I am constantly hearing talk of improving the segregation among races in schools, yet I never see any improvements. As a college student majoring in education, these topics take up most of my days. Why does society convince themselves that racism does not exist? It very much does, especially for young students. Doing field placements, it has become even more obvious to me how greatly lacking these poverty-stricken schools are. In my first grade classroom of 25 kids, there are just about 10 students who fall significantly below the standards. Guess which race they are... black and hispanic. This should go to show that the environment they are surrounded by makes an impact. Nikole Jones hits the nail on the head. How will these kids progress and learn more when they remain in poverty conditions with a classroom full of students in the same boat? Jones gave the solution in a way that almost anyone can understand. Integration. This idea, "gets black kids in the same facilities as white kids, and therefore it gets them access to the same things that those kids get-- quality teachers and quality instruction" (Jones). This concept creates a flourishing environment for all involved. The underprivileged kids get more access to supplies, better teachers, better interactions, more school involvement opportunities and much more. Just as Hebert said, "it is not the race of the students that is significant, but rather the improved all-around environment of schools with better teachers, fewer classroom disruptions, pupils who are more engaged academically, parents who are more involved, and so on". An improved environment for the underprivileged children will improve test scores as well which Jones noticed. It is no wonder why. So what is stopping us? Integration can even help the white privileged kids. This exposes children to many races and living conditions among their peers which can help open their eyes and become more accepting. In general, integration in schools will help lead society in the right direction of eventually dropping racism entirely.





I love the quote you mentioned about underprivileged children having the same access to facilities and teachers as middle and upper class children. That quote really struck me when I heard it too because it's unfair that these two sets of social classes get different qualities of education.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how much you talked about integrating different types of children into schools because it is really important in order for equal treatment of all children.
ReplyDeleteI hope integration helps society and focuses more on educating every child as well :)
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