Educating the 99%

In an article from February 9th, 2012, the New York Times reports on the widening education gap between the rich and the poor. While the achievement gap is certainly still an issue for minorities today, the article refers to "a study that found that the gap in standardized test scores between affluent and low-income students had grown by about 40 percent since the 1960s, and is now double the testing gap between blacks and whites." As the article states, it has long been a well-known fact that wealthy children do better in schools, and it appears to be getting worse. The research is troubling in that "while the achievement gap between white and black students has narrowed significantly over the past few decades, the gap between rich and poor students has grown substantially during the same period." Later in his career, Dr. King focused more and more on poverty, and it seems that this remains one of this country's greatest sources of inequality. Poverty, I believe, is therefore a civil rights issue, and one that must be fought on the battlegrounds of our schools. Perhaps most disturbing in the article is that the data collected stems from studies that ended in 2007 and 2008, and therefore before the current recession (depression). Considering how great the disparity was before, “with income declines more severe in the lower brackets, there’s a good chance the recession may have widened the gap.” Researchers suggest that one reason for this gap could be that wealthy parents are investing in their children more than ever before, both in terms of time and money, and the article quotes an economist who argues that parenting matters as much if not more than income. This should not be an excuse to ignore the implications for the classroom. While I agree that "there are no easy answers, in part because the problem is so complex,", it is also true, as the article states, that "education was historically considered a great equalizer in American society, capable of lifting less advantaged children and improving their chances for success as adults." The myth of social mobility in America has always been inflated, and while as teachers we cannot make up for the vast disparities in our students' experiences outside of school, we must do all that we can to ensure that education becomes a greater equalizer.