Educational Differences to Quality Education

Educational Inequalities

When a child is born in US, their education begins. The first form of education that a child receives is the informal education which is the process in which infants watch others and imitate them. As these children grow, the process of education becomes more formal through preschool and play dates. Once in school, academic lessons become the key to education as these children move through the school system (Berrington & Pattaro, 2014) . Through education, it is possible for individuals to socialize with another member of the community. This is because it is possible for students to learn what the teacher in schools enforces on the cultural expectations and norms. Schools are an agent of change as through its systems individuals are taught to think outside of the family and their local norms. Through education, students acquire communication skills, social interaction and work discipline. Educational differences arise in any of the mentioned skill sets. In other terms, the education system in the United States promotes the aspects of socialization. The education process has been portrayed to serve two major purposes – to disseminate knowledge and socialize young adults. 

However, the process of the social roles perpetuates inequalities in the education system ( Fiske et al., 2010 ). Fiske further denotes that the academic curriculum educates students on social skills that lead to the categorization of the students into social classes. The classes comprise of young adults with high capacity of human capital and hence more productive in the society and vice versa. As a result, former become more valuable than the latter and attain a more upper social class in the society. Other factors also lead to disparity in academics among young adults in America. Of these factors, government policies are the leading cause of educational inequalities. The difference in schools, as well as social status and parenting styles, contribute to the disparity. Finally, ethnicity and race as well as available resources to the school and the student dictate the extent of the inequality. In the sense of social factors, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development – an intergovernmental organization aimed at stimulating economic progress – ( Schoon & Silbereisen, 2009) found that performance of young adults in school was attributed to social background. Students belonging to high social status backgrounds portray better performances compared to the underprivileged students. It is so since the high-social-status students receive better instruction due to the presence of better facilities and educational resources. There has been a resurgence of interest among commentators and policymakers through which social inequality is termed to have increased the continued disparity in educational opportunities (Darling-Hammond, 2015) . Also, the gender gap in education is increasing rapidly in the United States. In previous years, the boy child and young female adults were always on top. The case is different currently as male and boy students are lagging behind. However, this gender gap is different from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. 

People Aspiration for Education

Over the recent past, there has been uncertainty in educational and career aspirations. Owing to the educational inequalities, there have been numerous changes in the US’s labor market that impact negatively on future academic and career goals of young people. Young people remain demotivated by the current structure of the job market where people do not get rewarded based on their educational achievements. Due to the discussed inequalities, the underprivileged feel that education is a waste of time (Maxwell, 2000). However, some people especially from high-class social status take advantage of the resources available to appreciate the education system and in turn aspire to achieve more in the academics field. They aspire for education as a safe investment for their young ones and they foresee their educated children in good jobs which motivates them to educate the children (Maxwell, 2000). The perception encourages them to insist on education since it ascribes some kind of status in the learned ones. 

Race and Class Segregation

Social and economic disadvantages are not only defined by poverty but also associated with conditions that depress student performance. Students in the United States with these obstacles in racially and economically homogenous schools depress it more. For instance, black students are segregated because they are located in areas where there is extreme poverty (Grunewald & Smith, 2014) . The case is different in middle-class who at least has access to better education and health facilities. Students living in these highly profiled poverty areas for several generations adds a barrier to the achievement of many black Americans today. The blacks are undermined for their skin color and end up receiving limited access to good quality schools. Their poor living standards owing to their social backgrounds classify them as underprivileged and hence receive poor quality education compared to their white compatriots. 

Poor Schools Lack Resources

Typically, education policy is constrained by the housing policy and therefore, it is not possible to desegregate schools without desegregating both in low-income areas. It has become challenging and too conditioned for those who make policies to assert that the residential isolation of black young adults with low income is as an accident of economic circumstance, demographic trends and private discrimination (Simon & Johnson, 2015) . Nevertheless, without the awareness of the history of the financed residential segregation, individuals who make policies are therefore faced with a challenge to isolate racial discrimination and school segregation that flow from it. As a result, these young adult students for example in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia are faced with education problems that arise from lack of resources, lack of teachers and exposed to violence and crime.

