Hailey Fernelius Fernelius 1

Nick Gorrell
English 2010
4/24/2014
Still Integrated, Still Free
How do we achieve educational equality in America? For the Supreme Court justices in
1954 it was ending deliberate segregation in the Brown v. Board of Education case (Kozol 239).
This led to a whole new era of integrated schools, schools baring names of great leaders such as
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks (Kozol 241). This ruling was made to bring about
change and promote diversity in the American people. Today we know this ruling did not do
enough. Government cannot force de jure integration, they can only give people the de facto
option to.
Kozol argues that the American society may be more segregated today than it ever was in
the mid-1900s, especially when pertaining to education (239). But the schooling system is a lot
more complicated these days; schools can be public (a free school that is paid for by tax dollars,
run by elected officials, and has open enrollment (Higgins 365)), private (a school that is
supported by nongovernmental private individuals (Webster)), or a charter (a tax-supported
school created by a charter, that is not required to abide by state regulation, and is run by parents
and teachers (Webster)). There is not one set way to pay for or run a school, especially when
each area has a different economic status.
In 2011 the national debt was $12 trillion dollars; that is approximately $41,000 of debt
for every U.S. citizen. Budget cuts had to be made (Anand 204). Rancho High School is the
largest school in Nevada, located in North Las Vegas. Rancho enrolls nearly 3,000 students
every year in which five percent are Asian, eleven percent are African American, seventy percent
are Hispanic, and thirteen percent are Caucasian or Native American (Anand 204). Within
Rancho is a magnet school that promises 1,000 students the chance to participate in pre-med,
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biomedical engineering and aeronautics programs (Ambramsky 20). This program may not be
available in the next couple of years. Due to major budget cuts Rancho has lost 20 teaching
positions, the grounds are no longer regularly maintained by a gardener, more furlough days
have been added, AP classes are only offered every other year, and their block schedule which
allowing them to take eight classes has been cut to a six class schedule in order to keep class
sizes down (Ambramsky 20). Cuts are being implemented all across the U.S., these cuts are
affecting people from all types of areas and racial backgrounds. When I began to teach in 1969,
every school had a full-time licensed art and music teacher and librarian., [budget cuts like]
this would never happen to a white school (Kozol 244). I have seen similar cuts in schools I
have attended, and I am Caucasian. Music and art programs were cut in my elementary schools,
elective choices are dwindling for high school students, and language options are being reduced
to only Spanish and French when previously options included German, or sign language, or even
Japanese. Kozol states, educators have made the claim that developing and supporting schools in
segregated areas is the main goal due to their demographics, while the goal of black school
officials is to focus on attainable goals such as higher expectations (Kozol 242-243). It is
everybodys (Caucasians, African Americans, and Hispanics) goal to increase expectations and
standards for students across the nation. But one also has to keep in mind that there is an
educational budget deficit as well. The focus is to teach students, no matter what race, at the
lowest cost possible.
Schools in the Paradise Valley District in Arizona have been the model for what you can
do when you feel you have no control over what happens in your school; become a charter. This
district decided to convert some of their elementary schools into charter schools in order to take
advantage of a law that grants more money per pupil to charter schools (Zubrzycki 5). Andre
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Agassi Preparatory Academy, only a few blocks away from Rancho, had a similar approach.
Agassi only enrolls 625 students per year, most of which are African American. The School
stresses that admission preference will be given to local residents whose families live in
poverty (Ambramsky 20). The students at this school are taken on all expenses-paid trips
around the country to visit colleges, they go to Paris for their senior trips, Suzuki violins are used
in kindergarten, they are taught to play drums purchased in West Africa by a Senegalese drum
instructor, and there is a hall in which Cirque du Soleil artists come to teach balance and focus.
This academy was more than $40 million to build and it is right down the street from Rancho
(Ambramsky 20). So why is there such a contrast between the two? Zubrzycki explains that each
area is run differently by people who hold different positions. Some schools are run by a school
board, some by a mayor, others by charter authorities, and some are simply state controlled; but
all receive some sort of state or federal funding (5).
