Race and Class Affecting Education

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The decision of Brown vs. Board affected education nationally in 1954 by dismantling racism in schools. For this reason, segregation did not produce affirmative results for implementing equal opportunity in society. Citizens of the United States should receive a suitable education regardless of an individual’s race or class. Unfortunately, society is continuing separation because of the injustice of race and the location of poverty stricken individuals by not upholding a certain stature. “Compounding and reinforcing this educational inequality is the startling socioeconomic inequality and residential segregation in the United States” (Rist 4). Isolation of African American, Hispanic, and other minorities are affected because of their lack of prosperity, and it continues to influence society negatively by reducing the equality and opportunity to succeed. Race and class are the main issues of concern affecting education’s infrastructure; to change this misfortune, people will have to stand to fight for proper education within the United States and not depend on the government. Education is being affected by the lack of proper parenting skills, scarce economic resources in school systems, and society’s misinterpretation of individual’s environment affecting learning capabilities.

One of the primary causes of a failing education system is the insufficient amount of support from parents to improve education. For instance, majority of parents who send their children to impoverished schools are not playing an active role in their children’s education. Consequently, there are many factors that keep parents away from supporting their children’s educational needs. Parents may be working more than one job to maintain a roof...

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...advantage of the opportunities provided to them. “In the last 40 years the United States has more than doubled its spending on K-12 education and now outspends almost every other country in the world—devoting 4 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to K-12 education compared with, for example, Japan’s 2.6 percent” (Goodwin 2). Nevertheless, citizens of the United States must put education first to grant children the opportunities to receive proper education, regardless of race or class.

Works Cited

Glenn, David. "Scholars Question New Book's Gloom on Education." Chronicle of

Higher Education 57.24 (2011): a1-a11. Abstract. Print.

Heckman, James J. "The Economics of Inequality." Education Digest Dec. 2011:

4-11. Print.

Rist, Ray C. "Color, Class, and the Realities of Inequality." Society Mar.-Apr.

1996: 32-36. Print.

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