educational inequalities or are there more important and serious factors that need to be taken into consideration, particularly politics?
