Racism in the American Education System

Racism in the education system is still very active in our society today, despite the efforts of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Students are still segregated in a sense and not everyone gets to experience elementary school, middle school, and high school the same way. Unfortunately for some, the experience is quite disappointing. This problem has much to do with systemic racism and poverty. Systemic racism is especially seen in private education. The majority of private schools are made up of white students and very few minority students.  In these circumstances there is a lack of equality amongst students in the private education system. Equality is when fair treatment and access to opportunities is given the same to all. However, no matter how much the issue of equity between white and minority students is addressed, nothing ever seems to come to resolve this issue. In fact it is often dismissed, overlooked, or just completely ignored. 

There is a very wide achievement gap between white and minority students. A lower achievement rate especially among black students in urban and suburban neighborhoods. The most recent statistic on the graduation rate of black students from universities is only about forty percent, whereas the graduation rate of white students is about sixty four percent. Again, this brings us back to the topic of equality. Minority students, especially black, are not given or even offered the same opportunities that white students are. Some of these examples include a lack of support from teachers/ professors, resources, and the quality of education they are receiving in the classroom. These factors can play such an important role in the motivation of the students and the desire for students to learn and achieve big goals when  it comes to schooling. This goes even outside of the classroom. 

Disciplinary actions are evidently different amongst white and minority students. The punishments disproportionately affect minority students. Black and hispanic students are often given a much harsher punishment than their white counterparts. School authorities are very quick to suspend or expel black and latino students whereas their white counterparts get a “slap on the wrist” for performing the same defiant behaviors. This again goes back to equality. Why is it that black and latino students receive much harsher punishment than their white counterparts and both parties are performing the same behaviors? Why isn’t there a sense of equity when it comes to punishing students? These unfairly distributed forms of punishment also play a very large part in the perception minority students have in school and their future success in education, according to the research that was studied by the American Psychological Association. Not only does it affect their perception of school but also negatively affects their perception and relationships with teachers and other school authorities. It can perpetuate negative stereotypes against racial and ethnic minority students and even affect how they’re treated by their white peers.This unequal treatment can start as young as pre-k, ages three and four. 

Public schools in urban areas with a high percentage of minority students tend to lack the necessary resources that are needed for a good quality education. Old, worn down, and outdated textbooks, no computers, and no access to advanced courses. Even the teachers lack the resources they need in order to provide their students with the proper education they need in order to move forward in the future school years. The schools themselves are even run down, old, and dirty buildings.These schools are overall underfunded and neglected by the state. Schools in areas of poverty need more attention and investments from the state they’re in. Lastly, many of these schools contain teachers who are not very experienced in the field of education. This is not to say that these teachers don’t try their best or are completely unsuccessful, but having teachers with more experience and qualifications could help the students achieve more in their academics. What also does not help this case is the fact that the student to teacher ratio is much higher, causing the schools to contain very large classes without the correct amount of teachers needed to support these classes. 

Students can see when they’re being invested in. Going to a run down building, with overcrowded classrooms, and lacking essential materials everyday only wears down the students’ motivation to want to succeed. Many even drop out very early on before getting the chance to receive a high school diploma. These are the young kids that often turn to a life in the streets, risking their life and freedom everyday just to barely get by. Those who do receive their diploma feel that high school was enough and would rather step right into the world of labor instead of getting a college degree in something that could make their lives much more comfortable in the long run. 

There is so much that has to be fixed in the American education system. The many advantages given to and taken away from students is completely unjust and hypocritical to what this country stands for. Urban schools deserve to have better funding and better resources. Students who attend urban schools deserve to have much better education quality and effort from their authoritative figures. Minority students attending both public and private schools deserve better treatment. In fact they deserve the same treatment as their white counterparts. Lastly they deserve to be given the same opportunities. Having no opportunities or even being given a chance to actually have access to advanced education is beyond unfair when it is all given to the white students. The sad part is, there are so many smart students that have the brains to do so many great things, things that could possibly impact the whole world and the chance is wasted solely because of the systemic racism and poverty this country still enforces on the minority community. We have a long way to go, but it does not mean that the day equal treatment isn’t even a question won’t ever come to be. 

References

https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2021/10/black-students-harsh-discipline 

https://www.gao.gov/blog/racial-disparities-education-and-role-government