Inequality of Opportunities in US Education System

Introduction

Education is one of the priority spheres in the United States, and it is the subject of the precise attention of the government and the citizens. The most significant issue is that the quality of education and the opportunities for professional growth it proposes to depend on the economic status of the student’s family. Children and adolescents from working-class and low-income families must overcome many challenges to receiving higher education with economic and social character. ¹ Their peers from middle and upper-middle-class families, in turn, have the opportunity to attend private colleges and focus on studying and developing their intellectual potential. ² These aspects allow assuming that inequality in the educational system is the primary factor contributing to the low social mobility level. The reason that leads to it is the different financing of private and public educational institutions, which leads to the aggravation of social segregation and inequality of opportunities.

Discussion and Analysis

K-12 education is an option all American citizens can receive, and the government guarantees them this opportunity. The main point is that K-12 education is only unified in some schools, and the quality of learning depends significantly on the particular school. The significant distinction is between public and private schools with different financing sources. ³ Private schools receive money from investors interested in a good level of education because their children study in a particular college or they are motivated to improve the level of education in the city. As a result, private schools can buy better technological facilities for the improved quality of education, start extra-curriculum activities for students to help them develop their talents, and motivate teachers to work harder using financial benefits. ⁴ Therefore, the number of technological facilities they can buy is significantly lower compared to private schools, and teachers’ motivation and extra-curricular activities for students are restricted. These aspects harm the overall quality of education students in public schools receive.

Another vital detail is that public and private schools are associated with certain stereotypes that affect the demographics of students. Public schools are assumed to provide worse education options, and students from poor and working-class families attend them. As a result, a significant number of learners from the immigrant setting do not speak English fluently, which affects the quality of education of the entire class. ⁵ In addition, it is assumed that students from these socioeconomic groups are not motivated to study and have behavioral problems, which leads to severe social, economic, and racial segregation between private and public schools. Private educational institutions, in turn, are supposed to be where students from middle and upper-middle-class families live, who are predominantly white and Asian. ⁶ No need to say that this racial and economic inequality reflected in the common perception of various educational institutions in the United States is a disturbing sign.

It is possible to illustrate the example of racial and socioeconomic inequalities using the case of two schools. Bridge Gate Community School and Columbus Preparatory Academy are two educational institutions in Ohio and propose students with the K-12 program. The first school has a public source of financing, while the second school is the private one. The investigation into the demographic background of students that is available online and the feedback of parents and teachers shows that there is significant inequality between these two schools that are supposed to teach the same program to children of the same age. ⁷ The results of this analysis reflect the general situation in the American educational system and the policies surrounding this issue.

It is possible to find Columbus Preparatory Academy at the top of private schools in Ohio. The quality of education in this school is comparatively high, which makes Columbus Preparatory Academy a good start for students’ development. There are 832 students in total in this school. The government spends $7.697 on every student annually. Students of this school show high levels of tests on the state level. ⁸ The critical issue is that these results are stable and do not change during the last decade, which shows the stable high level of education at Columbus Preparatory Academy. ⁹ In addition, this school receives private financing from investors, which affects the overall financial background of this educational institution. ¹⁰ This information allows assuming that Columbus Preparatory Academy has a high status in the rating of K-12 schools in Ohio and is connected with its budget.

The demographic background of students in Columbus Preparatory Academy is also typical for this type of school. There is no dominating racial group in Columbus Preparatory Academy. According to the estimates, 35.9 percent of all students are white, 34.4 per cent of students are Asian. ¹¹ At the same time, this school’s number of Hispanic and African American students is significantly lower. There are 8.9 percent of Hispanic students and 12.5 percent African American students. Most students belong to middle-class families. ¹² The teachers emphasize academic progress in this school, and good scores on tests are the priority for its students. ¹³ At the same time, they disregard the detail that there is evident racial bias in the school which is a sign of socioeconomic and racial inequality.

The level of racial equity in Bridge Gate Community School is dramatically different compared to Columbus Preparatory Academy. 86.8 percent of students in this school are African American, which makes them the majority. There are 6.6 percent white and 5.3 percent Hispanic students. The annual expenditures of every student are slightly lower in this school and constitute $7,399. ¹⁴ The peculiar detail is that the federal government spends more money on Bridge Gate Community School, while Columbus Preparatory Academy receives more from the community, private investors, and the state. The test scores are also significantly lower in Bridge Gate Community School. ¹⁵ The main distinction in academics between the two schools is that Bridge Gate Community School students concentrate on healthcare services in higher grades, and there is an evident nursing slant among its graduates. The reviews show that Bridge Gate Community School and Columbus Preparatory Academy have dramatically different statuses among parents. ¹⁶ This information shows the ways inequalities in education are manifested in real life.