Each and every school must meet state educational standards as well as federal
educational standards in order to receive funding. Statistics show that only 7 in 10 students
graduate from high school in the United States. One of the problems causing this, is a lack of
funds for schools to keep students engaged in the coursework (Cook 4). Lee conducted a study
which showed there needed to be a 15-46% increase in educational spending in order to raise test
scores and increase the graduation rate (208). It has been proven that increased funding has a
positive effect on academic achievement. This is because the more funding a school receives, the
more resources they can have available for students. The National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) wants states to increase their standards, but if the states do, NAEP will need to
provide the funding for it (Lee 208).
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When a school district invests in more teachers or a higher quality of teachers, school
resources are positively affected which in turn positively affects student achievement (Lee 209).
When the NAEP measures proficiency for this nations schools they do not take into account
racial or socio-economic status. All schools are required to achieve the NAEP standard of
proficiency to receive adequate outcomes (Lee 210). A cost-function analysis was created to
predict a hypothetical budget per district in order to achieve a desired outcome. This analysis
can then be adjusted for underlying assumptions such as cost of living and poverty rate in a
particular district. The analysis cannot be the same for every district because each one has
different ratios of race and class (Lee 210).
Another way parents are getting involved in the quality of education their children are
receiving is by taking out loans in order to send their children to better schools. It has been
shown that parents would rather take out a loan in order to better their childrens education
before they go to college then to send their children to a school they know is not very good ().
Kozol talks about areas where Caucasian kids have been seen waiting for a bus to take them to a
school outside of their intended district. He names a few high schools that were built with the
hopes of integrating all races of people, one of which is Martin Luther King Jr. in New York City
(Kozol 241). He claims that it is a true shame and a betrayal that Caucasian students are not the
majority group in this school, but then he goes on to say, The school before long became a
destination for students who could not obtain admission into more successful schools (Kozol
241). Why would Caucasian students want to go to an unsuccessful school? Why would their
parents want them to go to an unsuccessful school? Parents want to send their children to a
school that is going to help further that childs education and abilities.
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Kozol would have you believe that America is worse off now than it was before, that
segregation is becoming more of a problem than in the past. Prior to the Brown v Board of
Education ruling everything was segregated. African Americans were not allowed to use the
same bathrooms or drinking fountains, they went to different grocery stores, even state parks
were segregated (OBrien). This was most severe in the south where Jim Crow laws dictated
what public spaces and amenities African Americans could and could not use. There was
widespread lynching of African American men to create fear in the community. The Caucasian
people at the time did not want racial mixing; not in schools, nor in church, and especially not in
public (Liberato). There was common belief that African Americans were not smart, they were
perceived to never amount to anything. An example of this is the story of Vernon Jordan Jr., an
African American living in Atlanta. Vernon was a chauffeur for a wealthy, Caucasian male
during his summer break from school in 1955. When he wasnt chauffeuring he would spend his
time reading in this mans library. One day the man walked in on Vernon and was in disbelief
that Vernon could read, he was in even more disbelief when he learned that Vernon was in
college. The man laughed and asked whether he was studying to become a teacher or a preacher,
Vernon solemnly replied that he planned to become a lawyer. The mans response was stern,
African Americans were not supposed to become lawyers (Jordan Jr.).
Today anyone can become almost anything they want to be, including African
Americans. Barack Obama was a senator and now he is our president. Oprah Winfrey has her
own channel on TV and is known as a successful show host. Morgan Freeman, Eddie Murphy,
and Will Smith are famous actors and comics that can be viewed and enjoyed by people around
the world. LL Cool J, Jay Z, Alicia Keys, and Beyonce all create music that a wide variety of
people love to listen to. Michael Jordan, Gabby Douglas, and LeBron James entertain people
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with their amazing athletic abilities. There are thousands of successful African Americans, all
excelling in different careers and aspects of life. Prior to the Brown v. Board of education trial, it
was preposterous to think that an African American could be a professor at a predominantly
white college, or a doctor at a major hospital, and it was unthinkable that one could ever be
president (Jordan Jr.). But today you see African Americans being and doing so much more than
was previously accepted. Kozol is wrong to believe that segregation is more prevalent now than
it was prior to 1954.
Scattered all around the United States you can find ethnic settlement patterns with
relation to ethnic identity, acculturation, and integration (Wen 425). Social and structural
integration have always been a challenge for the American people. Segregation by race or
ethnicity within a residential area is a structural characteristic of this nation partly responsible for
poverty and racial inequality (Wen 426). African Americans are considered to be the most
segregated ethnicity, followed by Hispanics and then Asians. Desegregation between African
Americans and Caucasians has been declining while Asian and Hispanic integration has been
increasing. This is seen by increasing minority populations in geographic concentrations
producing enclaves, places that are instantly associated with an ethnicity (Wen 427).
