Essay on Education in America: Separate and Unequal

In today’s market driven society children can’t escape ads and their marketers, even their schools are filled with the advertiser’s products distracting the youth from learning.

As we first take a look at the frightening statistics Kozol provides, this claim of segregation becomes so much more real. As evidenced in the text, the vast majority of enrollment in most of the public schools in our major cities is black or Hispanic: 79%

There was a time when America’s education system was top-notch according to the culture and society. With time, a myriad of things has changed, but unfortunately what has not evolved is the American education system. The country is still following a system which was not designed for the current global economic climate. Equality, as positive as it sounds is not as sufficient when it comes to education. The system treats students equally yet expect a similar culmination and outcome. Every child has his individuality and distinct abilities; one cannot judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree. Conversely, a few of the prominent reasons why the education system is failing are overcrowded schools, the rise of technology, and following the same old school hours.

America’s school system and student population remains segregated, by race and class. The inequalities that exist in schools today result from more than just poorly managed schools; they reflect the racial and socioeconomic inequities of society as a whole. Most of the problems of schools boil down to either racism in and outside the school or financial disparity between wealthy and poor school districts. Because schools receive funding through local property taxes, low-income communities start at an economic disadvantage. Less funding means fewer resources, lower quality instruction and curricula, and little to no community involvement. Even when low-income schools manage to find adequate funding, the money doesn’t solve all the school’s

Here in America every single child is sent to school starting at the age of five years old for kindergarten, and sometimes as early as two years old for pre-school and continue on to get an education late into their twenties, some even going on to take classes the rest of their lives. Education in America is something that is readily available and even is required by law, but taken for granted by many children. On flip side third world countries often do not have schools or public education mandated by government, and most times it is not even available when most children yearn for it. Education is taken for granted in America, and in third world countries where education is almost completely absent something can be learned from their

The United States has made great innovations in the past century to ensure that all people have the same chances to better themselves. While steps have been taken to bring about equality from Roe v. Wade to legalizing same sex-marriage in every state still more can be done—especially in the field of racial inequality.

The education system in America has a long history of struggle and change, as we have grown as a nation we have experienced an ever-increasing rise in diversity. This diversity has caused rigidities between groups and all stratus of society and has been a major impact in debates concerning the educational opportunities in America.

America’s education system is one of the most respectable, reputable and sought after commodities in our society, but it is also the most overcrowded, discriminatory, and controversial system ever established. Most people yearn for a higher education because it 's what 's expected in this society in order to get ahead. It means a better job, more money, power, prestige and a sense of entitlement. But this system has let down the children that are supposed to benefit from it. Education discriminates against minorities, and poorer class students are not expected nor encouraged to attain a higher education. The education system is set up to ensure that every child get a basic

The United States is a country based on equal opportunity; every citizen is to be given the same chance as another to succeed. This includes the government providing the opportunity of equal education to all children. All children are provided schools to attend. However, the quality of one school compared to another is undoubtedly unfair. Former teacher John Kozol, when being transferred to a new school, said, "The shock from going from one of the poorest schools to one of the wealthiest cannot be overstated (Kozol 2)." The education gap between higher and lower-income schools is obvious: therefore, the United States is making the effort to provide an equal education with questionable results.

     Will Durant, a businessman and the founder of General Motors, once said, “Education is the transmission of civilization.” Unfortunately, education is still one of the most deliberated and controversial issues in the United States. Thus far, the privilege or right to receive education has not attained the level of equality throughout the nation; poor districts obtain less educational funding while rich districts obtain more, creating an immense gap between the quality of schools in poor and rich areas.

The educational system of the united states is not capitalizing on the full potential of its people. Jonathan Kozol in his article “Still Separate, Still Unequal: America’s Educational Apartheid”, discusses the drastic difference in the quality of education based on a family’s income. Kozol discusses how economic disparities usually coincide with race, but focuses on the economic gap of education. Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast “Carlos doesn’t remember”, gives a story and a personal touch, to the issues low income students face. Kozol writing and Gladwell’s podcast, both show that the quality of a child’s education is pure chance. A lottery of being born into a high or low income family dictates the outcome and capitalization of a child’s future.

Throughout these last few decades, corporations have been entering schools and creating a pressure for the students to become life-long consumers for them. Companies do not really care for the education of the students; rather they care only about how they profit off of the children and young adults. Though there are different types of commercialism present in school campuses, a good percentage of the schools are receiving a majority of their sponsorships from soda and candy companies, which in turn is actually undermining the nutrition. Since there are a grand amount of advertisements being hung around the schools, students are being discouraged from critically thinking about brands, messages, or even the topics companies are conveying. Essentially, the freedoms of students are slowly being taken away because they are being brain-washed into becoming consumers of the different corporations from such an early

Since 1983 public education has been an issue in America. The system has been constantly changing every year with reforms. This constant change has been driven by the American people’s perception that education has declined and something should be done about it. First there was an increased emphasis on basic skills, making school years longer and more graduation requirements. Second, many began focusing on increasing teachers professionalism. Third, they began restructuring many things such as how the schools were organized and how the school day was structured etc. Now today the most of the American people believe that not enough money is given to public schooling. They associate academic improvement with the money the school is funded.

Corporate America has surged on students for many years. Students are diminished by educational as well as misleading guidance from the media. Television advertisements continue to promote unfit role models to our younger generation. In addition, students are bombarded with unhealthy food and beverages at school. Companies like Coca Cola, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper, are not committed in helping students advance in their education. Ever wonder why there are so many overweight children in school? Statics show “teenagers along spent more than $150 billion last year. Propaganda has promoted students in becoming prominent consumers. Schools need to remove this debilitating unhealthy advertisement and educate healthier products for students to purchase.

Not long ago, schools were a place of sanction for children to focus their attention away from advertisements. But as the influence of media marketing continues to arise, it is now common to see advertisements on the walls of schools and product placement in classrooms (Consuming Kids, 2008) As schools across North America struggle to maintain state education budgets, many are finding that additional revenue is very much needed. Corporations use this as an opportunity to target this youth market, which schools seem to be comfortably allowing more and more.(Public Citizen, n.d). The purpose of schooling is to create reason within a child, and the purpose of advertisement is to advert reason and promote the product. Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen a non-profit organization, which serves as a voice to the American public, states “Commercial advertising undermines the fundamental mission of schools to empower children to think independently and develop problem solving skills,”(Public Citizen, n.d) Education should serve solely for the purpose of empowering students across North America to think critically, and broaden their natural inquisitiveness as children, something in which media should have little relations