American Education Inequality

Brittany LamberthProfessor Wells English 102June 15, 2018Paul Krugman, agrees that the country is becoming economically diverse bit by bit. The middle ground amongthe richest and poorest is vanishing, and inequality is`widespread. His essay, “Confronting inequality” revealsonly how inequalityaffects us, but, as McClelland opposes, how recurringinequality can be. He references a study performed by the National Center for Education informationfrom the 1988 to 2003, in which eighth grade students were arrangedboth by academic skilland the socioeconomic rankof their parents, and the college graduation percentage. If our educational system truly gave all students equivalentopportunities, then we would expect the graduation rates to depend onlyon

The inequality of education in the United States is a pressing societal issue that has been the main catalyst for the division between the social classes. Education is a public good, and thus if it used by one consumer then it will not reduce the availability to another consumer. Education can also be considered the largest single factor in determining a person’s success and quality of life in society today.

The “achievement gap” in education refers to the disparity in academic performance between groups of students. The achievement gap is shown in grades, standardized-test scores, course selection, dropout rates, among other success measures. It’s most often used to describe the troubling performance gaps between African-American and latino students, towards the lower end of the performance scale, compared to their white peers, and the similar academic differences between students from low-income families and those who are privileged. In the past decade, scholars and policy makers began focusing their attention on other achievement gaps, such as those based on sex, English language and learning disabilities.

Since urban areas, and subsequently urban high schools, have a high population of low-income residents, it is important to explore how this aspect of their social status has affected these individuals historically. According to Mantsios (2006) a majority of the United States (60 percent) hold less than 6 percent of the wealth. What is more, one in eight people live below the federal poverty level Mantsios (2006). This is important, because class level is strongly correlated with educational outcomes and success, which can be explained by class domination Mantsios (2006). Essentially, people who are born into wealthy families versus poor families have more opportunities provided to them on the basis of their class status or familial connections Mantsios (2006). Take for instance the example Schmidt (2007) given of white students with mediocre grades getting into Ivy League

In the education sector, the achievement gap delineates the observed disparity in school performance among student groups. This gap is manifested in measures such as test scores, grades, college completion and dropout rates, and selection of courses. Within the U.S. context, the achievement gap has often been used to refer to the worrying performance disparities between Latinos and African-Americans on one hand and their non-Hispanic white counterparts on the other. The gap also describes academic differences between students hailing from socioeconomically disadvantaged and those who are better off. Throughout history, Hispanic and African-American students have persistently lagged behind whites in academic matters, triggering heated policy discussions.

Education continues to produce class inequality due to standardized tests, specifically the SAT. The SAT is a standardized test in the United States that is used to evaluate students and provides a chance for students to obtain scholarships and admission into colleges. However, while everyone is provided an opportunity to take this test, research has been done to show that there is a positive relationship between income and test score. As the income increases, there is roughly a 12 point increase in score for every test section in the SAT. By implementing SAT into colleges and scholarships, education itself is empowering those who are already wealthy to get into better colleges or receive scholarships. Education reproduces class inequality by giving students the same opportunity to succeed but not exactly giving students a fair opportunity to succeed.

The achievement gap is difficult for children just entering school because the bar has already been set to where some of those children are going to land. At the age of three, children of people with careers have vocabularies that are nearly 1.5 times greater than those of working class children, and nearly double the children whose families are on welfare.” This statistic shows that even children at the age of three experience the achievement gap because of their own home life. It is imperative to reduce or eliminate the Achievement Gap in the U.S. To do this we must identify the problem, balance and control the funding, increase our teachers’ abilities and explain the benefits of closing the gap permanently.

