Systemic Inequity In The Department Of Education

The Department of Education, created in 1867, exists “to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access” (Plenary, Week 4). Today, many college students believe in education as a means to get a career and do not focus on the public purposes of a democratic education: “To prepare people to participate as citizens in a democracy, to promote social cohesion, to guarantee equal opportunities for all children, to prepare people to become economically self-sufficient, and to improve social conditions” (Plenary, Week 4). Subjects such as reading, writing, math, and history prepare a student to make informed decisions in their adult life, including actions like voting,
The zip code housing market is a great example of systemic inequity. The amount of money a public school receives depends on the property taxes in the district. Therefore, schools in wealthier communities receive more funds to put toward better teachers, classroom resources, and extracurricular activities. Each state controls its own public education, meaning it can tailor its curriculum by using different textbooks or methods of learning. This can create a disconnect between the states. Texas, for example, uses textbooks that poorly represents the admittedly awful injustices done by white people in early American history - one textbook described the Atlantic slave trade as “bringing ‘millions of workers’ to plantations in the American South” (New York Times, 2015). The lack of honesty about the pain and suffering inflicted on the slaves misinforms the students about crucial moments and mistakes made in the past. Students have the right to a factual educational system, and as these misunderstandings add up they affect the students’ knowledge in the long
Private schools are often selective in order to create a space for like-minded students to explore common core subjects and extracurricular activities in a less restrictive teaching environment. Studies show “students at private schools tend to be more tolerant of the rights of others, more likely to vote, and more likely to volunteer than students at public schools” (Friedman Foundation, p. 1); this is partly because teachers can tackle tough topics, such a racism or sexual education, however they believe the students will best understand it, not necessarily how the state wants them to teach it. In turn, teachers are happier and more inclined to empower their students with a better educational experience. But, this statement is situational. For example, these freedoms also give Catholic school educators the ability to teach creationism and write-off evolution, which limits the students’ understanding of global perspectives about the world’s creation. This practice can make it difficult for a student to participate in core aspects of democratic citizenship such as debate because they are not aware of other