Blog Post #4 - Relevance
The issues that Kozol writes about in Shame of the Nation are not limited just to the Bronx or to the schools he talked about in his book - they are still happening across the nation, right now.
One of the most pertinent issues from the book that is relevant to our world right now is the gap between poor students and their more well-off compatriots who can go to different, better schools because their families can afford to live in better areas. A similar thing is happening right now as schools transition to online learning, and poor kids whose families don't have access to broadband internet are being left behind in a phenomenon known as the "digital divide".
An article published on March 15th of this year by TIME Magazine explored the digital divide and how it is affecting students as schools are moving towards online learning. More specifically, the article began by focusing on a student at Fort Lewis College named Kyii Sells-Wheeler, a member of the Navajo Nation. The article noted that the Navajo "come from reservations with notoriously limited internet access"(Reilly). Sells-Wheeler said that when he asked his professors how he could be expected to take his classes, they told him that "they don’t yet know the answer"(Reilly).
For me, this reminded me of the kind of neglect and apathy towards poor school districts by the government that resulted in so many of the problems plaguing them today. A passage that comes to mind is when Kozol noted the disparities in funding per child between two school districts in Texas:
"Although Edgewood residents paid one of the highest property tax rates in the area, the district could raise only $37 for each pupil because of the low value of the property. Even with assistance granted by the state, Edgewood ended up with only $231 for each child. Alamo Heights, meanwhile, the richest section of the city but incorporated as a separate schooling district, was able to spend $543 on each pupil. Alamo heights, then as now, was a predominantly white district."(Kozol 242)
This passage is yet another example of geographical location impacting students' opportunities to learn. Similarly to how Sells-Wheeler has limited access to the internet, the students of Edgewood are being condemned to poor schooling conditions by the place where they live. I believe this is an unjust system, personally, and I will never understand why our country has not implemented a nationwide standard for per-student spending. Finland has done so, with fantastic results. I don't see any reason for our country not following them other than simple neglect towards students and a lack of empathy with their struggles.
What is even more frustrating is that the inequality is not simply limited to school funding:
"The Northshore School District in Bothell, Washington, an affluent Seattle suburb where about 16% of students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch, announced on March 4 that schools would shift to online learning for the district’s 23,000 students. Superintendent Michelle Reid said that was largely possible because the district had funding to loan about 4,000 laptops, in addition to T-Mobile-provided hotspots, to families without computers or internet service at home"(Reilly).
Compare this with the situation Sells-Wheeler is in, where he has to go to a McDonalds to use their WiFi for his lessons, and the disparities become clear. This country has a clear gap when it comes to resource allocation for students, and it is absolutely unacceptable.
Hopefully, this current crisis will cause our government to see that some schools are radically unequipped to enact online learning, while others, that have a wealth of funding for technology, will have a relatively smooth transition, and take action to remedy this inequality.
Reilly, Katie. "As Schools Close Amid Coronavirus Concerns, the Digital Divide
Leaves Some Students Behind." Time, Time Magazine, 15 Mar. 2020, time.com/
5803355/school-closures-coronavirus-internet-access/. Accessed 30 Mar.
2020.
The issues that Kozol writes about in Shame of the Nation are not limited just to the Bronx or to the schools he talked about in his book - they are still happening across the nation, right now.
One of the most pertinent issues from the book that is relevant to our world right now is the gap between poor students and their more well-off compatriots who can go to different, better schools because their families can afford to live in better areas. A similar thing is happening right now as schools transition to online learning, and poor kids whose families don't have access to broadband internet are being left behind in a phenomenon known as the "digital divide".
An article published on March 15th of this year by TIME Magazine explored the digital divide and how it is affecting students as schools are moving towards online learning. More specifically, the article began by focusing on a student at Fort Lewis College named Kyii Sells-Wheeler, a member of the Navajo Nation. The article noted that the Navajo "come from reservations with notoriously limited internet access"(Reilly). Sells-Wheeler said that when he asked his professors how he could be expected to take his classes, they told him that "they don’t yet know the answer"(Reilly).
For me, this reminded me of the kind of neglect and apathy towards poor school districts by the government that resulted in so many of the problems plaguing them today. A passage that comes to mind is when Kozol noted the disparities in funding per child between two school districts in Texas:
"Although Edgewood residents paid one of the highest property tax rates in the area, the district could raise only $37 for each pupil because of the low value of the property. Even with assistance granted by the state, Edgewood ended up with only $231 for each child. Alamo Heights, meanwhile, the richest section of the city but incorporated as a separate schooling district, was able to spend $543 on each pupil. Alamo heights, then as now, was a predominantly white district."(Kozol 242)
This passage is yet another example of geographical location impacting students' opportunities to learn. Similarly to how Sells-Wheeler has limited access to the internet, the students of Edgewood are being condemned to poor schooling conditions by the place where they live. I believe this is an unjust system, personally, and I will never understand why our country has not implemented a nationwide standard for per-student spending. Finland has done so, with fantastic results. I don't see any reason for our country not following them other than simple neglect towards students and a lack of empathy with their struggles.
What is even more frustrating is that the inequality is not simply limited to school funding:
"The Northshore School District in Bothell, Washington, an affluent Seattle suburb where about 16% of students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch, announced on March 4 that schools would shift to online learning for the district’s 23,000 students. Superintendent Michelle Reid said that was largely possible because the district had funding to loan about 4,000 laptops, in addition to T-Mobile-provided hotspots, to families without computers or internet service at home"(Reilly).
Compare this with the situation Sells-Wheeler is in, where he has to go to a McDonalds to use their WiFi for his lessons, and the disparities become clear. This country has a clear gap when it comes to resource allocation for students, and it is absolutely unacceptable.
Hopefully, this current crisis will cause our government to see that some schools are radically unequipped to enact online learning, while others, that have a wealth of funding for technology, will have a relatively smooth transition, and take action to remedy this inequality.
Citations
Kozol, Jonathan. The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling
in America. New York, Broadway Paperbacks, 2006.
Leaves Some Students Behind." Time, Time Magazine, 15 Mar. 2020, time.com/
5803355/school-closures-coronavirus-internet-access/. Accessed 30 Mar.
2020.
Hi Spencer,
ReplyDeleteYour post really resonated with me because I've been thinking a lot about how lucky I am to be able to continue my education while schools are shut down. Clearly you've also been thinking about this, and I thought your comments about it were very insightful.
When you talked about the "digital divide," you focused on the divide between poor and affluent communities. From what I know about the topic, that divide is also racial. How much of an impact do you think racial divides have on the lack of funding for some schools? How does Kozol discuss it?
Hey Spencer,
ReplyDeleteI really like your take on how The Shame of the Nation is relevant to current events. Your mention of Finland intrigued me. It's great to see you propose solutions that Kozol has not brought up, especially ones that appear to work. Why do you think that the US is unsuccessful compared to other countries at implementing policies for educational equality? Do you think that the United States is the only country that faces an educational apartheid?
I really thought this comparison was interesting. In the back of my mind, I've always had the question of "what if these kids can't afford transitioning to online schooling?" I'm super glad you focused on this subject because there's a clear inequality and it needs to be addressed. Overall, I really liked your paragraph spacing and the fact that you stayed focused on the topic.
ReplyDeleteGood job discussing an important and relevant topic. I think you might have explored the parallel to Finland more. In what ways is the comparison a fair one and in what ways is it not? Could the US do what Finland has done?
ReplyDelete