The purpose of education

I think one of the most important questions asked in class was should education or society be equalized? I believe that every child should have an equal opportunity in our society. This is of course idealistic and likely will not happen. However, a child should not be penalized for the economic situation they are born into. Some of the most brilliant minds of our time come from poverty. Likely there are many in poverty today that could make great contributions to our society. Should their voices be silenced simply because they do not have the means to develop as others would. We frequently hear in class of successful people who overcome their hardships and go on to achieve great things. Unfortunately these example are too often the exception to the rule. For every child that comes out of a lower income environment many more remain there because, while they have the desire and often the intelligence, they do not get that same "lucky break." Many work hard and do not succeed. Unfortunately as seen in this article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/19/AR2005081901579.html) there are forces that prevent this from happening. The tragic thing in this article is that the school districts are knowingly diverting money away from schools that need it despite laws against such actions.

I think the purpose of education is different for each child and both individually and structurally. I grew up in a working class community. Many of the aspects that Anyon discussed in her article apply to my school. Our learning was rote, copy the notes, take the test, move on to the next subject. It often gave us a feeling of just being given information more for the sake of moving us to the next grade than for actually learning. Many of the students in my school elected to not go to college. While this was given as an option there was a prevailing attitude that many of us would not go to college and would simply join the workforce. This is not to say that we were not given the option of college, it was simply expected that it may not be our first choice. I know many intelligent people who did not go to college, some of which are successful others who have fallen into the cycles of their families working class lives. It is unfortunate to me that those who have so much potential may not be achieving it simply because they were expected to follow in the tracks of those that went before them.

Unequal Resources

The class on Wednesday posed several good questions with many varied answers. I came into the discussion with a preconceived notion as to what unequal resources were. I think my first reaction was that it was the unbalance in schools of the necessary educational tools, books, computers, teachers, administration, etc. As we talked however I came to realize that while these are certainly part of what unequal resources are, they are only a small drop of what students are missing. I did not immediately think about Pre-K classes and the absence of such programs as an resource that children should at least have the right to. While for some Pre-K may not be a necessity, I do see it as a head start for those that do have access to it. In addition we had a rather lengthy discussion on the role and ability of families to participate in their child's education. Undoubtedly, every parent wants to see their child succeed. Unfortunately some are not able to participate in that as much as possible. My mother raised me and my three siblings by herself, while working two jobs. We were all involved in sports and other after school activities. While she made every effort to encourage and support us she had to depend on others to help us in many of our activities simply because she did not have the time. The situation is different for everyone, some parents are able to participate more, some are limited in that ability. It is these different situations that make things unequal. Some are able to overcome these inequalities while others struggle.

The final question asked what the solution is to this problem. As was said in class, acknowledgement is the first step. That acknowledgement must come from those who have the ability to make change. The working class are well aware of the differences, as we read in Kozol, even the children know there is something wrong. However, the people who have acknowledged there is a problem may not and likely do not have the power or the resources to make a change. Kozol points out the vast disparity in how much money is spent on the children in each district. He points out that public school funding in New York City per pupil is $11,700 while Manhasset's per student level is $22,000. While money is not the only solution it is an important part of any solution. I pointed out in class the example of Seattle spending 50 million dollars on a trolley system.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/09/19/seattle.train.ap/index.html#cnnSTCVideo (I suggest opening up the link in a new tab or window)

What I find most interesting is that while the news organizations pick up on the unfortunate acronym, they merely glance over the real problem of the government not putting funds were they are needed most, in low income areas. I do believe that investing in these communities needs to be a part of any solution. There needs to be a sense of pride instilled in these areas and belief that not only do they deserve better treatment, but should expect it as well. As Kerri-Ann pointed out however, simply putting money in these areas may lead to more affluent people moving in and the impoverished either moving or being forced out. So ultimately this would need to bring about the political part of politics in education for a solution. Whether this is placing regulations on who can have access to the areas or some other solution I am not sure. This of course brings us back to the need for those have the power to make these decisions to first acknowledge there is a problem and being willing to make a change for the better. I think this brings up the other problem with this news report in that they barely acknowledge the obvious debate as to where the money should go. While the media may not completely ignore the vast differences in now income areas and schools, they certainly do not go make it as obvious as perhaps they should. If there is to be political change it will only come with pressure. If the news organizations will only speak briefly about the disparity in our schools, then who will be the voice for people who often to not have one. Susan Eaton is a Journalist who has taken up this cause and is making an effort to expose the differences between the wealthy and the poor schools. In this audio clip from public radio, she discusses the causes as well as the political issues causing this problems. She has found that race and segregation is greatly connected to the resources that schools and students have. The audio is long, about 35 minutes, but if you have time, have a listen.

http://www.wnyc.org/flashpop.html?playlist=/stream/xspf/72594

Inclusion and Segregation

From my perspective inclusion of children with disabilities is essential to the growth of our children. The school should be there to both educate and help develop students. By assuring that children are introduced to peers that may not be the same as them, we can help them appreciate differences in people. I do believe that inclusion works for everyone. I have a younger brother with muscular dystrophy who was fully included in his school, despite becoming progressively worse through these formative years. He was fully accepted as a part of the school and was so involved with his peers that he was even included in the girls basketball yearbook picture his senior year. This shows the impact that someone who is different can have on those around them. These girls as well as others will grow up with an appreciation of the value of everyone simply because they had contact with someone like my brother. However, for my brother, inclusion was done properly. I think too often a child is thrown into a class and the class and teacher are not properly prepared. Here is a short video talking about how, when done right inclusion can be very beneficial to all:

What stood out most to me is the comment made by the principal Dr. Joe Petner that "Inclusion is an easy thing to do poorly." Teachers as well as those working individually with the student must have access to information that could help the student. I understand the desire to treat these children the same as others, but to not allow teachers to access to files and IEP's only does a disservice to the disabled child and by extension the other children in the class.

While we have a plan that integrates disabled students in school, we are still seeing segregation in our schools based on race and economics. I grew up in a rural community that was all white. It was, for the most part, a farming community that rarely saw vastly differing cultures. It was not until I graduated and moved away that I was exposed to different races and cultures. I think there are still communities all over that are quite similar to my hometown. We read in the introduction to Kozol that many of the schools he visited and taught were not racially diverse. It appears, even through my own experience, that while segregation is supposed to be a thing of the past, it is far from it. Laws may make schools and districts from intentionally segregating students, but these divides remain to this day. It is important that schools and communities, such as when mine when growing up, find away to introduce people of differing races and cultures to the students. We need to assure that, even if we attend a school that is segregated, that our children do not live in a box. Perhaps the only way to fix this problem is through amending the system, both politically and in through education. This means putting money where it is most needed, lower income communities. Like so many issues of today we must first acknowledge that there is still a problem and that it needs fixing. The following link takes you to an ABC clip from early summer that gives some interesting comments from people off the streets on segregation. We see how divided we are and the differing views that we all have on this issue. (There is a short commercial before the video starts, sorry about that)

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3027288

Whether we are discussing integration on the basis of disability or on race and culture there is a need to make every effort to avoid segregating any part of our population from each other. There is too much to be gained from the interaction between people, especially our youth.