Why American Schools Is Even More Unfair Than We Thought

Why American Schools Is Even More Unfair Than We ThoughtIn a recent article in The Guardian, James Mann drew our attention to the fact that, on average, American school children are much poorer and earn less than students in other high-income countries. He also pointed out that the highest rates of poverty are found in the states of the Deep South. In this light, it is hardly surprising that many people are asking how our schools are so unequal and what can be done about it.Mann also provides an answer to the question of why American schools are unequal. It is not because Americans lack the knowledge or education to encourage equality of opportunity in education. It is rather that they have a mistaken notion of what educational opportunity looks like. There is also the problem of using statistics to assess educational achievement in a nation of 320 million people.Equality of opportunity may be called a myth but, nevertheless, it is a belief that lives on in our schools. In the absenc e of equal opportunity in education, it is difficult to see just how unequal American schools really are. By using these well researched and articulate essays, this article will attempt to answer the question, 'Why American schools are even more unequal than we thought.'The first essay topic that we should discuss is 'Why are American teachers less equal than other teachers?' The answer to this question is that there are many ways that American teachers are less equal than other teachers. These differences do not occur in teaching methods or training; they are the result of institutional differences. Teachers in different schools receive different training and provide different curricula.For example, a teacher who received special training to teach African American students might be more effective in teaching African American students than a teacher who did not receive such training. Many schools maintain different instructional methods. A teacher who attends an inner city school ma y be exposed to different kinds of teaching methods and more problems than a teacher who attends a school in the suburbs.It is not necessarily that one group of teachers is unequal than another group. Many important factors influence the differences in teaching methods between different schools, including the demographics of the school staff, the manner in which the school operates, the mode of transportation to and from the school, the racial composition of the school's student body, the racial composition of the teachers, the way in which teachers manage their classes, the use of students' standardized test scores in teaching instruction, the size of the school buildings, the extent to which teachers work individually and in teams, the race of the principal, the racial makeup of the board of education, the number of times teachers are required to participate in professional development activities, the physical structure of the school building, the disciplinary strategies employed by the school staff, the presence of physical security systems (such as metal detectors), the cost of school supplies, the percentage of resources spent on capital projects and the percentage of teacher hours spent on classroom instruction.Of course, some schools are very unequal even when they claim to be equal. Because the teachers are paid less than other employees, the unequal pay structure can lead to severe disparities in school performance between students who attend the very unequal schools and those who attend the quite unequal schools. Further, inequities in the salary structure can make school districts appear more unequal than they are.So, 'Why American schools are even more unequal than we thought' is a myth if teachers receive less training and receive less attention than other teachers. Equally false is the claim that differences in teaching methods and curricula affect the success of teachers because students from different groups learn in different ways.