Rough Draft.

Education, what has always thought to be a common right to all Americans, children and students has proved to be an extension of race class and wealth; something that of a luxury to those who can afford it. Poor communities have been oppressed they cannot get a substantial education and this is breeding a society within our society- a detached community. These people have continued to suffer for generations they have unfortunately maintained this, lack of power or rights in education. The issue at hand currently isn’t a problem can be fixed so easily as these problems have succeed the roots of generations. Parents, grandparents and great grandparents have gone through this cycle and system which brings us to now, a standard that is still far below the society’s standard yet for some reason is left to continue that way. “Money, the message seems to be, is crucial to rich districts but will be of little difference to the poor” (Kozol, 207) is what those with the money and resources to keep well preforming schools up will tell you. While we all sit here wondering where the sense in that idea is. If we were to take away money from wealthy schools would they willingly allow it? I think not, there would be a fight put. A rebuttal of the fittest because then you are punishing the rich at this point in time and the society we live in the wealthy feel a sense of entitlement they feel deserving of what they have even if it’s an overindulgence. Education is an ongoing battle in the U.S. Something meant to keep people in their perspective places in society and protect the wealthy in continuing their wealth and growth in power. The rich do little to help children in poor schools and communities. The districts with more money say that money is not the issue but when asked about the money they use to fund their systems they seem to believe that it is their standard because they are of course at a higher standard, believing that it should stay this way for economic and social status. Here is where one would see that standards clearly depend on money.

If these affluent communities with great schools could see that the problem in bad crime ridden communities starts with schools would they be more inclined to help change them? Probably not because this would also give them a chance at a change in social and economic status and thus take students in poor areas out of the "track" they have been put on and give them a shot at better opportunities in societies economic ladder. If we take students out of the track we have selected for them then competition would increase. Employment opportunities would then be available to them; opening up the idea or opportunity for these students in poor and oppressed neighborhoods to get out of them, or have to a choice at a better living situation, better job or a better life. In Pennsylvania 68% of inmates are high school dropouts and the money spent on one prisoner is significantly higher than that spent on one student per year. Now how does this add up?  It’s interesting to see that when you look at the flip side, communities who spend more on education also have lower crime rates and higher passing rates there’s a clear correlation here that I can see.


When schools are poorly funded they have fewer options on spending this means less options with teachers. Would one expect a highly qualified, passionate teacher to want to work for low wages at a school that might not have a working plumbing system or a peeling chalkboard or how about enough books for just 1/3^rd of their students? Well in all actuality these are realities in schools all over America. Teaching in closets, with no heating, no air condition, and computer classes with no computers or how about teaching a history class in 2014 with textbooks from the 1980's. Would you choose to send your child to this school? What if you had no choice? With the intention to teach students and drive them to success it seems a task to be impossible in these conditions. These poor schools are getting teachers who are only teaching because they are tenured and can't be fired, the Wikipedia definition of Teacher tenure is a policy that restricts the ability to fire teachers, requiring a "just cause" rationale for firing, making getting rid of uninterested or passionless  teachers a difficult task. . In Chicago more than one quarter of all teachers are subs, some children have several teachers in one school year. You have teachers in these schools who don’t want to teach they are showing up when they feel and some teachers sleeping in class, how can these students be held to any standard if we can’t get teachers to set standards worth keeping or teachers with standards of their own for that matter? “Let’s be real,” the student says. “Most of us ain't going to college... We could have used a class like this.” (Kozol,64) said a student in Du Sable High in one Chicago's poorest schools, attending a hands on auto class that hadn't been taught to change a tire for a whole semester and in regards to having no teacher for one whole semester. Truths like these make occupations like drug dealing and crime seem like really good options to students who are in situations like this. It brings a different light to the importance of the teacher, if our teachers cannot teach, excite and push these kids to see that they do have options in life they may leave believing there aren’t any; as many personal of their experiences,and injustices in their school and society have shown them. But we cannot hold our teachers to a higher standard until we are given the resources to do so. We need more money to pay better more qualified teachers to come into our cities where crime and poverty continue to handicap the society that lives in them. We need programs for students that build self-esteem and social skills to build strong students and citizens. We need support groups, programs and funding for teachers willing to work in low income communities and in schools with poor teaching conditions and with children that are traumatized and handicapped on a daily basis. We need strong result driven and passionate principals also to help keep teachers and students on track. Great teachers are the core of success for students in school, unfortunately there is a price for a great teacher and an entire school cannot benefit from a few good teachers.

