From Still Separate, Still Unequal: America's Educational Apartheid

Jonathan Kozol is an award winner writer and public lecturer who focuses on social injustice in the United States. In his essay, "From Still Separate, Still Unequal: America's Educational Apartheid," Kozol explains that in the United States many schools are segregated more than in the past years of our generation. He demonstrates that school systems are separated based upon their social class, environmental living, and race. Through his proven statistics he acknowledges that this is a huge issue within our school systems and students are not receiving an equal opportunity of higher learning. Kozol makes a great claim, in looking in today's environment many students are not privilege with high learning because they are unable to have the full academic sources such as in other schools.

As a young girl growing up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, which is predominately a minatory area, my school could not provide great academic sources. My school had old books which were worn out for years and due to the lack of money since students lived in low income families resources were not able to provide for our classes. I was a disadvantage student unable to receive the highest learning ability because of my social class and race. Majority of my classes were filled with Spanish and black people and only about one to two white people sitting in the front of the classroom. This is an issue that needs to be acknowledging in our economy, students are being disadvantage of education because of class, environmental living, and race. If students do not receive an equal opportunity of education, this will lead students into more crimes such as stealing from banks, stores, and more to receive money for their living. This can also lead students to the persuasion of gangs due to the ideology that gangs can supply their needs for money and living. This is also affecting the ability to prepare students for the cooperate world without an equal opportunity of education students are being left behind of a chance to become successful in their future. Education should be given fairly and equally to all students striving for higher learning. Equal opportunity creates more fair, open, and meaningful access to higher education for all qualified members in our economy. Education is needed to prepare individuals for the job market so they can help bring advancement to our country. Without the access of knowledge our country will not be able to move forward to new advancement.

Kozol argues the inequality of education within the inner city schools. He explains that it is unfair to hold inner city students accountable for their lack of performance in high- stakes testing when the students are not established with a fair and equal chance as their suburban counterparts to perform well in their tests. Families from the middle and upper class are able to provide their children to attend expensive private schools, tutoring, extra books, and many more resources;