Therefore, severe problems with equality in public and private schools affect racial and socioeconomic issues. The analysis results suppose that the absence of socioeconomic equity in education does not allow teachers to elaborate the student-centered plan, culturally-relevant teaching, and develop a humanistic approach in school education. ¹⁷ There is a vital need for an individual approach to educating children with low English proficiency from the immigrant community who cannot cope with the K-12 curriculum without teacher assistance.In most cases, it is the reason that leads to low test grades in the classroom and the cause of low educational progress of the entire group. The teacher usually focuses on the abilities of those who show fewer abilities in mastering the new information instead of paying attention to the most talented students. As a result, the quality of education in such classrooms is low, and these conclusions can be applied to public schools in general, where the number of non-native English speakers is comparatively high. Financing, in turn, can solve this issue and improve the education level in public schools.

Conclusion

Inclusion and tolerance are the central concepts of American society, and they should be applied in educational policies. Even though the tendency towards equality, pluralism and social justice are evident in the United States, there is still much work to do in this sphere. The level of social and economic stratification, racial injustice, cultural racism, and low upward social mobility show no equity in the discussed sphere. Policymakers rarely pay attention to the aspects connected with social justice in a particular place, like the school environment. In reality, the level of financing and its sources are the critical aspects that determine the status of the particular school. It is only possible to achieve equality in education by making the same options for learning available for all students regardless of their income and background. Practice shows that there is a problem with the governmental policies responsible for equal learning and extra-curriculum opportunities for students in different schools. As a result, it leads to the appearance of schools that provide learners with high-quality education and schools whose students have low scores in most cases.

References

Cervantes-Soon, Claudia G., Lisa Dorner, Deborah Palmer, Dan Heiman, Rebecca Schwerdtfeger, and Jinmyung Choi. “Combating Inequalities in Two-Way Language Immersion Programs: Toward Critical Consciousness in Bilingual Education Spaces.” Review of Research in Education 41 (2017): 403–27.

Heymann, Jody, Aleta Sprague, Amy Raub, and Dikgang Moseneke. Advancing Equality: How Constitutional Rights Can Make a Difference Worldwide. University of California Press, 2020.

Howell, Junia, and Alannah Caisey. “What We Need Is Education: Differentiating the Mechanisms Contributing to Persistent Racial Inequality of Education.” Phylon (1960-) 56, no. 1 (2019): 58–80.

n.a. “Bridge Gate Community School.” Schooldigger, 2021. Web.

n.a. “Columbus Preparatory Academy.” Schooldigger, 2021. Web.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Building Educational Equity Indicator Systems: A Guidebook for States and School Districts. The National Academies Press, 2020.

Footnotes

1. Claudia G. Cervantes-Soon, Lisa Dorner, Deborah Palmer, Dan Heiman, Rebecca Schwerdtfeger, and Jinmyung Choi, “Combating Inequalities in Two-Way Language Immersion Programs: Toward Critical Consciousness in Bilingual Education Spaces,” Review of Research in Education 41 (2017): 403.
2. Cervantes-Soon et al., 404.
3. Jody Heymann, Aleta Sprague, Amy Raub, and Dikgang Moseneke. Advancing Equality: How Constitutional Rights Can Make a Difference Worldwide (University of California Press, 2020): 36.
4. Jody Heymann, Aleta Sprague, Amy Raub, and Dikgang Moseneke. Advancing Equality: How Constitutional Rights Can Make a Difference Worldwide (University of California Press, 2020): 38.
5. Claudia G. Cervantes-Soon, Lisa Dorner, Deborah Palmer, Dan Heiman, Rebecca Schwerdtfeger, and Jinmyung Choi, “Combating Inequalities in Two-Way Language Immersion Programs: Toward Critical Consciousness in Bilingual Education Spaces,” Review of Research in Education 41 (2017): 405.
6. Junia Howell, and Alannah Caisey, “What We Need Is Education: Differentiating the Mechanisms Contributing to Persistent Racial Inequality of Education,” Phylon (1960-) 56, no. 1 (2019): 59.
7. Junia Howell, and Alannah Caisey, “What We Need Is Education: Differentiating the Mechanisms Contributing to Persistent Racial Inequality of Education,” Phylon (1960-) 56, no. 1 (2019): 60.
8. n.a, “Columbus Preparatory Academy,” Schooldigger, 2021. Web.
9. “Columbus Preparatory Academy.”
10. “Columbus Preparatory Academy.”
11. n.a., “Bridge Gate Community School,” Schooldigger, 2021. Web.
12. “Bridge Gate Community School.”
13. n.a., “Bridge Gate Community School,” Schooldigger, 2021. Web.
14. “Bridge Gate Community School.”
15. “Bridge Gate Community School.”
16. “Bridge Gate Community School.”
17. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Building Educational Equity Indicator Systems: A Guidebook for States and School Districts (The National Academies Press, 2020): 15.