We have seen the emergence of these enclaves from the time the first immigrants came to
America. These incoming immigrants were disabled by the labor market, housing prices,
language, and other cultural barriers. They wanted to be near people who were like them, those
who spoke their language and practiced the same kind of lifestyle. They came together in old,
established, ethnic enclaves to enjoy more easily affordable housing, social networks, and a
shared culture (Wen 427). The downfall is that education for kids falls short. The schools in
these areas are usually run down and have an excessive number of students. These schools which
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may need repairs, cannot get them due to a lack of funds. The low socio-economic status of the
people in the area contributes to a decrease in funds because most children are eligible for free or
reduced-price lunches (Wen 428).
Differences in class and status are known to create locational inequalities that can be
driven by race, but as these immigrants established themselves they found ways to become more
equal. Once they became more familiar with the job market and the American way of life they
were able to move into areas with better housing and amenities. Wen conducted a study that
proved that ethnic diversity within affluent communities was increasing, especially for Asians
and Hispanics (428). Although, this does not mean that they are necessarily closer to Caucasians.
There is a kind of cycle that takes place between socio-economic status and housing. Everyone is
trying to acquire more human and financial capitol, this means that everybody upgrades.
Immigrants move into low income, already established housing, those that were living in the low
income housing previously have now moved into a more middle class neighborhood, those that
lived in the middle class neighborhood now live in what was once luxury housing, and those that
once lived in luxury housing are now creating a new model of what luxury is (Wen 428). Wen
states that the only way we are going to decrease segregation, is to increase education (429). But
where and with who does the responsibility for education lie?
Elizabeth Peterson asked students, parents and faculty who they thought was responsible
for student achievement. Students from low socio-economic areas collectively thought that it was
the teachers responsibility to create successful, high achieving students. Some parents believed
that their childs success was related to the relationship they had with their teacher, while others
believed success was connected to a childs ability and failure to a lack of effort. Similarly,
experienced teachers attributed a childs success to the biologically uncontrollable characteristic
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of ability, while novice teachers viewed achievement of success as a combination between
student effort and teacher factors (Peterson 2-3).
What this study actually discovered is that it is everyones responsibility to create
educational success. Students who viewed themselves as responsible for their success received
higher grades than those who viewed the school quality as responsible. Teachers had a similar
belief that they held the students accountable for their learning, not the school (Peterson 3).
Teachers also stated that they would take more responsibility for the outcomes if the focus was
on deep learning and improvement, but it is the responsibility of the student to focus on surface
learning. With this, students must show up to class with the appropriate materials, ready to learn.
This is where parents come into play. Positive parental factors such as: emotional support,
financial support (materials, breakfast, etc.), helping with homework, assisting in decision
making, involvement in school activities, and relationships with teachers all increase the
probability of student achievement (Peterson 3).
Students showed the greatest improvement when their teachers took responsibility for
their success or failure rather than blaming the student. Teachers that truly believe a students
success is based on ability show a lack of commitment to producing a successful outcome for all
of their students (Peterson 3). Everything is interrelated. Student success is not solely based on
student effort, funding, quality of teachers, or even on the diversity of a school, it is based on a
combination of these factors (Peterson 3).
In reading Kozols arguments, he made it seem as if Caucasian people were purposefully
staying away from African American and minority groups. That Caucasians dont want their kids
to go to diverse schools or to experience other cultures or ways of life. This is all untrue, there
are many factors as to why a school may have greater concentrations of one ethnicity over
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another. It could be the area that the school is located in, the type of school it is, or the reputation
of the school. All of these factors come into play when funding is concerned. I truly do not think
that people are intentionally segregating the schools that their children are attending, they only
want what is best for their child. As far as the government is concerned, they have a budget and a
method of how much money a state receives for education, the state then decides how much each
district receives, and then the districts distribute money to individual schools. The NAEP also
makes budget cuts if schools are not meeting their standards. There is a bigger picture to the
problems of poor schools versus rich schools that goes way beyond the color of the attending
students.

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