Author Question: Why do you think school systems in the United States have failed to provide equal opportunity for a ... (Read 39 times)

piesebel

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 565
Why do you think school systems in the United States have failed to provide equal opportunity for a high-quality education to all the students?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Social justice issues often relate to sociologically vulnerable populations or out-groups:
 
  A) economically disadvantaged white males
  B) women and children
  C) both of the above
  D) neither of the above



aburgess

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 361
Answer to Question 1

An egalitarian society has a responsibility to provide equal opportunity for a high-quality education to all its citizens. Our society has generally failed to meet this responsibility, especially with respect to minority groups and the poor. School systems in the United States are primarily geared for educating middle- and upper-class students. Youngsters who live in wealthy tax districts benefit from having more money spent on their schools than students who live in poorer districts. About 40 of the funds for public schools in the United States come from local school district taxes. Because most of this money is derived from property taxes, school districts with numerous expensive homes have much more revenue for their schools. The educational reformer Jonathon Kozol says in Savage Inequalities that the United States maintains two separate and unequal school systems, one for poor minority inner-city children and another for the more affluent. Poor children sometimes attend Third-World-condition schools with poorly qualified teachers, while a bus ride away there are well-equipped schools with highly qualified teachers.
Most teachers have middle-class backgrounds, which may mean they are better able to establish relationships with middle- and upper-income children, with whom they have more in common. There is also evidence that teachers expect less of poor children academically and behaviorally than they expect of middle- and upper-class children. In turn, low-income students tend to respond to such expectations by underachieving and misbehaving. Thus, the expectation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Many school systems place students in one of several different tracks or ability groups. In high school, the so-called most promising are placed in college preparatory courses, whereas others go into basic or vocational classes. Lower-class and minority students are much more likely to be placed in the basic or vocational track and are not exposed to college-oriented math, science, and literature. In addition, because such students have little contact with college-bound students, they are less likely to aspire to a college education. Without a vocational or 4-year college education, they have very limited opportunities to obtain high-paying jobs. The small proportion of low-income and minority students who do pursue a college education generally do not have the financial resources to attend prestigious colleges and universities. Also, they have greater difficulty competing academically with wealthier students, partly because they have to work (at least part time) to offset some of their expenses.

Answer to Question 2

B



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
 

Did you know?

It is believed that humans initially contracted crabs from gorillas about 3 million years ago from either sleeping in gorilla nests or eating the apes.

Did you know?

Approximately 15–25% of recognized pregnancies end in miscarriage. However, many miscarriages often occur before a woman even knows she is pregnant.

Did you know?

Your heart beats over 36 million times a year.

Did you know?

Although puberty usually occurs in the early teenage years, the world's youngest parents were two Chinese children who had their first baby when they were 8 and 9 years of age.

Did you know?

Pink eye is a term that refers to conjunctivitis, which is inflammation of the thin, clear membrane (conjunctiva) over the white part of the eye (sclera). It may be triggered by a virus, bacteria, or foreign body in the eye. Antibiotic eye drops alleviate bacterial conjunctivitis, and antihistamine allergy pills or eye drops help control allergic conjunctivitis symptoms.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library