1. East St. Louis (Life on the Mississippi)
-Explain the statement that in East St. Louis, the city is organized for adults and NOT children.
Overall, safety and poverty seem to be the main issues for children in the city of East St. Louis. Many of the families are said to live on less than 7,500$ a year and the city is basically described as a dump. With a lack of public services such as trach pick-up residents are forced to place their trash all over the city. Raw sewage is a big problem and even flows onto the playground for the children.
Not only is safety itself an issue, children are not made a priority which leads to the city more appealing to adults rather than children which is ironic seeing as though the city’s public education system is its
San Antonio, TX
What does it mean to say that in San Antonio the poorer districts pay more taxes and receive less funding? What is the “Foundations Program” and why did it fail in San Antonio in their attempt to solve the problem of inequality?
Seeing as though San Antonio’s education funding is based on property value, poorer districts obviously receive less funding. However, the poor districts are required to pay the same tax rate that the wealthier districts pay but are unable to properly fund their schools whereas the wealthier districts are comfortably able to fund their schools and are much less affected by the tax rate compared to their lower-income counterparts. The Foundations Program was created to give freedom to districts to fund their own schools. The thought behind this program was that if a district wants to improve its schools, it can fund them itself rather than rely on the state. The problem is, while this program worked fine for wealthier districts, the poorer districts still lacked the proper funding to improve these schools. A way to fix this issue could be for all districts to work together and create partnerships in order to create one big fund to aid all schools in said
The children in this book at times seem wise beyond their years. They are exposed to difficult issues that force them to grow up very quickly. Almost all of the struggles that the children face stem from the root problem of intense poverty. In Mott Haven, the typical family yearly income is about $10,000, "trying to sustain" is how the mothers generally express their situation. Kozol reports "All are very poor; statistics tell us that they are the poorest children in New York." (Kozol 4). The symptoms of the kind of poverty described are apparent in elevated crime rates, the absence of health care and the lack of funding for education.
The article notes that these are the inequalities of the title, seen in the way schools in predominantly white neighborhoods are more likely to have sufficient funding, while schools in poor and minority neighborhoods do not. Kozol shows everyone involved in the education system that public schools are still separate and, therefore, still unequal. Suburban schools, which are primarily made up of white students, are given a far better education than urban schools. These urban schools are primarily made up of Hispanics and African Americans. The second is the concern over segregation and the effect it has on society.
Inner City Communities are often areas which are both densely populated and deteriorating(quote). The areas and its residents have strongly been correlated with social and economical disparity. Residents of inner city communities have been plagued with problems including: “high unemployment, poor health care, inadequate educational opportunities, dilapidated housing, high infant mortality, and extreme poverty” (Attitudes and Perceptions, n.d). Though the inner city communities have been stricken with
Mottram, Jamie. “Why St. Louis is a terrible, no good place.” Misterirrelevant.com. 11 November 2013. Web. 11 November 2013.
Emergence of the Foundation Program Concept-organizational flat rate grant approach to fair education among school districts.
New York City is claimed to be one of the greatest cities in the world. Many are blinded by the breathtaking skyline, the endless opportunities, and the hustle and bustle of the streets. As one of the economic capitals of the world, it is surprising to hear that about 30 percent of children currently residing in New York City are living in poverty (Cheney). New York City has evolved into a city for the wealthy by eliminating inexpensive housing and jobs, forcing many families to the streets (Elliot). Many are unaware of how prevalent child poverty is.
With this many students, both state and federal representatives have made efforts to adopt reforms designed to make a solution to the funding inequality. The disproportion of funds first and foremost effects the amount of programs offered to children that vary from basic subjects such as: English, Math, and Science. This created the motivation to improve the quality of education for low-income neighborhoods by targeting resources other than property taxes and redirecting the states budgets. The goal the school districts all shared was the need to increase instruction, add after school activities, promote a well-rounded education, physical innovations to facilities and classrooms, and to update the academic resources. The popular demand that the funding to public education needs to correspond throughout all the school districts. Wealthy tax payers often argue that a region that depends on property taxes is the “American way.” This argument derives from the ideology that American success relies on perseverance and hard work, but if the playing field is uneven the higher born student has an advantage. “High property taxes—the burdens and perverse incentives they create, the rage they generate, the town-to-town school funding inequities they proliferate—…represent an endless New England nightmare…” (Peirce and Johnson, 2006). In the attempt to
Most of American school’s funding comes from local property taxes, and state taxes. Due to this set up, many people complain that equal educational opportunities are not introduced to all children. They argue that the level of education a child will receive is directly reflective of the type of economic area they come from. For example, a child that comes from a rural, less wealthy part of the state will not receive the same opportunities, or the same value of education as a child who grows up in a rich suburban town. These people feel that all children should be given ...
