The Power of Education

Education is the greatest equalizer we have to offer as a nation. Education is one way to increase one's world view, capital, and social mobility. When people aren't provided with a good education, they're running a race 100 meters behind the start line. They can run the race, but the odds of them catching up or surpassing the rest of the competitors by the end of the race is slim to none. When thinking about education, you should think about all the ways it can be used to both liberate and control people. Being able to understand both sides of education will help you address possible issues that our current education system has. 

Education is often closely associated with privilege, and those with the most money tend to receive the best educations. Institutional practices within the nation maintain the concept of wealth and education. When kids are zoned to schools and schools, like those in Texas, are funded by property tax, more affluent areas have better schools. Schools with the most money and highest test score tend to be in suburban areas, and that's excluding private schools. Public suburban schools consistently outperform inner-city schools when comparing standardized testing. 

Education is the foundation upon which youths are shaped, and the futures of many are determined. One's ability to find employment, provide for the family unit, and live in today's world is heavily influenced by education level, and minorities within our nation are often not given the same quality of education when compared to their non-minority counterparts. Within inner cities/ urban areas, minority students' educational potential is stifled due to lake of qualified educators. This concept can be seen in "Unequal opportunity: Race and education." Within the reading of "Unequal opportunity," the author's argument is that the color line within education foreseen by W.E.B Du Bois being the 21st century's biggest problem, and so far, he's not wrong. To support such a claim, the author examines past studies about the level of influence a teacher has on student's learning aptitude. The findings within the reading point to more educated, and often senior. Teachers have the greatest impact on students' ability to excel within our education system. Unfortunately, such teachers weren't commonly found within the inner city, thus demonstrating a glaring injustice that proposes the question of "why?" Why were senior teachers not being found within the inner city? 

So what can be done? If equity within the United States education system becomes the number one priority rather higher test score each year, a change could be seen. Standardized test have been proven to have unintentional bias and aren' t the best way to determine a child's scholastic aptitude. It's no surprise when a suburban school out scores an inner-city school, it's to be expected. The children attending suburban schools have more resources and a stringer educational support network with tutors that can help them when they're struggling with a concept. When looking at the demographics of an inner-city school and Suburban school, one can clearly see how a minority group isn't being provided with the proper tools to compete with there counterparts.