Equality in Today's Schools

Michelle Yelencovich

EDU 601

Final Paper

December 18, 2000

In this class, we have struggled to evaluate the current educational system in order to determine if significant social issues, including increasing regional poverty, and declining literacy rates in specific urban regions are related to economic differentiations in the education system. Because of recent studies, some have considered the issue of educational funding allotments in order to determine a system that provides greater equity between socioeconomically disadvantaged inner-city schools and wealthier suburban, middle class schools. This funding issue has been addressed a number of times. It has been recognized that the foundation for the necessary funding changes have stemmed from the recognition that school funding differences relate directly to sociological issues, including the creation of a cycle of poverty and illiteracy in under funded urban settings.

One of the most significant issues raised in public education in recent years is the radical difference that exists in funding levels between wealth and poor school districts (Zuckman 749). Many states have allotted educational funding related to tax revenues, and this has determined a higher level of educational spending in wealthy neighborhoods and a much lower level of spending for inner-city poor and rural poor communities (Zuckman 749). Because of this focus, a number of states have considered and implemented plans for the equalization of school funding, but this has not come without considerable opposition (Zuckman 749). Though individuals in low-income neighborhoods areas have defined this equalization as a positive process for improving urban schools, wealthier suburban populations have complained that this will take away funding necessary to maintain programs that are already in place (Zuckman 749).

In class, we have argued that the differences in these educational settings have had a direct impact on the outcomes for students. Because a positive educational setting is a direct indicator of the capacity of a person to develop into a productive citizen, it has been determined that only with sufficient funding can public schools offer the educational process necessary to determine positive outcomes. Funding for elementary schools and public schools in general, is shifting from the federal level, to the state, county and city level, resulting in a need to consider the process by which funds are directed and integrated into public education.

The complications with this shift in funding are defined as: "A fundamental trade-off between equity and efficiency objectives in the provision of public education [that] underlies the political tensions inherent in altering school funding responsibilities" (Duncombe and Johnston 145). Unfortunately, money determines political action in America, and politicians fight hard at both the local and national level for the increasingly scarce education dollars. Unfortunately, poverty seems to be breed societal problems, and the children and public schools of these poor districts need this education funding in order to break this cycle of poverty and societal problems.

In order to understand the basic social issues that stem from this perspective, it is necessary to consider the foundations of education and the need for an integrated view of the social structure of schools to find a direction for change. According to Griffith (53), the most important relationships within the educational design are "relations among school structure, school population composition, parent involvement, and parent perceptions of school safety, school climate, the school facility, the helpfulness of school staff, the academic instruction, teacher-student relationships, and student recognition" (53). As a result, the call for change requires acknowledgment of the basic perceptions of a variety of individuals in order to reflect the greatest complicity in implementing possible funding or educational changes. Political influences have struggled to find a means of providing equity and adequacy in their educational settings, a process that has determined the need for effective school funding formulas to reduce the level of inequity between low-income and wealthy school districts.

Often in poor areas, schools do not get as much money per student as in areas that are more affluent because funding is based on the area's tax base. Simply put, because poor residents pay less in taxes because of their lower incomes, they get less in social services, including the social service that is public education. Socioeconomically disadvantaged students and those who come from school districts of lower income status populations, struggle for financial equity in the education. A number of schools allocate additional education funding based on taxpayer dollars by regions, additional financial support often encourages the discrepancies between school programs in relatively poor neighborhoods, towns or cities when compared to their wealthier counterparts.

Kozol, in New York in the Bronx's school district 10, illustrates an example of inequality due to political influences. Kozol describes the Riverdale section of District 10 as white and upper middle class, whereas, other areas in this district are non-white and very poor. Kozol portrays many differences between these schools such as overcrowding, lack of textbooks, inadequate staff and crumbling buildings. He reports that these problems do not exist in the Riverdale section and comments on how the superintendent of District 10 is influenced by the Riverdale section and comments on how the superintendent of District 10 is influenced by the Riverdale section. "Local board decided to give each elementary school an equal number of computers, even thought the schools in Riverdale had smaller classes and far fewer students" (Kozol 84) Kozol makes it evident that politics plays an important role in how schools are funded and how money is not often spent equally between the suburban and urban schools. It also becomes apparent that poor children have little choice in the types of classes they attend and that their future is dependent upon government policies.

It has been recognized that the quality of education and the level of interactive structure that encourages educational achievement is often linked to educational perspectives, and that limited education dollars often sparks debate regarding the educational focus of the community. This is mentioned because a number of studies have suggested that improvements in student outcomes can often be improved through the application of instructional