How the american education system reflects the country inequalities ?

How the American School System Reflects the Country’s Inequalities

Introduction
The American school system is often seen as a pathway to success, but it also reflects and reinforces the country’s deep-rooted inequalities. Disparities in funding, racial and socioeconomic segregation, and policies like legacy admissions and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic all contribute to an unequal educational landscape. This presentation will explore these issues, showing how they impact students from different backgrounds.

One of the most significant ways the American education system reflects inequality is through its funding structure and resource disparities. The source comes from the US student diversity document.

First of all, public schools are primarily funded by local property taxes, meaning wealthier neighborhoods have better-funded schools, while poorer communities struggle with fewer resources.

Moreover, schools in affluent areas have higher teacher salaries, advanced courses, modern technology, and extracurricular activities, while underfunded schools often lack of basic resources.

Finally, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reports that many minority students attend schools with fewer resources, which affects their academic performance and future opportunities​.

This system creates a cycle where students from low-income families receive a lower-quality education, limiting their future prospects.

Despite progress since the Civil Rights Movement, American schools remain highly segregated. This part is also made with this first document.

Over one-third of students attend schools where the majority of their peers are of the same race or ethnicity​.

Many Black, Hispanic, and Native American students are concentrated in underfunded schools with fewer resources and lower academic outcomes.

Segregation is partly due to historical practices like redlining, which confined minorities to certain neighborhoods, impacting school demographics.

Additionally, district secessions—where wealthier communities break away from larger school districts—have worsened segregation.

Research shows that diverse schools prepare students for a multicultural workforce and help reduce prejudice, but current policies often reinforce separation rather than integration.

The COVID-19 pandemic has widened educational gaps between wealthy and low-income students. This part is made with the information that I found on the document “The truth about US Kids Falling behind.

To begin this side, school closures and the shift to online learning disproportionately affected students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who had limited access to technology and stable internet connections​.

Further to this, a 2024 report found that in spring 2023, only 56% of fourth graders were performing at grade level in math, down from 69% in 2019​.

Plus, students from wealthier school districts are recovering academically, while those in low-income areas continue to struggle.

To conclude with this part, the pandemic has left an "indelible mark" on a generation of students, particularly those already facing educational inequities.

Another way inequality is reflected in the school system is the gap between public and private education. The sources comes mostly from the picture about Public and private school.

Firstly, public schools must follow state regulations, provide services for students with special needs, and administer standardized tests.

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