...he surrounding area are required (and thus get more funding from local property taxes), by law and Education Code, to give a portion of their funding to school districts that are “poor” in order to boost the “poor” school districts performance; this idea of taking from the rich and giving to the poor is why it is dubbed the “Robin Hood” plan (Smith, Schools are Reassigned to Robin Hood, 2011). This bill was the first in a long series of proposed bills that was ruled as a constitutional solution for the 1989 Texas Supreme Court case Edgewood v. Kirby, but it is also the reason for the not only the current lawsuit filed by approximately 600 school districts (both wealthy and poor), but also the 2003 school funding lawsuit (Texas School Finance History, n.d.). It has been ruled unconstitional several times throughout its history, yet it still remains in practice today.
There are many other areas around the United States where urban schools suffer from lack of funding. In many of America...
Income greatly impacts a child’s learning ability. In the United States, where a child attends school is based on where he or she lives, which is based upon the income of the family. Typically, families with lower income must send their children to poor quality schools. Schools in low income areas are more likely to have unsatisfactory teachers, or teachers with little experience because of the salary the school can offer. Even though many forms of financial aid are accessible to low income students wanting to attend college, there is no such acclaim available to low income families who would prefer to live in a higher quality school system (Rouse/Barrow, 1-2). Children who live in a home where money is scarce do not have as many necessary resources as their wealthier peers. For example, many low income families lack books, computers, Internet access, and parents with a high education that can assist their children with schoolwork. These children are behind academically, and piling on standardized test after test to measure their progress and teacher worth is not productive (Strauss, 2). The federal education policy has been ignoring the issue of poverty for years now because many school reformers argue that the effects of living in pover...
Obtaining a good education is probably one of the most sought out dreams in America. Although education is free for all American citizens, there are several obstacles that impact the population from receiving equal education benefits. Two groups that experience a difference when receiving an education are the rich and the poor. Inequality among different social classes in America can make it extremely difficult for the poor to receive the similar education equality as the wealthy. These inequalities can lower the chance of individuals living in poverty stricken communities from receiving a reasonable education. Education can be impacted by location, wealth, and state funding. Each factor plays an important part in the education citizens across America receive.
Proper school funding is one of the keys to having a successful school. Americans believe that funding is the biggest problem in public schools. School improvements revolve around funding. There needs to be funding not only in the successful schools but also the schools that aren’t doing as well. In documentary, Waiting for Superman, it talks about how smaller class sizes will help students. Funding is what will help the smaller class sizes. State funding mechanisms are subject to intense political and economic scrutiny (Leonard). Studies have shown that funding is inversely related to accreditation levels (Leonard). School funding needs to be increased, but there must be accountability as well.
Some states want to have separation when it comes to the income of these schools. States argue that high class, wealthy, school districts should have more money than the lower class districts, because of the tax payers wants or because there are better opportunities for students to grow in the wealthier areas. According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 50 percent of lower end schools are not receiving the amount of money they should get from the state funds (U.S. Department of Education). This is what is preventing school districts in these areas from helping students with their education. The schools are forced to cut back on programs such as extracurricular activities that are suppose to encourage students to be active, or they would have to cut back on supplies where in some cases there are not enough textbooks for each student to have his or her own. The U.S. Department of Education also stated that teachers that are less paid and have less years teaching are often the ones dealing with the students in poverty. (U.S. Department of Education). This only prolongs the problem with children receiving the proper education. If they are taught by teachers who don’t know what they are teaching or those who don’t have enough experience, then the students are not going to learn the correct information or any information at all. While there are some schools
“In the eyes of too many people, street children are not even human, and so they are dispatched in much the same way one would step on a cockroach” (Latin 281). This is not a productive way to view such a large group of children, especially since they populate much of the poorer cities and areas. There are approximately 40,000 children who live in the streets throughout just Mexico City. Also, both Sao Paolo and Bogota contain similar amounts of street children, somewhere in the tens of thousands. This brings up the question, how do such a large amount of street children appear? It is doubtful that this is the case as the creation of public housing and other various forms of urban planning foster an environment that supports such a large quantity of street children.