Achievement Gaps in the United States are tough to define. Currently academia is focusing on racial and ethnic gaps and might be overlooking a subtle fact. There is a trend in ongoing research that shows many of lowest achieving students hail from a low socioeconomic status. Before addressing the racial gaps in achievement, educators must look towards better understanding the effect that low SES has on students. After knowing how much SES impacts achievement, educators and researchers will be better able to address racial achievement gaps without biased factors manipulating their data. Articles by Rolf K. Blank, a case study performed by the Washington Board of Education, and an article by Victoria Risko and Doris Walker-Dalhouse will explore

What grade would America receive for our education system? America would probably get a D because we cannot provide everyone with the same quality education as other public schools, private, and charter schools. Education is important in all countries especially in America, but there is so much educational inequality that everyone does not get an equal opportunity at a good education. This can be due to the location and income of families that can determine how successful they are going to be in school. The government has attempted to increase graduation rates by implementing new laws and standards that have actually in time proven to be unsuccessful. This essay is going to highlight the educational inequality in America,

In the modern world, education is the crucial key to the economic success. It can help a poor country become a developed country, or make a developed country become a more advanced one. A successful education system is a system, which makes sure that every student can have access to knowledge equally. Although the United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, there seem to be many inequalities in the American education system. In this essay, the education inequalities will be classified into four areas: race, economic background, gender, and standardized educational testing.

Although equality is an integral part the Constitution, it is not readily upheld. Specifically, education is a fundamental right which is far too often neglected, and therefore, a leading cause of poverty and inequality in the world today. The ACLU says, “The Constitution requires that all kids be given equal educational opportunity no matter what their race, ethnic background, religion, or sex, or whether they are rich or poor, citizen or noncitizen” (“Your Right). Without an education, one can not be expected to succeed. However, the positions that people are born into are hard to escape. These may include race, gender, and economic status. Because of this difficulty, many people get stuck in poverty and never become

I have a profound interest in educational policy research. Last year, I wrote a detailed academic research paper about modern American school segregation, the current achievement gap, and the effects of these unequal systems. Using my research paper and the educational policy I analyzed, I also created a documentary about the topic. It was a finalist at Maryland’s History Day, and won first place at Regional History Day. From this eight-month process, I gained a variety of understanding and opinions about American school inequality that I hold today. I am also an extremely active participant in a debate team, where I have dedicated this full year to researching, debating, and analyzing American educational policy. This has given me a variety

There are several primary educational disparities that arise when race and income are considered. These gaps are due to the notion that the majority of minorities live in low-income areas that have underfunded public schools. Schools in impoverished areas tend to have fewer educational resources such as supplies, funding, amenities, and college preparatory classes. However, “students living in poverty require more intensive resources..., and many schools in poor neighborhoods lack the...resources to break the nexus between student background characteristics and student achievement” (Nielsen, 2013). Since race has already been found to be a significant factor in college readiness, poor racial minorities face a more complex disadvantage than their higher income or white counterparts. Concentrated poverty further prevents minorities from rising in economic status. With such a large population of minority children attending underfunded schools, they are learning in environment that hinders their ability to complete higher education.

Education can be looked upon as the greatest key to unlock the hidden treasure known as success. Education expands and grows human intellect to extents that allow the performance, execution, and achievement of an individual to be at its peak. Nevertheless, throughout history, this glorious tool to enlightenment has not been shared equally amongst men. We see that throughout the decades, some were administered proper education, while other received unequal education or none at all. Currently, there are many plans of action implemented to correct this dilemma in the United States, but there is still an educational gap that exists. Research demonstrates that in 2015 Iowa had the highest graduation rate of 90.8%, while the District of Columbia

In 1990, Slavin reported that tracking had only a small impact on academic achievement. Later, in 2000 and 2006 researchers revealed that average learners had no change in knowledge gain but higher-track students showed academic improvement (Ansalone, 2010). While the research to support impressive gains in academic achievement fall short, studies abound with statistics on the negative educational progress the high and low-tracking of students has generated. Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s Hallinan found that standardized test scores were significantly lower for students tracked into low-ability classes than if they had been placed in inclusive or high-ability groups (Rubin, 2006). Furthermore, a startling 1987 report by Gamoran showed the educational gap between high and low-track students was greater than the gap between high school dropouts and high school