Researchers continue to acknowledge that education is one of the most important investments a nation can make in its people and its future. It is of importance for a country to make sure that its children get access to quality education. Although this concern has been stressed severally, the student cannot receive a proper education without the right resources (Simon & Johnson, 2015) . Many poor schools receive inadequate funding from the three levels of governments due to the cuts thus cannot afford to buy suitable materials required in the education system.

One of the effects of lack of resources in schools is on data collection. Many researchers among them Broussard have argued that poor schools collect data but cannot adequately analyze and interpret the data owing to the insufficiency in infrastructural research resources. The scope of the research is narrowed, and students end up receiving substandard training on certain issues. This is as a result of the segregation where all these schools are located in high poverty areas in urban areas of United States where the community cannot afford to raise funds needed to purchase these materials (Simon & Johnson, 2015) . Also, the next direct impact of lack of resources in poor schools is that there is time wastage. Poor schools, in the United States, might luckily have limited resources; it is, therefore, the responsibility of the teacher to make sure that the available resources are shared by the students. More precisely, teachers have to break up into groups and teach the same lesson a few different times. Although small groups can have a good impact on the understanding of the student, there should be a teaching of the whole group at some points (Simon & Johnson, 2015) . This is because these young adult students need to understand how to react, act and participate in a whole group work. This finally causes the loss of class time and results in poor quality education. Lack of resources put pressure on teachers because they are not able to teach all the aspects that are needed to be taught. Through this, students miss gaps in their education and the opportunities for hands-on learning experiences (Ullucci & Howard, 2015) . It is therefore worth saying that if schools systems lack the supplies to provide these opportunities they are missing out on learning opportunities, and this leads to lack of knowledge.

Lastly, students need self-development at an individual level. Students in poor schools in rural areas in the United States, where there is lack of resources do not get the experience on how to act in a correct classroom setting. Some facets can be used to discuss the impact of poor schools. One of these aspects is the Acoustics and noise which affect both students and teachers. Schools that are located in poor areas are not well built and therefore this excessive noise cause dissatisfaction and stress in both teachers and students (Ullucci & Howard, 2015) . Form the research it was found that classrooms that have less external noise are positively associated with good performance and engagement as compared to a classroom with external noise. It is therefore essential to build a school that eliminates external noise from classrooms in a bid to improve student performance. Also, schools that are located in poverty profiled areas in the United States have poor air quality. Indoor air quality is vital in classrooms. This is because poor air quality contributes the absenteeism for a student with asthma. This air can be polluted by equipment that is used in the school office, and this is commonly found in poorly ventilated systems. Poor schools in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia counties are subjected to environmental hazards like insects, pesticides among others and these affect children negatively.

Lack of resource in education in the US can also be looked at the size and space of the classroom. Schools that are located in poor areas experience overcrowding. Due to overcrowding, poor schools have been linked with increasing level of aggression in students (Carson & Esbensen, 2017) . Similarly, overcrowded classrooms in these areas are termed to decrease the level of student engagement thus decreasing the level of learning. The case is different in classes with ample space as there is the provision of an appropriate learning environment for students (Ullucci, Howard, 2015) . This is because there is increased student engagement and learning. More precisely, classrooms with enough space ensure that students can work in teams and communicate effectively. For instance, schools in some counties including Jackson, Owsley, and Clay counties in Kentucky, have more than 60 percent, low-income students. The pattern is also exact across the poorest parts of rural Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia . Due to lack of funds in poor areas, schools that are built have limited space. Although space is limited, these areas have high birth rates, and therefore there is over congestion in classrooms in these areas. As a result, young adults in these poor schools do not have the chance to engage and communicate effectively. 

