Race and the Unequal Opportunities

Comp 1
Research Paper
April 18, 2013
Race and the Unequal Opportunities In today’s day and age, bigotry should not be an issue but unfortunately it is, especially when it comes to education. When you sit in a class room, do you ever wonder if all the students of different races including yourself had the same equal educational opportunities? When you’re in elementary school, you do not realize the different opportunities every student has, is based off the color of their skin. As you get older, you start seeing the different opportunities every race is granted. But no matter the color of your skin, you have the right to receive the same equal educational opportunities as the student sitting next to you. In 1954, segregation was outlawed in public schools. As Americans, we have fought segregation to become equals and to have the ability to share the same opportunities as one another. But you would think having the same academic opportunity would be equal for everybody, but it is not. The educational opportunities offered to white students differ from the educational opportunities offered to blacks or Hispanic. In an article “Should Schools Set Different Goals for Students of Different Races” written by Emily Richmond, she talks strongly about the lack of academic opportunities given to minorities. When minorities do not receive the same educational opportunities offered at a young age, they get robbed from other life opportunities, including outstanding colleges and job opportunities. In education, there is a stubborn achievement gap. That gap is rising every year between the majority students and minorities, which turn into an opportunity gap. This gap turns into the minorities “getting less access to the most qualified teachers, the best schools, and the most expensive academic opportunities” (Richmond 1). It has been proven that having a teacher with “at least five years of experience” (Burton 3) makes an incredible difference in the student’s achievements, and minorities usually get taught by teachers with three or fewer years of experience. Also, minorities get taught by “out-of-field teachers” (3) making it harder to grasp the material of a certain subjects. In another article “Why Does the Gap Persist?” written by Paul E. Burton, he talks about the class curriculum getting harder over the years and minorities still lagging behind. If minorities had the same academic opportunities has majorities did, including the most qualified teachers and best schools, they most likely would not be lagging behind so much. When talking about the gap between minorities and majorities, there is more than one contributing factor. “Research ties 14 factors to student achievement, and low-income and minority children are at a disadvantage in almost all of them” (Burton 1). A major contributing factor is the “development environment” (2) a child grows up in. It was shown that impaired development can occur if an infant has a low birth weight, which makes the child more likely to fail a grade. “In 2000, 13 percent of black infants were low in birth weight, compared [to] 7 percent of white infants…”(2). Another contributing factor is the school a child attends, and the negative behaviors they are exposed to. Many minorities feel unsafe walking to school or even to classes because they feel like they will get attacked at any moment, but majorities barely have this fear. This fear has to do with the different experiences each racial group goes through, and the behaviors they encounter at schools. But in order to have a higher achievement level, there needs to be a “positive disciplinary climate.” (Burton 4). This means teachers need to enforce their rules and help every student no matter the color of their skin. Over several years, there have been many policies intended to cut the educational gap between majorities and minorities. Some efforts were the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965; then in 2001, former President George W. Bush added the No Child Left Behind clause. The No Child Left Behind was intended to close the achievement gap with accountability and flexibility so no child would get left behind, which became effective in 2002. Now, in 2012 many states are following the Education Trust, which is an “advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.” (Richmond 2). The Education Trust, who many call Ed Trust, requires “states cut in half the gap between where each group of students start” (2). This aims to reduce all achievement gaps by 50 percent. Even though all these actions are in place, it will still be a while until the achievement gap is closed.
We live in a world where the rich acquire everything they need and more while the poor suffer. Having money plays a role in education because it is easier to hire well-trained tutors, find the best pre-schools, and the most trained and experienced teachers than the poor. All these factors play a key role because they are necessities a student should have but do not receive due to the lack of funds. In addition, most minorities do not have enough or the proper materials needed for certain classes due to lack of funds, again. Another way money ties into education is the low food supply among minority houses. “Black and Hispanic children under age 18 are about three times more likely to be hungry and insecure in their food supply than white children are” (Burton 2). This translates into children starving, not making it to classes, and not being able to focus 100 percent on school studies. With minorities being poor, they cannot provide as well for their children as whites can.
As a society, we should not focus on the color of people’s skin complexion, but more focused on what people can bring to the table. In the article “The Effects of Race, Poverty & Equal Opportunity in America” written by Eric J. Cooper, he points out many challenges in education in America including the unequal opportunities among students. Cooper also mentions that we need to reform the education system to adjust to all students diverse backgrounds. In order to make a difference in the education system, we must make a difference in ourselves first. “Our future must focus more on what connects us and less on what divides us” (Cooper 1). Meaning, we should not let difference in interests, or morals reflect on the education a child receives. There comes a point where you need to put away the pettiness and start focusing on the bigger picture, which are the children of our future.
Hopefully, you see a different side of education, a side no one usually sees or even thinks about. There are many contributing factors on what kind of education one student may receive, even the type of education you have received or may be receiving now. The big contributing factor is race, and that the color of your skin does determine the type of educational opportunities you may or may not receive. Maybe one day, you can help turn the education around to make sure every student of every race has had an will have the same equal educational opportunities.