Topic > Educational Inequality in America: An Obstacle to Progress and Equality

IndexIntroductionImpact of Educational Inequality on MinoritiesAttempts to Solve Educational InequalityOvercoming the Problem of Educational InequalityConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionSince the beginning of time, education has been the foundation of human development, not only as human beings but also as a society. Education has always been the key to a thriving society: from experiments to discoveries, from hypotheses to theories, and from imagination to reality. Education is not knowing how to read and write; it is being able to study different subjects and having the ability to create connections between the knowledge acquired and the world; think. When children are born, they begin to experience the basics of education. Not only when parents try to teach them words, but when they are taught how to behave in front of others and how to treat others. Since parents are the ones who educate their children in ethics and morals, education is said to begin at home. For children to receive the right education, parents should know what their interests are, and this is where things can get complicated. Some parents may know their children's interests but lack the resources to provide for them. Not everyone has the same opportunities to obtain a high-level education, and while the reasons may vary, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors are among the main causes of educational inequality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Impact of Educational Inequality on Minorities Educational inequality is still present today, particularly in minority groups. Minorities are deprived of a great education. This society is robbing them of the opportunity to grow and gain the knowledge needed to succeed in life. Some may argue that nowadays everyone has access to public education and that this should be enough for a person to progress on their own. However, after studying this topic, it is more than wise to deduce that when it comes to minorities, the education system seems to have failed as an effective equalizing factor. In the article “Where Have All the Strong Poets Gone,” people get clarification on current policies that do not give equal opportunities to students. It was made clear that white students had the opportunity to learn things that would lead them to become future leaders in this country while African Americans and Latinos were sitting in a classroom waiting and being lectured by inexperienced professors who would not have the ability to impart the knowledge students need for secondary school (Jones). This shows that minorities are being deprived of the opportunity to have a good education and that society plays a major role in not giving everyone the same opportunities to grow and succeed in life. Due to the lack of mandated diversity in schools, it is difficult for minorities to learn to navigate the system used today because it is not designed to showcase the strength of diversity that exists today, but is rather centered on whiteness. If schools are not legally required to address racial equity issues, this issue will continue to suppress minority groups. Early access to education is what helps a person determine whether they want to acquire a higher education or move into the workforce market. Although large numbers of minority students have opted to enter the nation's higher education system, white students are the ones accepted into elite universities. TheAfrican American and Hispanic students are usually concentrated in two- and four-year colleges that accept the majority of applicants. In a report by Allie Bidwell, it is shown that 80% of new white enrollments occurred in the country's top universities “while more than 70% of new African American and Hispanic enrollments attended open-access institutions.” Even when they have the same level of preparation, and sometimes even the same grade point average, minorities are disadvantaged and are not treated equally; white students are given more opportunities to earn degrees from better-funded colleges. The fact that qualified minorities are not provided with the necessary pathways to fully realize their potential is what illustrates the disproportionate pathways of the higher education system. Attempts to Solve Educational Inequality Many Americans believed that an educational benchmark was the solution to giving minorities the opportunity to develop their potential and the chance to be part of gifted programs where they will be able to achieve great things in life. However, it was shown that the referral was not effective and that inequality existed. Inequality means not giving the same opportunities to everyone and having some kind of favoritism with others. This situation creates a scenario where people's rights can be violated and not handled fairly, and this is why action is needed to change the system this society has been living in for a long time. In Joni M. Lakin's article, “Universal Screening and the Representation of Historically Underrepresented Minority Students in Gifted Education,” research conducted by Card and Giuliano demonstrated that the old teacher referral system was ineffective in addressing African American issues, Hispanic, low socioeconomic status. status and students learning English so they can be a part of gifted and talented programs, which leads to an underrepresentation of minorities in these types of programs. In the research, the authors revealed that “28% of gifted third grade students were African American or Hispanic, although these students made up 60% of the district's population” (Lakin). This shows that referral decisions can be influenced by teachers and may overlook some students who do not fit the gifted archetypes. This investigation was helpful in discovering that universal screening is a better way to give students the opportunity to be identified and what are the best services that could be provided to them based on their educational needs. The importance of using screening rather than referral is that it promotes diversity and equitable representation in programs designed for gifted students. Overcoming the problem of educational inequality Although it would be impossible to eradicate a problem that has been present in society for a long time, in a short period of time, it is never late to develop solutions. For example, in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, the Supreme Court addressed racial inequality in education and granted the equity needed to provide students of color access to meaningful learning opportunities . This case helps demonstrate the importance of race and how a simple opportunity can completely change the lives of minority groups. On the other hand, there are some who believe that social inequalities are no longer a problem affecting society and that all students have been given the same resources. They would argue that more public schools were created so that every person has access to education, more programs to help achieve. 1999).