Jonathon Kozol – The Shame of the Nation: Essay 1

Segregation is a topic we learn about in our history classrooms starting from a very young age. We understand what it means and we try to cope with those who have suffered from it, yet we do not realize that we live in a world of segregation today. America is a nation built on equality and freedom. We are a nation who stands for the “American dream.” So, it is our duty to make sure that each child is provided an equal education with equal opportunities because these children are our future.
In The Shame of the Nation, written by Jonathon Kozol, the author writes about the issues of segregation in urban and suburban schools. Kozol touches on the problem of inadequate funding to certain schools and explains that schools with less funding are more likely to do poorly on standardized testing because of lack of resources. From the first chapter onward, Kozol writes that teachers and administration in schools do not believe in the potential of inner-city kids. Obviously race is an issue when it comes to these students passing standardized tests. Research shows that “in several states, moreover, the funding gap for children of color is a great deal larger than the gap for children of low income” (Jonathon Kozol 246). Why is it that race has so much to do with inadequate funding for schools? Most students who attend schools where there are not available resources are students whose parents are not educated enough to know their options and if they are, the parents do not have the opportunities to fix these problems. On the other hand, “most Americans whose children aren’t in public school have little sense of the inordinate authority that now is granted to these standardized exams and especially within the inner-city schools the time the tests subtract from actual instruction” (112). Also, another cause of low test scores is because the crucial subjects that are on these standardized tests are not being taught in certain schools.
In U.S. schools, resegregation needs to be a priority. As educators and family of students, we see that resegregation has increased. From my point of view, assimilation of cultures is a key reason for having schools with students of all colors. With how society is today, students need to be aware of the cultures around them whether they agree or disagree with others’ beliefs, lifestyle, or ethics. Our main goal should be to educate children in order for them to be successful in the work field, no matter what career they hold. Also, all children should be given equal opportunities to strive for their highest potential. If certain schools are not getting adequate funding, there is no way the students that attend these schools will be able to reach their utmost potential. Most inner-city kids that Kozol writes about are from low income families; their parents most of the time cannot provide the resources for the children to learn the ins and outs of the society we live in.
Both whites and African Americans have stood their ground when it comes to resegregating schools since the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. Both races want the best for their children. Although, it seems to be that more whites are able to provide the needed opportunities for their children to grow. The schools with only white students are mostly inhabited by students whose parents are paying for them to be enrolled. My view is: let private schools be private. If minority parents are not able to pay for their child’s way through school, they need to focus on bettering the school that their child does attend. The public school system is where most attention is needed by our U.S. government. Time, money and genuine care are what need to be put in the education system so that race, religion and class are not an issue. Kozol explains that “many Americans…have a rather vague and general impression that the great extremes of racial isolation they recall as matters of grave national significance some 35 or 40 years ago have gradually, but steadily, diminished in more recent years” (18). I would say that most people ignore the fact that our schools are still segregated, but we do see that social class is what separates the students. If we look a little deeper into the schools, it is quite apparent that race is a huge issue. However, not all schools are victims of segregation. Kozol writes, “The schools where children and their teachers still are given opportunities to poke at worms, and poke around into the satisfactions of uncertainty, need to be defended from the unenlightened interventions of the overconfident. These are the schools I call ‘the treasured places.’ They remind us always of the possible” (300).
Kozol also mentions that teachers in many urban schools are told to follow pre-planned lessons so that there is a commonality in the learning environment which does not always help students reach their full potential. Not building a personal relationship with students is the wrong way to teach them. The author has observed that labeling the students and therefore dehumanizing them can in no way encourage them to achieve their academic potential. As a representative and determined advocate, I believe that curriculum in schools are not built to separate students into two groups of “governors” and “the governed.” The curriculum in each school is designed to better each student from grade to grade and increase his knowledge in all subjects. However, I see that the teachers are the issue when it comes to the matter of a caste system in schools. Teachers seem to group certain races together and consider them of more or less worth. Most educators “practices and policies are targeted primarily at poor children of color” (64). They are unaware that each student is an individual who, no matter of his background, has potential to grow with the correct care, attention and teaching from his teachers and all other staff in school.
Kozol has key points that need to be addressed by the leaders of our nation. Inadequate funding for schools with a majority of minorities, resegregation so that our students today will become better equipped leaders of the future, and hiring teachers and staff who are responsible and prepared to teach any color of student with their whole heart are the problems that have to be fixed so that the issues of race we have “overcome” in the past are no longer the shame of our nation.