Amber Chun

EDUG 401

Stiler

Teaching for Educational Justice: Teaching as a Social Change Agent

Students all over America suffer from discrimination, including racial, economic, and students who have disabilities. It is hard to believe discrimination is a problem that still exists in today’s school systems from a state to teacher to student level. States give less money to schools in poor school districts and give more money to privileged school that show better test results. Teachers often favor certain children or judge and stereotype others. Students often create self-induced segregation by only having friends with students of the same race; this causes tension and aggression toward students who have friends of many races.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT0L1U-Rdj4

Many students that belong to racial minority groups often feel prejudices against them from other students and even teachers. “In 2003, white students made up 58 percent of the nation’s student population” (Oakes, pg. 6). This means about forty-two percent of students were racially minorities. White students are often more privileged by having more money and educational resources. Black and Hispanic students are stereotyped as dropouts because “in 2001 only 50 percent of African American students […] and 53 percent of Latino students graduated from high school” (Oakes, pg. 24). Asian students are considered smart and put into honors programs. Even though America is no longer segregated as a state, there is still racial tension in cities with a large numbers of low-income families. “In 1997, only 5 percent of segregated white schools faced conditions of concentrated poverty, compared with 80 percent of segregated black and Latino schools” (Oakes, pg. 16). Racial gangs threaten students who fear for their lives. Because of these gangs many students dropout of school because they no longer feel safe. Students segregate themselves based on race and refuse to be friends with students of other races because they consider them their enemies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTvyMIBKuLM

Economic discrimination is when the state gives less money to schools in low-income cities and gives more funding to schools in high income, mostly white, suburbs. States care more about test scores than they do students. “Illinois and New York have the largest funding gaps between wealthy and poor children—well over $2,000 per student” (Oakes, 16). This means these states spend $2,000 more on wealthy students than they do poor students. Schools in low-income cities can’t even afford to buy books and supplies needed to teach; while schools in high-income suburbs thrive in newly renovated school buildings with textbooks and supplies to spare. Most of students who live in low-income cities are African American or Hispanic while students who live in high-income suburbs are white. Not all states have a spending gap between the wealthy and poor and many states are working to improve that gap to help all students.

The fact that discrimination both racially and economically still exists in America today is a sad truth. Americans need to be informed on this disparity and must take action to help our students. Students shouldn’t feel unsafe in schools but should feel welcomed to learn. Segregation in classrooms and schoolyards shouldn’t exist. Students should feel free to express their own opinions and creative thoughts, not stifled because of their race.