Racial Disparity In Education Essay

Race

Like other sectors of life, the education sometimes gets affected by the race and social differences. It is observed that people coming from a low ranked racial class usually do not have a history of very well-educated elders. Like their parents or ancestors, they have limited opportunities to have access to the education. The racial differences and the complexities of poor educational backgrounds make children feel like slow learners when they sit in class with other children belonging to educated families. This develops a feeling of sensitivity and being touchy about things which may be quite ordinary. Ideally speaking, the educational opportunities should not get influenced by things like racial disparity; therefore, it is also the responsibility of teachers to make students open in sharing their feelings with their mentors so that the adverse impact of situations could be mitigated hampering the learning pace of such students (Anonymous, n.d.).

The poor races of the society have found difficulties in providing the quality education as compared to White and high income people who are able to provide their children with better education (Redd, Perna, & Scott, 2003). A study by Bailey, Valentine, Cervero, & Bowles (2009) reveals that over 50 percent of Black graduates had experienced racism due to their color or race which

finally compelled them for isolation, less social communication or discrimination. The general perception that the students from the Black race are morally and intellectually less groomed as compared to Whites.
This affects their personal thoughts and overall ideology about life. The spectrum of thinking is changed towards the socially biased attitude (Baumgartner, 2001). In addition to the racial effects, the social class and gender are other factors that may cause an impact over the personality and professional growth of individuals.
Class
Like racial backgrounds, the social class can also make a significant impact on children’s education.

The students belonging to low-salaried families may remain deprived of the latest technologies like computers, digital textbooks and safe classrooms with no leakage after it rains (Redd, Perna, & Scott, 2003). Studies reveal that the social class of parents makes a direct impact on the educational performance of their children. The children having parents working on the managerial or executive posts have been found socially and academically far better than those whose parents or family have undergone some financial crisis. (Shepherd,

2010).
The class differences usually arise due to financial constraints or limited resources. Due to this reason, students from lower social class or minimum level of income do not find it easier to make it up to the higher education (Merriam et al., 2007). Wlodkowski (2008) adds that poor students have less proportion of enrollment in higher education. In this way, it should not be considered those financially stricken students should not be considered less motivated, lazy or unintelligent. The limited opportunities in education ultimately make difficult for them to aim for high-income salaries.
According to Gollnick & Chinn (2009), there is a possibility that a teacher may also consider a poor student less efficient in studies. The social class disparity may provide different levels of education to students. The less affordability of high-quality education does not enable students to go to the best educational institutions irrespective of their intellectual level and ability to perform better.

Gender
The issue of being affected by the discriminatory attitudes is more among females than males. Black women face more challenges of an educational journey by both race and their gender. The approach of male dominant society towards the education of females is quite different (Baumgartner, 2001). The factor of gender can be used by some communities negatively to limit the academic opportunities for females. This sometimes restricts their personal and professional development. The avenues of development and educational opportunities seem different for a male; however, a woman, despite all abilities and intelligence, may be better than males.
Women usually face difficulties that may hinder their academic growth. For instance, females are typically late finishers of their degrees due to some family responsibilities including marital issues, looking after their parents or children, etc. This freezes their semesters sometimes and restricts them in ensuring continuity in their studies. Further, from educational challenges, the employment opportunities for females could be different. Their services may be used only for teaching or nursing fields. The attitude of the society is very much different towards the education of females. They have to face the social and cultural barriers to achieve their educational goals (Maher & Ford, 2004).
The impact of race, class and gender is critical for the personal, professional and academic growth. The children with better race, social class and gender have found better opportunities in the educational phase of life. Ideally speaking, these factors should not be related to the educational achievements. However, in one way or the other, these have been found relevant to someone’s educational progress.