Unequal opportunity in education revised

December 2, 2012

Dear Mr. President:

Ultimately education is an opportunity for success. For some it is simply an opportunity to realize their goals and achieve happiness. For many it is an opportunity for them to climb out of poverty, and achieve the American dream. I believe this opportunity should be the same for all students in the United States, but unfortunately it isn’t. Not all students receive an equal opportunity for education, poor children, minorities, and immigrants happen to get the worst education. These students typically live in urban environments. The schools in these neighborhoods get a fraction of the education funding being given to schools in suburban areas, where the students and their families tend to be more affluent (3). The success of a student is based on many more factors rather that fall within the issue of funding, poverty of the students, and the quality of the teachers also have a major effect on the quality of education children receive.

In urban areas, where schools get the least funding, there is a large population of lower class, and migrant students. The American Psychological Association refers to someone who is a part of the lower class status as someone with low Socioeconomic Status or low SES (1). Students with low SES are automatically at a disadvantage when it comes to education. These students tend to be a part of households where there may be low literacy, chronic stress, and the parents may not have the time availability to provide the type of support conducive to their child’s learning(1). A study of American kindergarten students showed that that 36% of low SES parents read to their kids daily, versus 62% of high SES families (1).  A student’s initial reading competence is directly related to the literacy environment of their home, parents stress, and how many books they own (1). All of these factors influence a student’s preacademic skills (1). When students enter into a school environment they may have a lack of academic confidence due to inadequate preparation to the school environment (2). These students tend to acquire language skills more slowly; they may have delayed letter recognition, delayed phonological awareness, which result in difficulties with reading; they may have issues with addition, subtraction, and word problems (1). There is a strong link between students that come from a low SES environments and learning disabilities. These children are twice as likely to show behavioral problems as well (1). These issues associated with children from low SES environments occur at no fault from the children themselves. Lee Warren is Associate Director of the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University wrote about low SES students in her essay called Class in the Classroom she said “working class students are keenly aware of the value of higher education, tend to be highly motivated, and know how to work hard. They are often characterized by fierce determination and goal-orientation. They have strong work ethic and often manage hair-raising schedules of work, family, and college, pulling off the demands of each with grit and clear sense of purpose” (2). Students from low SES backgrounds need extra support, from their schools and teachers, to help them rise above the challenges they face. That’s why the urban schools, in poor neighborhoods, that low SES students are more heavily enrolled in should be funded more, if not at least the same, as the schools in suburban, more affluent neighborhoods. The funding for urban schools need to be greatly increased, so the students in these schools can have the same opportunity to succeed as any other student, in any other school.

In urban schools the lack of sufficient funding causes the students in these schooled to be trained by overworked, underpaid, and often times unqualified teachers to teach in overcrowded classrooms with insufficient supplies. A teacher in an urban school gets paid 20% less than teachers in suburban schools (3). Teachers in urban areas also face a higher cost of living. The difficulties of working in these schools cause most teachers to leave their profession within years. As a result urban schools constantly have new teachers coming in that face a variety of challenges. Since many of the students need extra support because of their socioeconomic background these teachers are forced to offer extra support for many students in overcrowded classes. New teachers face stress, fatigue and aren’t given the necessary emotional support to cope with it. This is why new teachers are unwilling to teach in urban schools because they fear the environment and the challenges they will face. They fear having to deal with run-down classrooms, outdated textbooks, and insufficient classroom equipment. Often times good teachers that are in these schools will simply move to a different school district where they will get paid more, and face less difficulty (3). It is a fact that because of insufficient funding that minority, and low SES students are more likely to be taught by an under-qualified teacher (3). Quality teachers have the greatest impact on improving a student’s performance; there should be more of them in urban schools, where they should get paid more, not less, for their extremely hard work.

(Teachers in urban areas also face a higher cost of living. The difficulties of working in these schools cause most teachers to leave their profession within years. As a result urban schools constantly have new teachers coming in that face a variety of challenges. Since many of the students need extra support because of their socioeconomic background these teachers are forced to offer extra support for many students in overcrowded classes. New teachers face stress, fatigue and aren’t given the necessary emotional support to cope with it.)

Schools in urban, poor neighborhoods need to get the funding that they so desperately require so that the students within these schools have the same opportunities to succeed as any other student in any other school. It is essential for the success of these students, and for the continued prosperity of this nation.