Topic > A critical analysis of Jonathan Kozol Savage's book Inequalities: Children in America's Schools

The new millennium brings many advances in our children's learning. The introduction of technology and innovative teaching methods shows a positive outlook for the education system our children rely on. However, many believe that this optimistic vision should be viewed through rose-colored glasses. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools by Jonathan Kozol examines the ways in which government, society, and the education system fail poor children, especially poor African-American children, in the United States. Kozol's work, which examines six cities where he finds common problems, illustrates the main shortcomings that hinder the education of the less fortunate. Kozol's main argument focuses on the idea that the U.S. government does not provide sufficient funding for the education of poor children. ; however, he is generous with spending in the districts where the wealthiest families reside. Therefore, the main problem lies not in the abilities of children, but in the structure of the system, which has failed them. This spending model is a fundamental part of public policy at all levels of government. Furthermore, this financial inequality limits the rights of low-income children to obtain a strong education and limits their opportunities to become successful adults. Three main points need to be illustrated in the analysis of Kozol's work. First, it is important to express society's view that low income equals low achievement, which translates into less obligation on the government to make a real effort to support education. Second, this analysis will show that low-income cities are not able to survive in the community with the support of funds needed for a good education. This is further revealed by the political area which further perpetuates the problem. Third, this analysis will expose the separation of children in schools by income and the problem of segregation, forcing minority children to be surrounded by other low-income minority children, which creates a negative and resentful cycle . The nation is trapped in a brutal cycle. educational, racial and socioeconomic inequalities. Kozol argues that the only solution to this problem is a greater government role in financially supporting less fortunate children and the underfunded schools they attend. Wealthy families will not voluntarily help the poor, who in this case cannot provide for themselves. This solution will be difficult to achieve, as the trend in the country is to cut public spending in all sectors. Another trend is for private resources to fill the gaps left by government cuts. However, as Kozol points out, “Reducing the role of government and then suggesting that the poor can turn to the businessmen who lobbied for such cuts is truly cynical” (Kozol 82). Kozol's perspective is compelling because it targets both the reader's mind and heart. He appeals to the intellect using statistics, which show that the nation has a segregated and unbalanced school system, in which the rich receive a better education and the poor, especially minorities, receive an inferior education. For example, compare poor and wealthy school districts in San Antonio. The poor district spends $2,800 a year on each child's education, and "72 percent of children [in that district] read below grade level." In thewealthy district, $4,600 is spent on each child each year. In that district, “virtually all students graduate from high school, and 88% of graduates go on to college” (Kozol 224). He appeals to the heart by showing how this unjust school system is also a soul-devouring ethical and spiritual failure. of the nation. It also appeals to the heart of the reader, as was previously expressed, by letting the children speak for themselves why they are the victims of this system. A 14-year-old girl says, "We have a school in East St. Louis named after Dr. King. The school is full of sewage and the doors are locked with chains. All the students in that school are black. It's like if terrible joke on history." (Kozol 35). Kozol is very effective because he shows his own fear and desperation: "East St. Louis will probably be left as it is for many years to come: a kind of scar, an ugly metaphor for dirt and spills and chemical effusions, a place where blacks can live and die (Kozol 39) Many skilled journalists are skilled at finding the heartfelt story within all the rhetoric and confusion that a big issue brings forth. This book exposes the basis of the "wild inequalities of the system." educational It is a clear and direct solution that the nation must spend more money on the poor and minorities in schools if it wants to remain great and fulfill its promises. Although this apparent solution is idealistic, Kozol wants to show how racial segregation and deprivation socioeconomics of the less privileged are the causes of schools' failure, a fact that he says most leaders fail to recognize. The effort to reform schools has failed, he says, because they don't focus on inequalities, money and race. but with low reading scores, high dropout rates, low motivation." (Kozol 3), If the problem lies with the students and not with the entire system, how can we explain the fact that lower test scores and higher dropout rates are predominantly found in poorer countries. Kozol's argument, then, is twofold. First, he simply argues that the nation does not spend enough money on the poor and minorities, especially African Americans in urban centers. The continued segregation of blacks and whites is a major part of this political and economic failure. There is no community-to-community connection within a state. Kozol talks about a bridge that separated East St. Louis from a wealthier county. Kozol points out that police were closing a bridge in East St. Louis for a Fourth of July celebration because of assaults in the past. He also said that black leaders saw this as a suspiciously racist action. These actions showed the notable separation between the social and economic classes living in such a region. Second, Kozol argues that the idea of ​​spending more money on these students' education is currently a futile effort. Furthermore, any reform that does not include such additional spending will be a tragic failure. In all six cities, a burning issue at each school includes missing or damaged textbooks, supplemental materials and normal building necessities such as clean classrooms and bathrooms needed to give students a reasonable chance to succeed. Kozol provides statistical data, which shows the most money spent on children's education; the more successful that education will be (Kozol 158). The school system, he demonstrates, is a system of separate and unequal education: "Behind the good statistics of the richest districts lies the triumph of the few. Behind the sad statistics of the poorest cities lies the misery of the many." (Kozol 158). Kozol emphasizes that both the leaderspoliticians and educational ones understand that it is necessary to spend more money on the poor. However, the most powerful leaders who set policy fail to see the political and legal roots of the collapse of public schools for the least privileged: the government. . . forces us to go to [public schools]. Unless we have the wealth to pay for private education, we are required by law to go to . . . the public school in our district. Thus the state, by requiring participation but refusing to require equity, actually requires inequality. Mandatory inequity, perpetuated by state law, too often condemns our children to unequal lives (Kozol 56). In other words, unlucky children have no choice but to go to the school funded in their district. As a result of continued social segregation, schools are still segregated, both by race and income. Many of the poor belong to minorities who live in the same area and attend the same schools. Wealthy families attend public schools, but their schools are funded more because their districts have more revenue from the wealthy people who live in those districts. The result is a school system that is segregated not only by race but also by spending. Differences in spending outcomes create differences in success in public school education, college education, and socioeconomic success in the world after education. We focused on the three main strengths of the book. These include the author's in-depth research, his passionate and personal involvement in the lives of the people he studies, his clear focus on the problems of the school system, and the conclusions he draws regarding what is needed to right the wrongs of the school system. the system. Furthermore, Kozol not only shows how the schools themselves fail these children, but also shows how the political system fails them and how the terrible social and economic conditions of their lives prevent them from receiving the education they need and deserve . Kozol manages to demonstrate that the school is the expression of the spirit of the nation. If the nation's social and political leaders fail to provide the means to educate these children, the nation suffers not only socially and economically, but also morally and spiritually. The nation, which fails its poorest children, is an unjust nation. While Kozol's work is thoroughly researched and documented, the strongest part of the book is his decision to let children express their own point of view. Kozol does not present his views in a confrontational manner that expresses a desire to win an argument about the theory. More to the point, Kozol keeps in mind the fact that these are real children suffering because the nation has unfairly deemed them second-class citizens due to their race and socioeconomic status, or lack thereof. As it is written: "I decided... to listen very carefully to the children and... to let their voices, their judgments and their desires find a place within this book (Kozol 6). The premise of Kozol is that the failure to adequately educate disadvantaged minorities in this country is both political and financial. Furthermore, it is also a spiritual and moral failure of our nation's citizens to weaken children everything they need to succeed in life. clearly the national heart and soul. The failure of schools is a sign of the failure of the government, society and the nation as a whole. When the United States denies these children a good education, it shows that it is a nation that has lost its morality. Surely there is enough for everyone in this country.