The Problem with American School Systems
Uploaded by Waltohar on May 03, 2000
All over America there seems to be painfully obvious differences in the school systems which cater to the upper class majority and the ones that serve the lower and middle class minority. There is a strong undercurrent of racial inequality in today's school systems, which negatively effect the quality of education that its students receive. A schools potential to give a proper education often depends on the perspective economic, and social, or should I say racial backgrounds of its students.
America's school systems seem to be returning to their former state of segregation. If the government doesn't do something to evenly distribute funds and programs in America's schools the rate of poverty, crime, and illiteracy will steadily increase, thus widening the gap between the lower class and the rich. The population of minorities who live in the United States is constantly increasing and their numbers can contribute to the success or the failure of the nation.
Magnet schools, private schools, or suburban schools serve the upper class, majority of the American population. These schools are some of the best high schools in the nation. There are usually a small number of minority children who are lucky enough to attend such quality schools but white children defiantly make up the majority of upper class high school populations.
In an article that I read from the "National Catholic Reporter" called "A tale of two schools" the author Viebica Stokley discussed the differences between public schools and magnet schools. There were constant references made about the contrasting environments of good schools and mediocre ones. The magnet school mentioned in the article was called Franklin High. Franklin was a clean, well-lit school. It is air conditioned and freshly painted. There is no graffiti, the bathrooms are clean and there are no roaches or rats present. Franklin has an ample supply of books and supplies. Franklin has a huge library and a computer lab filled with new computers. The school has a TV studio, a new theater, and a school newspaper.
Students don't skip classes or miss days at school. Franklin has few discipline problems; there are few fights, if any. Franklin has a fifteen to one teacher student ratio, which means that students are able to receive more one on one attention. Students who attend Franklin take college prep courses like Spanish, physics, and calculus. Students have higher overall grade averages and test scores. One hundred percent...