Does Racism Have an Effect on the  Education system? 

There is an ongoing debate about racism here in America. Racism in the American education system results in the unequal treatment of minority students compared to white students. Many disparities are often manifested and have an effect on the academic achievements of minority students, the disciplinary actions taken upon minority students, and even the graduation rate of minority students in high school. The root of this issue dates back to the dark age of slavery that lasted over four hundred years in America and only had been abolished not even two hundred years ago. Despite the facts and statistics of the issues racism in the American education system causes, there is still a large argument that racism is not an issue in the American education system. Many feel that racism is used as an “excuse” for minority students, and that it doesn’t negatively affect them in any aspect. Many people will argue that we should just “move on” from slavery, essentially leaving it in the past. However, if the effects of slavery still remain to this day, can we really just leave slavery in the past? It is a fact racism is still very much alive today, can we just leave racism in the past if it is still here? 

I would like for us to sit down and take a minute to look at the socioeconomic status many minority children are raised in. Taking a dive into socioeconomic status and the part it plays in institutional racism can help us further examine that racism is in fact alive and well and a huge problem within our education system in the United States. Often low income families (alot of the time consisting of single parent households), poor/ dangerous communities, lack of resources, goods and opportunities for success. Even trying to get a decent paying job is hard. Many parents will work multiple jobs at a time just to ensure everyday necessities for them and their children to survive. Due to all of the negative impacts of living in a lower socioeconomic status, many children lack the quality schools that they need in order to receive a good education. The schools low income students attend are run down/old buildings. As a result of these factors, low income students do not perform very well in school. They have no motivation to want to do better in school, and often see attending school as nothing more than law. We must acknowledge that this still causes a sense of segregation within the school system. 

To further argue against the fact that racism is not an issue in the American education system, let us now look at the funds for schools in urban areas with a large minority population compared to schools in suburban areas with a large white population. High income students are often white children whereas low income students are often minority children like Black, LatinX, Native American, etc. High income students have much greater access to excellent schools that provide a multitude of opportunities and extracurricular activities while low income students obviously do not. Underfunded schools in urban areas lack quality resources for good classroom experiences such as new textbooks that are up to date, computers/ tablets, extracurricular activities, and even the teachers. Well funded schools in suburban areas have up-to -date textbooks, high technology like computers and tablets, and quality teachers. All of these factors cause a separation of races in the education system in this country. This is still a form of segregation. 

Now that we have looked at the statistics on urban and suburban school funding, we can now understand the wide achievement gap in American education. Black and Latino students are more likely to receive harsher punishments than their white counterparts. Black students are also more likely to be placed in lower academic classes and are also retained in grade 2.2 times more than white students. There is an increased educational disadvantage for minority students and this causes a bigger dropout rate for low income students. If not the dropout rate, then the percentage of low income students attending higher education. 

There are many ways that we can correct these disparities in the education system. Acknowledging the disparities is a step all in itself, and this would make a great first step. Seeing the issue, addressing the issue, and taking action to correct the issue. Urban schools receiving better funding from the government would help low income students to have a much better school experience. Attending a school with the proper resources can give a boost of motivation in wanting to do better in school. Correcting the inequality of disciplinary actions against minority students would help lower the dropout rate. Finding a better way to help the students instead of handing out harsh punishments would give them the feeling that they are cared for and have a system of support in school. Providing access for more extracurricular activities for students to participate in such as sports, advanced classes, and different programs to showcase talents. The point remains that no matter what race or ethnicity we are, we all deserve to have equal opportunities and access to good quality education. We all deserve the chance to do well in school and achieve big careers in life. Socioeconomic status, race, religion, ethnicity, etc. should not be determining factors on whether or not we all get to have good experiences in schooling. Acknowledging and addressing the issues are the only ways we can start rectifying the racism in the education system.  

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