Jonathan Kozol The Shame Of The Nation Analysis

In his book, “The Shame of the Nation”, Jonathan Kozol outlines core inequalities in the American educational system. According to Kozol although great steps were made in the 1960s and 1970s to integrate schools, by the end of the 1980s schools had begun to re-segregate. In inner cities such as Chicago, eighty-seven percent of children enrolled in public schools were either black or Hispanic, and only ten percent were white (page#). It seems that there are many different factors contributing to the re-segregating of schools.
Kozol describes many inner city schools as being in terrible condition. These schools students are mostly made up of a minority population. He describes these schools as having deteriorating conditions such as wallpaper …show more content…
Knowing this, why is segregation in schools still happening? Do the majority of Americans support this type of segregation? According to a study, over two thirds of Americans believe desegregation improves education for blacks. Typically people who oppose desegregation have not had any experience with integrated schools(page#). Orfield notes that there are court supervised phase out of state funding programs that discourages suburban districts from accepting students from inner city communities. In addition to that, there are several politicians who are extremely opposed to integration(page#). Kozol spoke with a gentleman, Wilkins, who shared his experience as to why segregation is increasing. He stated that it is the “small minded triumphalism of contemporary political leaders who grew up in ‘isolated worlds of white male privilege’, and as a result inadequate education for the responsibilities they hold” (page#). It seems that there are people in power who carry old beliefs and fears of the past. Some of these politicians grew up in wealthy families. They still hold firm the belief that if you work hard, you can get rich. Obviously this isn’t always the case. There are many low income workers who work every day, close to sixty hours a week and barely get by. These politicians grew up going to schools in wealthy suburban areas have no idea the plight of those with low income, not to mention what it is like growing up in an inner city school. Wilkins recounts that he went to a school that had a majority white population. He mentioned how his presence in the school allowed both him and his fellow students learn to each other. But despite that, he mentioned he still doesn’t feel completely at ease because as he walks through the centers of white dominance, he still feels like an outsider. There have also been other stories that reinforce the idea that schools should