Savage Inequalities

In the article, Savage Inequalities we are introduced to Irl Solomon. A man committed

to civil rights, he gave up the pursuit of a law career opting to jump into the fray and

make a difference at a troubled urban school like East St. Louis High. Irls history classes

are noteworthy in the community of East St. Louis, a community whose grave economic

and social challenges have negatively colored the outlook of the High Schools students,

some of whom feel that there is not much out there for them. This view is best

represented by some of Mr. Solomons female students who are or have been pregnant,

stating that Well, there's no reason not to have a baby. There's not much for me in public

school. Mr. Solomon elaborates, the truth is, that's a pretty honest answer. A

diploma from a ghetto high school doesn't count for much in the United States today. So,

if this is really the last education that a person's going to get, she's probably perceptive in

that statement. Unfortunately, it is this view that is at the center of Mr. Solomons

challengesa challenge that is not isolated to East St. Louis High School.

The article includes an interview with Jennifer a high school student at a school in

Rye, New York who provides an interesting point of view. Her family lived in the Bronx,

a neighborhood with difficult schools and a situation that her parents escaped. She

expresses that it is not right for her parents to pay taxes to support troubled schools like

the ones from the Bronx. It is one of the reasons that her family moved away, she adds

that it is pointless for other students from urban cities (like the Bronx) to come to a far-

away, good school but pay their taxes to the city they come from. Jennifer mentions that

it makes no sense for people who live in the area of the good school to pay taxes (wont
do any good to spend a lot of money) for those kids whose parents dont care about a

better education. She believes that people who live in a poor area must yearn an

education and go after it by any means necessary, to not wait on anything or anyone else.

Although she agrees that everyone has a right to equal education, she does not see any

benefit to paying taxes to make equal education possible.

Both schools are extremely different. At East St. Louis High School, the

problems of the streets in urban areasfrequently spill over into public schools. The

school in East St. Louis shows how social and economic inequalities negatively affect a

childs education, their outlook on their future and, in turn, the choices they make early in

life. The city of East St. Louis lacks social control and norms. They lack so much funding

that they have to lay off a lot of teachers and aids. Also, because of this lack of funding,

the school board has increased class sizes but cut teachers (to harness more money). The

school deprives students of other more class options like advanced placement courses

again because of money. Finally, many students skip class or get pregnant because they

have no motive to continue school because they feel that coming from a ghetto school

will not open any doors for them in their future. On the other side of the spectrum, there

are schools like those of Rye, New York that are well maintained, their staff is well paid,

and there are many resources available. Students in wealthier communities, like those in

suburban areas like Rye, have more opportunity to thrive academically because there are

fewer barriers for them to do so. Another noticeable difference is the lack of diversity in

these suburban (and urban) schools; there are more white students in the suburban school,

while there are more black students in the urban school. Lastly, the troubling scenario at
Rye is that while the students are aware of the inequalities that exist in this country they

are disconnected from the struggles and divided on a solution.

Reading this article made me reflect on my high school experience and how nave

I have been towards social inequalities affecting others. This article has made me aware

of the inequalities that I faced. It is visible in how different it was for my cousins who

come from a good city in San Francisco and had more opportunities than what my older

sister and I had when we were in high school. There were hardly any AP classes in my

high school, and even as a science teacher recommended me to one honors class, my

counselor insisted I take the regular course. I do believe though that the school system is

starting to change. After I graduated from high school, the school district decided to

include more AP classes. My cousins in San Francisco would speak of all these

interesting and enriching classes (engineering, microbiology, AP physics, AP chemistry,

AP history, etc.) that they would take, and back then all that my high school had was AP

English. It was heartening to see that my younger sister would benefit from having more

options in AP courses such as Physics, Biology, History, and Chemistry. Also, she had

access to more electives such as auto shop and engineering. Once these new courses

came in I began to feel that our school could no longer be considered outdated and

ghetto because our students more opportunities to develop. It felt like no social

inequality, be it race, be it location, be it income could be denied to any student, even

those in my ghetto community.

 Works Cited

Kozol, Jonathan. Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools.

New York: Broadway Paperbacks, 2012. 329-37. Print.