Reflection on The Book Savage Inequalities

Introduction

According to the book, Irl Solomon’s history class is described as the highlight of the school. The teacher, Mr. Solomon, who has been teaching in an urban school for the past 30 years, mentioned that his original goal was to study law. However, after a short amount of time, he realized that law school was not for him and decided to become a teacher instead. His class was filled with four girls who were pregnant or had just recently given birth. It seemed that these girls decided to have babies at a very young age and did not plan to pursue higher education because they had no hope for their future. The author explained that the diploma they would get from a ghetto high school is not valuable in the States.

Reflecting on Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol

Jennifer, a student at a school in the Rye, New York area, claimed that her family was originally from the Bronx. She mentioned that the schools in the Bronx and East St. Louis areas are very bad; she described them as “hell,” which was one of the reasons her family moved to Rye. Jennifer believes that someone else cannot really do anything to help the people in that area achieve a better life and education; it must come from them. They must want it for themselves and take action. Jennifer agreed that everyone should have a chance to have equal education; however, she does not believe that help from the government or tax money will change the life and education of people in the Bronx and East St. Louis areas. She thinks that her parents should not be paying taxes to help support the poor areas because it’s not their responsibility.

Socioeconomic Disparities in Education

East St. Louis is an urban community that is full of poverty, and the majority of the people in that area are Black. The city does not have enough money to do anything; they can’t even afford toilet paper. There is a lot of trash piled up everywhere on the streets and sidewalks, and there is no money to repair the sewage pipes, which causes them to explode everywhere in the city. The schools in the East St. Louis area do not have proper help or funding to support them; they face many problems such as a shortage of staff and school supplies, and they would often close when the school is filled with sewage. It is the worst environment for children to be around. In contrast, at the school in the Rye, New York area, the majority of the students are white and affluent, so the school receives good funding from parents. In this area, the schools are able to provide students with the supplies and a good, relaxed educational environment they need.

Progress Over Time

In the past 20 years, I believe that there have been some changes in the educational system. Decades ago, students who had less money had less chance of receiving a good education. Now, in the present time, students who don’t have money can still receive a good education. Schools are now able to offer some help by providing financial aid, books, transportation, or even student loans for students who need it. These changes reflect a growing awareness of the importance of equitable access to education, although challenges remain.

References

1. Kozol, J. (1991). Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. New York: Crown Publishers.
2. National Center for Education Statistics. (2020). Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/
3. Orfield, G., & Lee, C. (2005). Why Segregation Matters: Poverty and Educational Inequality. Harvard University.
4. Reardon, S. F. (2011). The Widening Academic Achievement Gap Between the Rich and the Poor: New Evidence and Possible Explanations. Stanford University.