The failing of a school not only results in an uneducated person but also creates a sort of society within a society. There is a different belief system, different defense mechanism a different critical thinking and common sense. Imagine this, waking up in house with garbage dumped in your backyard between a sewage plant and a pharmaceutical plant, walking to school in streets reeking of sewage arriving to school a classroom with no air conditioning in sweltering heat. Then imagine in this classroom you are stuffed with so many other students you have to sit on the floor then at that you have no book and the person who walked into class before you got the last paper and pencil... sounds like a joke? No its reality. How would you feel, how would you react? How does ones mental state change? This is the day to day life for some of our students our children.. Tell me that this would not drive you mad, angry and upset at the life you were given. In most instances, not all these are not the only hardships our children and students are facing. They have parents either non educated or drug addicted or barely present maybe dead. Along with education stresses they have life stresses. These people did not all move to these neighborhoods and decide to live a life of struggle and defeat on their own but what I am saying is that they being “breaded” in a sense to stay this way, conform to it and in turn continue the cycle. To make matters worse there is a whole population that believes “this is what they have become, that this is what they are. (Kozol, 232)And they don’t believe that better school or social changes will affect it very much.” So now I show you a society within a society. Two separate worlds, two separate ways of thinking. What we have pushed aside on these people and continued to give them has made them a product of what time and circumstances have made them. I go back to my point that schools that perform well produce great passing rates, college attendance and thus lower crime rates. It starts with school foundation if these people century ago received the same education as those in affluent communities then they would be the same, relatively speaking. But years and years of oppression has not only created a failing community but a failing education and a failing person. “If you degrade people’s self-respect on a daily basis, over centuries, you are bound to produce monsters....” (Kozol, 233). For young women in these poor communities leaves little to aim for. Many of the young women are conceiving in high school, some one child some two children with no high school diploma or still in high school. “There’s not much for me in a public school.' The truth is, that a pretty honest answer. A diploma from a ghetto high school doesn’t count for much in the United States today.”(Kozol, 36) We have given these communities nothing yet called this the land of the free and told them they can live the American dream. Its instilling a sort of hate against the world it explains why the ideals in these poor neighborhoods are the way they are. Its created a type of “victim thinking” which I feel is connected to the fact that a lot of the families in these neighborhoods feel entitled to things like Subsidies and welfare and government assistance after years and years of being broken down by the society that's trying to help you one would feel entitled to all it has to give. Schools are the beginning of a failing community. If we cannot instill a structured learning basis and show students that we have the power and resources to do so we cannot expect them to enter the world thinking otherwise. We in essence have created a world with in a world.

