Issues in Inner City Schools
By: Kaitlyn B.
"'Well, it's amazing,' Solomon says. 'I have done without so much so long that, if I were assigned to a suburban school, I'm not sure I'd recognize what they are doing. We are utterly cut off'" (Kozol 29).
Inner city schools are struggling to provide their students with the education they deserve. Without the funds and family support, students attending inner city schools are not recieving enough benefit from their education. Compared to suburban children, inner city school children do not recieve an equal education because of factors such as lack of funding and poverty.
Inner city schools are struggling to provide their students with the education they deserve. Without the funds and family support, students attending inner city schools are not recieving enough benefit from their education. Compared to suburban children, inner city school children do not recieve an equal education because of factors such as lack of funding and poverty.
Causes & Effects
“Therefore, the funds that are given are barely enough to provide a basic education to the students that attend these schools. This ‘guarantees that every child receives an education, but it is not an equal education’” ("Urban Education: Funding").
Inner city schools receive less funding than suburban schools, making it difficult to provide a successful education for students. Mrs. Vieira, a Pontiac High School teacher, stated “All schools receive the same amount of state funding per pupil, however our tax base is lower than the suburban schools, therefore our funding is less.” This lack of funding has many effects on the education urban children receive. First of all, it is hard for inner city schools to hire teachers due to the fact that the teachers are not paid nearly enough. In an interview, Mrs. Vieira admitted, “Another problem is that teachers in urban schools get paid considerably less than those in suburban districts, therefore, we cannot attract the ‘best and brightest’ teachers available every year.” Due to the lack of teachers, many classrooms in urban schools are taught by long-term substitutes whom do not have degrees (Vieira). Classroom sizes are increased since there are not enough teachers. At Pontiac High School, which is an urban school, some classes include up to 45 students (Vieira). Also, the lack of funding inhibits the teachers from receiving all the necessary supplies to teach their students. Many inner city school teachers don’t have paper, pencils, or updated books; without these necessities they cannot provide their students with the education they deserve. “There were two weeks I was without pencils or paper, though generally we have all the ‘basics.’ But not always. The first six weeks of this year there were no markers with which to write on the board” (Marrero). Many inner city schools cannot afford new books, forcing students to learn from old, outdated books. It is startling to think that students are missing out on a better education simply because the supplies are not available. |
In 1990, “30% of children living in urban areas lived in poverty, compared with only 13% of those in suburbs” ("Urban Education: Funding").
Living in poverty can have a direct effect on students not exceling in their education. In many cases, students living in poverty have parents that work multiple jobs and don’t always support them academically. Pontiac High School teacher, Mrs. Vieira, said, “The parents are not supportive and it shows when we have low turnouts at Parent Teacher Conferences and other evening events.” Also, many urban children need to work long hours in order to help their parents out financially which could have a negative effect on their education. Students need to be shown education is important in order for them to excel.
Graduation rates in inner city schools are much lower than that of suburban schools. Mrs. Vieira said, “Students mainly drop out because of pregnancy, they have to work to help support their family, or they don’t have enough credits to graduate and they don’t have the motivation and/or support to finish.” It is clear that poverty inhibits some urban children from getting an equal education. |
Solutions
“Fund preschool for all low-performing areas and lower class size in grades K-9. Then make it real: provide abundant aides for concentrated acceleration and accommodation, with extra tutors and resource for who need extra help...surround this response with psychological and social support...” (Marrero).
Decreasing class sizes would help students tremendously. Students would not only focus better in class, but would also receive more one on one attention from teachers, which is exactly what they need. Most urban school children are not receiving academic support at home, thus teachers must strive to make up for that. Smaller class sizes and extra help would make a huge difference in the education provided for these children. |
“...and find a way to give incentives to the teachers who work in the most disadvantaged areas... Then give all teachers a raise. The custodian at my school makes more money than I do” (Marrero).
Inner city schools are in desperate need of qualified teachers who truly care. Increasing teacher salaries would motivate teachers to apply for inner city teaching positions. Teachers could be the change for urban children. If the children can see that their teachers truly care for them and support their education, then it would motivate them to try harder academically. Inner city school teachers have the potential to change the course of education for urban children; they just need to be rewarded. |
Works Cited
Kozol, Jonathan. Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. New York: HarperPerennial, 1992. Print.
Marrero, Frank. "A Crisis in Inner City Education." Speech. John F. Kennedy University. California, Pleasant Hill. In Motion Magazine. In Motion Magazine, 25 Apr. 2006. Web. 30 Jan. 2013. <http://inmotionmagazine.com/er/fm_crisis.html>.
Mitchell-Yellin, Sarah. "Inner-City Schooling: Student Achievement." University of Michigan.com. University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://sitemaker.umich.edu/mitchellyellin.356/student_achievement>.
Pomoni, Christina. "Differences in Urban and Suburban Schools." Helium.com. Helium, 23 Apr. 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://www.helium.com/items/1888099-differences-in-urban-and-suburban-schools>.
"Urban Education: Funding." University of Michigan.com. University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://sitemaker.umich.edu/rosman.356/funding_>.
"Urban Schools: Executive Summary." Nces.ed.gov. National Center for Educational Statistics, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/web/96184ex.asp>.
Vieira, Mrs. E-mail interview. 4 Feb. 2013.
Williams, Brooke. “Grants for Inner-City Schools.” Photo. Ehow.com n.d. 6 Feb. 2013 <http://www.ehow.com/list_6596416_grants-inner_city-schools.html>.
Kozol, Jonathan. Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. New York: HarperPerennial, 1992. Print.
Marrero, Frank. "A Crisis in Inner City Education." Speech. John F. Kennedy University. California, Pleasant Hill. In Motion Magazine. In Motion Magazine, 25 Apr. 2006. Web. 30 Jan. 2013. <http://inmotionmagazine.com/er/fm_crisis.html>.
Mitchell-Yellin, Sarah. "Inner-City Schooling: Student Achievement." University of Michigan.com. University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://sitemaker.umich.edu/mitchellyellin.356/student_achievement>.
Pomoni, Christina. "Differences in Urban and Suburban Schools." Helium.com. Helium, 23 Apr. 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://www.helium.com/items/1888099-differences-in-urban-and-suburban-schools>.
"Urban Education: Funding." University of Michigan.com. University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://sitemaker.umich.edu/rosman.356/funding_>.
"Urban Schools: Executive Summary." Nces.ed.gov. National Center for Educational Statistics, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/web/96184ex.asp>.
Vieira, Mrs. E-mail interview. 4 Feb. 2013.
Williams, Brooke. “Grants for Inner-City Schools.” Photo. Ehow.com n.d. 6 Feb. 2013 <http://www.ehow.com/list_6596416_grants-inner_city-schools.html>.