An excerpt from Chris Malones online class discussion response: On issues of race and geography within the education system – “Supporters of No Child Left Behind promised we would see a decrease in disparities among ethnic groups, says Bob Schaeffer with Fair Test, a standardized testing watchdog. But, academic gains, as measured by ACT, are stagnant, and racial gaps are increasing. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says the report confirms that states need to raise their academic standards and commit to education reforms that accelerate student achievement. (“Americas huge college readiness problem” from theweek) Why do we automatically assume that this is the fault of any teacher or education in general? It is not as though our programs are tailor-made for Asian-Americans or Caucasians. The sad fact is that race doesn’t biologically exist – it is a social construct. Race has nothing to do with whether or not a student can learn; it’s more accurately a socio-economic problem. As it happens, you’ll find that the economic situations of Massachusetts and Connecticut are far better than that of Tennessee and Mississippi. Likewise, what is the average income of the African American and Hispanic students being polled, and how does their affluence compare to the Asian Americans and Caucasians polled? I’d put money on their being a sizeable difference, no pun intended. Addressing educational standards will not address the cycle of poverty that a select group of students are born into. When you are brought up in a household that is economically and socially depressed, your chances of being a successful student are drastically reduced. Education isnt necessarily a top priority for the poor, whereas for the middle-to-upper class, education is everything.
Posted on: Sat, 30 Nov 2013 21:00:32 +0000
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