In my attempt to solve our problem of inequality in education I have found that the big answer to most problems in our school systems are the people who run them and their willingness to change it. We don’t stop quite there now it’s a battle between federal, state and district lastly, funds. Now when I say the people who run our systems I do also speak on programs for our families and parents living in these conditions, it is true you cannot help those who don’t want help and the sad truth is along with the people who want the help in oppressive communities there are also those who do not want help, for a number of reasons, some do not know of change, some not mentally or physically capable (drugs, incarceration etc.) and there are those who have “accepted this role in society”. As stated “What’s really sad, “she notes “is that so many kids come from places that look as bad as our schools-and we have nothing better to offer them.” (Kozol, 121) I feel strongly about programs for these communities to rebuild centuries of dysfunctional living and schooling, in a sense we need to recreate thinking and a reality. This is a big task. It would require a lot of money and a lot more talented, patient people. The world today is not that giving or caring especially with the way the economical standings are changing. The gap between wealthy and poor is furthering and furthering the wealthy will do whatever money can do to continue keeping the gap wide and the poor will continue to do what it can to “catch up” or attempt to compete for the American Dream while being bullied and pushed down. Our teachers can only be held accountable for what they are able to teach and accomplish during school hours and in our after school programs. How do we fix life that's already been tainted? We need to create foundations that work and are consistent. America has proved that the standard is not equal and the stakes of our children s futures is dependent on adults, so we need to help build strong parents with strong values and support systems. A lot of these communities need more outreach. We need to change and update the teachers union so that the good teachers can have more of a say and hopefully either push out the bad teachers or create a sort of post degree training for teachers who are not competent. We also need to offer compensation for well preforming teachers. Teachers are an important part of your life from 5years old to18 years old. In some cases we see our teachers more than our parents, if children are required to pass a proficiency test our teachers should be required to also. As for money I don’t know how we could manage getting more money for our schools we have continued cutting art classes and sports, I for example went to a middle school with only one year of sports and music; it was then cut due to funding two things I loved. I don’t see our student doing better academically with these cuts maybe money and class types needs to be readdressed. In Waiting for Superman it was stated that students went from B grades to D grades in middle school 6-8^th grades. I can attest to this as a student. I was a great student up until middle school then suddenly my grades started slipping. I remember going from interested to not interested. This is an age of change for students and I wasn’t offered after-school help or programs until my senior year I think schools would benefit from early year programs, track programs that actually help students. Nobody likes to fail, nobody wants to fail but what are you to do if it’s the only option given to you. I have listed a lot of options to fixing our education I don’t know that my options will make the change that we need to get back on track but we need to start somewhere.

Waiting For Superman-Free write review

Waiting For Superman...

Isn’t it interesting that so many presidents say their top priority is education and they are going to “fix” education in America? In 1971 the average spent on a student was $4300 it was increased to $9000 by 1994 from 1971-1994 student scores flatlined.

Its obvious that public schools located in low income and crime ridden neighborhoods get less and are failing children in America. But is it possible for students with a good support system to prevail and become educated and successful in a school that is failing them?

There was an obvious trend within 5th-7^th graders in these failing schools students went from B to C to D students during this three year span. When did you give up on your future? When did the chances of you achieving it give up on you?

Dr. Robert Balfanz found a pattern in failing schools, he deemed them “dropout factories”

in a study of Americas schools he found 2000 “dropout factories” in the U.S.

Steve Barr a Principal at a high school in L.A. Had a dropout rate of 800 students from freshmen to sophomore year. He claimed that “Bad schools produce bad neighborhoods” rather than the bad neighborhoods producing bad people. When you take a moment and really analyze this what do you think? I think it makes undeniable sense.

68% of inmates in Pennsylvania are also high school dropouts.

The amount of money spent on a prisoner for one year is actually more than the amount of money spent on a student per year. If the state was to invest that money into the education system they would end up with money to spare and who knows if the dropout rate would go down.

Money that is spent on prisoners is only going one way.

One grandmother caring for her grandson whose father had passed to drug abuse was asked if school was taken very seriously when she was a child, she shrugged and said not really she “wasn’t pushed” if these children had better support systems along with functioning school systems then they might get a chance.

What happens when a publication labels a school as “bad”?

In 2007 there was an education “frenzy”

In 10 years there were 7 superintendents for the schools in Washington... Definitely weird

I think the State and Federal government need to be two departments that work together (at least for education) rather than two separate departments that make funding and laws more difficult to track, manage and disperse.

There are too many “hands in the pot”

Why does Tenure have no limitations? This makes me mad. Tenure needs to have a stricter process of application and needs to have limitations. We are waisting so much money on lazy teachers who aren’t working and aren’t making any positive contributions to our education system. I feel like money given to education is waisted on “tenured” teachers who cant work but are still paid, this is one less teacher and one less class that isn’t getting an equal education. Lose a teacher and class size goes up, educational value goes down.

The teachers union seems to be one of a mystery.

