Education Inequality:

An American Crisis
By: Sophie Stokes, Camille Phares, Satchel Williams, Javi Kreeger, and Soraya Castle
 Our Guiding Question:

★ Is there a degree of freedom that does

not exist in the United States?
 Our Question:
★ How do social and economic structures enforce disparities in the American education system?

Our Smaller Questions:

★ What impact does the amount of funding given to schools have on the number of students that graduate from
High School?
★ Is there a bias in college admissions for/against low-income schools?
★ Where does our city budget get allocated, if not in our schools?
★ What is the return on investment of a low-income student vs. a high-income student and different racial groups?
★ Is Austin fair with their distribution of resources throughout their schools?
★ What do students of varying school levels across Austin predict for their own futures?
★ Is there a correlation between criminal behavior and education background?
 Our Thesis:
The improper distribution of resources to students of color and low-income families is a
sophisticated form of racial segregation. The inequality and inequity associated with the
improper distribution of resources is enforced by institutional racism which is embedded
in the mind of the American people and its educational policies. This continuation of
social and economic racism contributes to the disparities in the American education
system.
 Answering Our Question
★ Education disparities on a broader scale
○ Ghosts in the Schoolyard by Eve Ewing
★ University of Texas AISD School Closure Studies
○ Shape School Consolidations, AISD School Changes Strategy, Value of a Small School, Rising Property
Values of AISD Schools Slated for Closure
★ Austin Restricted: Progressivism, Zoning, Private Racial Covenants, and the Making of a
Segregated City
○ Racial Identification Maps
Answering Our Question Cont’d (Locally)
 Answer Our Question Cont’d
★ Conducted primary research by
interviewing people directly involved in
AISD school closures
○ Kris Garana (Pease Parent and Activist),
Rose Guajardo (Pease Parent and Activist),
Dr. Stephanie Hawley (AISD Equity Officer)
Drawing a Conclusion
 Our Audience:
Unaffected Communities in West Austin

Characteristics: Presentation:
★ Unaffected ★ AISD Board Meeting
★ West of Lamar Boulevard ★ Flyers around West Austin
Our Flyer:
 Our Product:
https://disparitiesandeducation.weebly.com/
Works Cited