Unequal funding between
rich and poor school districts in America
The unequal funding
between rich and poor school districts is widespread in America. A number of
Americans become conscious that the U.S. educational system is one of the most
imbalanced in the present world and students regularly take delivery of
noticeably dissimilar learning chances centered on their position. Practically
half of the funding for public schools in the United States, nevertheless, is
made available by means of local taxes that indeed cause huge distinctions in
funding between wealthy and poor districts in America.
Contrary to the
majority of European and Asian nations that fund schools centrally and evenly,
the wealthiest ten percent of school districts in the United States use up
almost ten times more than the poorest ten percent of the schools. It is spot
on that poor and marginal students are given attention to in the less well
funded schools, most of them situated in central cities and funded at points consider
underneath toes of adjacent suburban district schools.
It is very obvious that
public school funding in the United States arrives from federal, state and
local resources, but since half of those funds come from local property taxes,
the system makes large funding disparities between wealthy and poor school
districts in America. In America, nearly all public schools are funded via
local property taxes and schools in richer neighbor hoods have considerably
superior budgets, which convert into superior facilities, enhanced teachers and
better resources. Unfair funding of U.S. public schools donates drastically to
the below attainment of our low income and marginal students.
There are also some
teachers that inspire children, e.g. “you’ll be my teacher at this school”, by
Geoffrey Canada, from “waiting for superman movie”. “In
the wealthiest districts, this is frequently enough to operate an adequate
school system," writes Kozol. In poor districts, because the properties
are worth less, tax revenues will be inadequate and the state is supposed to
kick in sufficient funds to raise the amount to a level approximately equal to
the richest districts. In practice, this rarely happens, which is why schools
in rich districts are well equipped, teacher salaries are at a high level of
salary, class sizes are smaller with the minimum, textbooks are plenty and currently
up to date, athletic facilities are abundant, libraries are full of books, restrooms
are clean, and students white. In poor districts the opposite is true. Kozol discovers that black and Hispanic school children
are isolated from white school children.
It’s not only the dedicated teachers who work magic in the classroom but school needs more than the teachers. Schools need resources like buildings and classroom materials. Teachers just need to spend more time teaching and helping students with their work. True it takes talent, but too much pressure is on the teachers. I would say the ultimate goal would be to reform the public school system using lessons learned from charter schools. This is an immense undertaking and I think there are still not many people who are really thinking in those terms.
It’s not only the dedicated teachers who work magic in the classroom but school needs more than the teachers. Schools need resources like buildings and classroom materials. Teachers just need to spend more time teaching and helping students with their work. True it takes talent, but too much pressure is on the teachers. I would say the ultimate goal would be to reform the public school system using lessons learned from charter schools. This is an immense undertaking and I think there are still not many people who are really thinking in those terms.
Kozol
presents a strong argument for why inequalities exist in the public schooling
system in this country, basically focusing on issues with money and race. I
think that teachers are not the only ones to be blamed for our student’s
inability to achieve greatness but everything else that adds up the whole
education system. I think they need to spend money on education. I don't
disagree that money and integration will help some disadvantaged children,
there are other issues that he ignores are crime, teen pregnancy, drugs, which
leads to more severe problem. It’s the choices they make in life.
Interventions that can
be made are school funding should be fair and equal by providing the poor
schools more funds. Make all schools equally balanced with resources and
teachers so it would be fair to everyone. I find it hard to believe that third
world conditions appear right here within the boundaries of the United States.
This really makes me stop and wonder why our government, be it US or state,
appears to care so little for these poor, urban kids that find themselves
trapped in an unending circle of life and death.
As a result of the inadequate funding, students are not simply being denied
basic educational needs, but their future is also deeply affected. There is
severe overcrowding in these schools, along with teacher salaries that are too
low to attract good teachers. These in turn lead to inner-city children’s low
levels of academic performance, high dropout rates, classroom discipline
problems, and low levels of college attendance.
Kozol suggests equalized
funding as a solution to the lack of quality in urban schools. Funding alone
will not solve the schools. There needs to be changes in the greater society
that would have to be made simultaneously for real improvements to occur.
Besides, equal funding does not mean equal schools. If politicians really
valued public education and believed in doing what would provide equal funding
there would be a lot of money for all schools in U.S.
Also while he was
visiting these schools, did he attempt to organize and help out the schools,
teachers, parents, and students? He observed the schools and was able to
highlight the inequities present, but did not do anything about the situation? He had a great opportunity to
initiate some organizing of those involved, yet the book does not suggest that
he did much more than visit the schools and report back of the conditions of
the schools and areas where the children reside.
From my point of view I
think Kozol is not looking at the big picture, there are other places in the world
where education system is poor but the children in other countries make the
most of it. I received my education in a third world country and the education
system is very poor. E.g. there are not many schools comparing to schools in
this country. In many rural areas there is only one elementary and one high
school and people walk on foot and come by bus and some of places there is no
transportation but still children do come to school every day. We had 40-50
students in each class to one teacher and had to share books since it was a
very poor school and school funding is mostly by doing fund raising. There are
ways children make their life better and not worse by getting into drugs,
prison and pregnancy. It’s the choices we make in life that reflects on who we
are and I also don’t blame the white people and the tax payers who are not
helping the poor schools as to they work hard in life are trying to do their
best for their children. We have the same poor living conditions back home,
e.g. imagine 500-600 students sharing 15 stalls of restroom with no showers and
we don’t have gymnasium but we have open area where we all play the same sports
as here without the luxury.
In concluding this I
think there are a lot of other problems that we face in the world and we can’t
be only focused on this situation alone but there are other things and bigger
problems in life and we need to do something about it…..