Why are well preforming teachers not compensated accordingly? This makes no sense.

According to Waiting for Superman public schools in the U.S. Were the best until the 1970's, 10 of our presidents attended public schools in the U.S.

Students scored very low in most subjects but did come out first in one...Confidence, oh the irony.

Kipp Academy was created by three inspiring people Geoffrey Canada, Educator who claimed would “figure out” the education system in 3 years post graduating (1978) David Levin and Mike Feinberg. These schools proved an alternative teaching style and environment improved children s passing rates and education retention. When facts and proof was presented to the government they sated that this was only due to a few good teachers and could not be successful in other circumstances. Does this go back to the idea that business leaders want to keep low income poor achieving students in that bracket for entry level positions? Why would the government blatantly turn down an obvious solution?

Schools have student tracking systems...

Depending on various things, grades, likeness, mannerisms etc. it somewhat determines where or what you will be capable of and where you may go after high school..

Will the gap between rich and the poors education ever be closed? What is actively being done to improve the school system?

Because the schools system is failing us matters have been taken into the hands of a few willing to make change. “Private Charter schools”, “Magnet schools” “Urban Public Boarding Schools” even.

With such terrible school conditions there is now the stressors of school lottery’s. One cant just apply to a school or audition there is such a high demand that a lottery is what determines if a child will have the opportunity at a more promising future. What kind of stresses do you think this is putting on children at such young ages to see their parents in disappointment and distress over the fate of their children s future. This also cant be good for our kids, a lottery is fair but is it really fair?

“turn a blind eye to children in schools for harmony amongst adults” Michelle Rhee

Bay Area schools VS. Savage Inequalities, Do you see Change, similarities or both?

 

An article I found on ABCLocal.com states of 188 failing schools in California 43 are located in San Francisco's Bay Area. In Oakland there are five schools in one district which have has consistently scored low. “For far too long, too may kids have been dropping out of school underprepared for reading and mathematics, and these communities have been ignored,” says Alberto Retana with the U.S. Department of Education.

Unlike the schools in New York and St. Louis these school actually have options, they may not be options the communities or board members want but to say the least they do have options, 4 to be exact. The first is to close and reopen as a charter school. The second is to replace the principal and half of the staff. The third is to replace the principal, keep the staff and implement reforms. The fourth is to close and send the students to a higher-performing school. The schools are being offered between $50,000 and $2 million to make the changes. In the article I found Troy Flint from the Oakland Unified School District recommends “lengthening the schools hours, which is one of the options, increase the amount of instructional time” this seems like a strange way to “reform” failing schools, if these kids are dropping out of class or barely showing up to class then I don’t see the solution in this. Also unlike the schools in St. Louis and NY these schools are going to receive some sort of funding. On another note, while researching online I couldn’t find a understandable spreadsheet or chart clearly showing from 1-100 the schools, their locations and performance. I can understand how school related issues could seem like a burden to a parent, having to really research and basically do your own homework if you need or want clear concise information. We have made progress in the sense that this is being addressed and the solution for now, is the 4 options given with the incentive that the schools will receive funding from the federal government to uphold their part in improving the poor preforming school systems.

Protecting the wealthy by providing a lesser education to the poor- Do you believe this is a problem or a necessity? We need people to fill entry level jobs. Whats wrong with making sure a certain demographic fills them?

 

