Jonathan Kozols Savage Inequalities Children in...

Jonathan Kozols Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools In this detailed and shocking book, Jonathan Kozol describes the horrific and unjust conditions in which many children in today’s society are forced to get their education. Kozol discusses three major reasons for the discrepancies in America’s schools today: disparities of property taxes, racism, and the conflict between state and local control. The first of these reasons is that of the differences of available property tax revenues. Kozol discusses the inconsistencies in property tax revenues and the problem that the poorer districts aren’t getting the same opportunities for education as the more affluent neighborhoods. He says the reason for this is that the†¦show more content†¦The statistics he gives in the book are very startling, stating how in one school the classrooms are racially segregated. In one classroom there are all white students, maybe one or two black or Asian children. In another classroom, the â€Å"special† class, all the chi ldren are black, with maybe one white child. Kozol does not understand how one could look at this situation and deny that this is racism. Kozol says that, according to a study done by the State Commissioner of Education, â€Å"as many as three out of four blacks †¦ fail to complete high school within the traditional four-year periods† (112). The dropout rates that Kozol presents to the reader are unimaginable and very heartbreaking. Other distressing issues Kozol argues are those of magnet schools and the business approach to education, which he discusses in chapter two. In Kozol’s opinion, magnet schools do nothing but separate the children more. He says that the poorer children are not really given a chance to apply for these selective schools. Even if the information is given to the parents, many times they are not properly educated to do anything about fulfilling the necessary requirements to get their children into the special schools. He also disagrees with the business approach to education, stating that one cannot set limits on a child because the child will never strive to go beyondShow MoreRelatedJonathan Kozol1606 Words   |  7 PagesJonathan Kozol Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools Jonathan Kozol, Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools is an intense expose of unjust conditions in educating America’s children. Today’s society of living conditions, poverty, income, desegregation and political issues have forced inadequate education to many children across the country. Kozol discusses major reasons for discrepancies in schools: disparities of property taxes, racism and the conflict between stateRead More`` America The Beautiful, But Who Are You Beautiful For?1726 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"America the Beautiful, but who are you beautiful for?† echoes across the room, a student attending public school in South Bronx shared this two-line poem with her class as part of an assignment that her English teacher assigned. The objective: a letter to be shared with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This story along with many others is found within the pages of Savage Inequalities. Jonathan Kozol is best known for his social activism in the education realm and providing a voice for the voiceless.Read MoreEssay on desegregation historiography1258 Words   |  6 Pagescivil rights forces was the dismantling of school systems segregated under law, despite the strong resistance, was successful in some places. Pennsylvania is one state that issued programs to integrate schools that were successful. Another topic addressed in New Perspectives on School Integration is the study of ethnic groups in schools. At the time programs only study the present or dominant ethnic group at a specific school. It changes from school to school rather than teaching ethnicities of manyRead MoreRacial Segregation And The Educational Institution964 Words   |  4 Pagesalso reproducing inequalities. This paradox can be seen in both race and gender – albeit in varying degrees. Race is a perpetuated inequality in the educational institution because of deeply rooted class boundari es (Roy, lecture 10). Even without legal segregation in schools, spatial segregation is a structural problem in American society that continues to perpetuate unequal opportunities in a vicious cycle (Massey Denton 5). Gender, which at one point faced great inequalities, no longer dealsRead More Poor Parents Must Educate Their Children Essay4226 Words   |  17 Pages A child does not show up for school for the third day in a row and the teacher notices that a pattern of absences has appeared. Is it the child’s fault? The parents’ fault? Can the school do something to stop this trend? There is a definite association between the parents of a child in poverty and the education that child does (or does not) receive, and there are many factors that play into this connection: intimidation the parents feel, expectations put on the child, parent employment, locationRead More Affirmative Action Essay4934 Words   |  20 Pagesminority who possessed better performance skills. In 1972 the Equal Employment act was passed, which expanded affirmative action into the educational systems. Schools could now use ethnic background as a justifiable reason for accepting one student over the other. During these years, the increase in minority affiliation in the work force and in the school systems increase two fold, and the affects of affirmative action were positively seen. Affirmative action and numerous other civil rights legislations