Poor Schools Lack Teachers

Evidently, there is no ranking of schools in poor locations and those in middle and upper-income areas in the US. All schools undergo the same system, and the final results are among all the schools. For this reason, the poor school lacks teachers because of housing and good working environment. For instance, a teacher from an upper-income location in the US has a good house and good working environment leading to their motivation and hence good quality education to students. Therefore, one of the main reasons why poor schools lack teachers is because of the working environments. Firstly, as discussed earlier a teacher in a poor school in urban areas in the United States is forced to teach the same lesson several times as a result of lack of enough teaching materials (Carson & Esbensen, 2017) . The time spends by a teacher in well set and upper-income school is less as compared to the time in poor schools. It is therefore after some time that teachers in poor school realize that they have same qualifications as the teachers in upper-income school and they opt to quit their job. Additionally, poor schools lack teachers because of lack updated teaching material. Teachers in poor schools use outdated teaching materials, and this affects the level of student performance. Due to this fact, teachers in these areas opt to work in other schools having an updated material. Furthermore, teachers are encouraged by good student performance. 

More so, theories of stress and coping with dirty bathrooms and the environment is another factor that makes poor schools lack teachers. Poor schools in the United States have limited water sources resulting in a dirty environment that is uncomfortable (Baker, 2016) . As a result, a teacher becomes willing to compromise their career for health thus poor schools experience lack of teacher or fewer teachers. Consequently, the fewer teachers that are present in these poor schools in US urban areas are therefore forced to work under tough schedules to achieve the school goal. A student, on the other hand, is forced to spend more time on books and classrooms as compared to schools with enough teachers (Baker, 2016) . Lack of teachers in school leads to poor performance as a teacher is forced to teach several subjects but does not deliver perfectly.

Poor Schools Experience Violence and Crime

Poor schools in the US are located in areas where there are high violence and crime incidences. As a result, there are many dropouts and hence higher unemployment rates. High poverty areas are for this matter associated with rampant drugs and substance abuse. As a result, school-going young adults indulge in stealing from other people (Baker, 2016) to cater for their drug needs . The same students extend their behavior to the school compounds causing insecurity. Violence and crime then prevail in the light of vulnerability and instills fear in both the administration and students. Increased poverty is associated with moral decadence resulting in unscrupulous sexual encounters among school-age students. The trend results in early pregnancies and hence increased school drop-out rates among girls. Also, due to increased drug use and violence, increased rape cases are reported in these schools (Orenstein, 2013) . Students living in impoverished areas in the United States are faced with hunger and poor health. As a result, they opt to drop out of school due to the health problems as well as the inability to concentrate in class due to hunger. On health, students are faced with illness due to poor sanitation and drainage as well as exposure to drugs. They are therefore not able to get a proper health care and service this opts to stay at home.

Gender Differences

Gender differences in education are a type of sex discrimination in the education systems. These systems affect both men and women during their schooling time. Despite the girl child having been put in a frontline, men are more likely to be literate on average. Women are becoming highly advocated and protected by law compared to men. However, both men and women find themselves having gender differences when attaining their qualifications in the US. Although both genders have the same level of education in the US, it is difficult for women to undergo higher education. There are stereotypes in the society hindering the advancements of women into higher education. The case is different in the current generation because women can get manager position in companies.

Educational systems in the US discriminate towards women through course taking more so in high school. This is significant because the course taken represent a larger gender gap which leads to different educational and occupational paths (Baker, 2016) . Typically, in high schools, female students take less mathematical advanced and science courses (Baker, 2016) . Through this, women are denied the chance to pursue mathematics related course in higher education. High school level studies dictate the advancement of a student for tertiary studies. Women, in many occasions, opt to combine courses or rather subjects that bar them from pursuing given courses at institutions of higher learning. Typically, both engineering and science course need pure mathematics and therefore, due to this fact it becomes impossible for female students to pursue higher education.

Although female students have many associations and organizations supporting them to pursue their education, they are faced with the challenge of sexual harassment. Women are likely to be sexually harassed in higher education resulting in increased pressure that adds to their dropping out (Baker, 2016). The bullying comes from both instructors and fellow male students. Other forms of intimidation relinquish their morale in education and lead to the women not achieving higher education. Some women prefer to become housewives at the expense of attaining higher education. They are content being submissive to their loved ones other than pursuing education. 