I believe this is a problem not a necessity. Yes, we need people to fill entry level jobs, given that you must not forget that not everyone is a genius and not everyone is poorly educated. As with anything there are many different levels of educated people as well as their wants, not everyone is striving to be a CEO likewise not everyone is striving to be a florist, keeping this in mind everyone will fall into place accordingly. I believe that if everyone was fairly and equally given education then naturally some would preform better than others and the wants and needs would also be different. This method is not making sure a certain demographic fills entry level jobs, what it is doing is taking away the option of jobs from the people and the option of education to children of America. As the book states “Some 6,700 children enter ninth grade in these 18 schools each year. Only 300 of these students, says Don Moore, director of Designs for Change, “both graduate and read at or above the national average.” Those very few who graduate and go to college rarely read well enough to handle college-level courses. At the city’s community colleges, which receive most of their students from Chicago’s public schools, the non-completion rate is 97 percent. Of the 35,000 students working toward degrees in the community colleges that serve chicago, only 1,000 annually complete the program and receive degrees.”(Jonathan Kozol, 72) This is a crazy statistic to me, these students are unmotivated and failing who is to say these people even want to slave away at entry level jobs, when you look at it from this perspective you may have a better understanding as to why young men look to drug dealing and gangs as well as why young women look to having children as an alternative to attempting what may seem to be impossible.

Bad Teachers- What schools are prone to having bad teachers? And why?

 

It is unfortunate that we have problems like “bad teachers” one would assume anyone in a position to teach would instinctively be passionate and motivated but thats just isn’t the case for every teacher. It is apparent that lower income and poorly preforming schools are getting end of the road, unmotivated and poorly paid teachers, thus lessening our children s chances or hope of wanting education let alone ever attending college.

“The problems are systematic: The number of teachers over 60 years of age in the Chicago system is twice that of teachers under 30. The salary scale, too low to keep exciting youthful teachers in the system, leads to the city to rely on low-paid subs. Who represent more than a quarter of Chicago’s teaching force. “We have teachers”, Mrs. Hawkins says “who only bother to come in three days a week”(Jonathan Kozol, 63)

In order for children to progress and be excited about education we need to employ teachers who are excited and youthful, who can motivate students and instill self-esteem and build their social skills. How can it be possible for our students to take school seriously and come to class prepared and ready if we have teachers who don't even show up to work? We need to start putting money into serious and qualified teachers for the districts that are in need.

School Resources- How does a child feel when he/she does not have them and why?

 

There was something I found quite interesting called “victim thinking” which according to the Savage Inequalities is a “matter of Psychology-or strategy-not reality.”(Jonathan Kozol,69) My point is that is present. When children do not have the resources (not only for school) they feel left out they may even write themselves off before even attempting a task because they don’t have the essentials needed to preform. I think not having supplies makes students feel unimportant. They go to school, go to class and their schools aren’t even prepared for them. They probably also feel as though they have better or more important things they could be doing rather than waisting time at school. I also think a lack of supplies makes them feel invaluable because if they were valued then they would most likely have all the things most schools have, like flushing toilets to say the least. “All these children see TV,”she says.”They know what suburban schools are like. Then they look around them at their school. This was a roller-rink, you know.... They don't comment on it but you see it in their eyes. They understand.”( Jonathan Kozol, 107)

Give two solutions to the oppressive education (Savage Inequalities)

I guess the most obvious answer to the question is put more money into the schools that have less or near nothing but you and I both know the solution is just not as simple as that.

In direct relation to Savage Inequalities I can't think of a solution especially one that a student or teacher or even a superintendent could come up with that could cause serious action and change in the school system. A big reason I feel this way is because the problem is much bigger than just simply “oppressive education” the children and their families and their communities are living oppressed lives.

“Dr. Lillian Parks, the superintendent of the East St. Louis schools. “Gifted children,” says Dr. Parks, “are everywhere in East St. Louis, but their gifts are lost to poverty and turmoil and the damage done by knowing they are written off by their society. Many of these children have no sense of something they belong to. They have no feeling of belonging to America. Gangs provide boys, perhaps, with something to belong to....”(Kozol 41)

As stated they are “gifted children, lost to poverty and turmoil.”

I feel that to fix this issue you would obviously have to generate some amount of money to rebuild the schools and get educational materials but even if that was completed you would still have broken families and communities up against these kids. A teacher can only be responsible for what they are able to give kids during school hours afterwards kids are essentially on their own. Along with fixing schools structurally you would need to have a foundation for home life that the kids could rely on and depend on and I don’t know where the aid for that would come from. I think as of now the only solution I can come to for oppressive education is support and structure for schools and family life this would be a basis to start with.