Religion and Cultural Differences

Culture, religion and family ideals and views about education have impacts on education. American cultures have been attributed to occurrences that influence the parent-child relationship. American families also play a major role in their children vocational outcomes. Parents in such a community expect their children to pursue the high demanding course (Trueba et al., 2014) . This is according to the view of the community job opportunity that courses like engineering and medicine are in high demand and pay well. Parents and families, therefore, encourage their children to enter in such courses for future benefits. These parents have the same goal for their children because they have a similar cultural background in Confucian ideology.

The American culture advocates for equality in all aspects of life including education. Equality owes its roots in families where parents are learned, the children in such households have more chances to undergo proper schooling. This is because parents have the experience of what is good in education and would, therefore, give direction to their children. The case is very different in homes where parents did not undergo any education (Smith, 2015) . A student child in this family has a high chance of undergoing the wrong education system due to poor education relationship with their illiterate parents. Most Americans are Christians and value education. They hence encourage young adults into pursuing wisdom and knowledge through the education system in a bid to realize rewards later in their lives – achieve more. The religious setting is then of importance in the education process. 

In conclusion, education systems are faced with differences which arise from racial and economic segregation in the United States. Due to racial discrimination, there are schools in high profiled poverty areas in parts of United States like Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia . These schools have lack of resources which lead to poor performance of students. Additionally, there is lack of teacher in poor schools due to the poor working conditions. More so, schools in these areas are experienced to increased crimes and violence as well as high drop-out due to early pregnancies and poor health conditions of a student. Nevertheless, although women are currently getting more chances in higher education, these are factors that make it difficult for women to pursue higher education. Among the factors is the discrimination in course taking in high school as well as some cultures which do not encourage women education. The religious and cultural setting of Americans revolves around the search for wisdom and knowledge leading to the encouragement towards education and the aspirations for achieving more. 

References

Baker, D. R. (2016). ‘Equity issues in science education: In  Understanding Girls’  (pp. 127-160) Sense Publishers

Berrington, A., & Pattaro, S. (2014). Educational differences in fertility desires, intentions, and behavior: A life course perspective.  Advances in life course research ,  21 , 10-27.

Carson, D. C., & Esbensen, F. A. (2017). ‘Gangs in School: Exploring the Experiences of Gang-Involved Youth’  Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice , 1541204017739678.

Darling-Hammond, L. (2015). ‘ The flat world and education: How America's commitment to equity will determine our future. ’ Teachers College Press.

Fiske, S. T., Gilbert, D. T., & Lindzey, G. (Eds.). (2010).  Handbook of social psychology  (Vol. 2): John Wiley & Sons.

Gruenewald, D. A., & Smith, G. A. (Eds.). (2014). ‘ Place-based education in the global age: Local diversity .’ Routledge.

Simon, N. S., & Johnson, S. M. (2015). ‘Teacher turnover in high-poverty schools: What we know and can do.’  Teachers College Record ,  117 (3), 1-36.

Ullucci, K., & Howard, T. (2015). ‘Pathologizing the poor: Implications for preparing teachers to work in high-poverty schools.’  Urban Education ,  50 (2), 170-193.

Orenstein, P. (2013). ‘ Schoolgirls: Young women, self-esteem, and the confidence gap .’ Anchor.

Trueba, H. T., Jacobs, L., &Kirton, E. (2014).  Cultural Conflict & Adaptation : Routledge.

Schoon, I., & Silbereisen, R. K. (Eds.). (2009). Transitions from school to work: Globalization, individualization, and patterns of diversity: Cambridge University Press.

Smith, D. G. (2015). ‘ Diversity's promise for higher education: Making it work .’ JHU Press.

Maxwell, G., Cooper, M., & Biggs, N. (2000). How people choose vocational education and training programs: social, educational and personal influences on aspiration: National Centre for Vocational Education Research.