Talking Point #2: Kozol’s “Still Separate, Still Unequal”

             

            In the text Still Separate, Still Unequal by Jonathan Kozol, the segregation in education is discussed and examples are given to prove that the segregation is regressing all around our country. Jonathan Kozol argues that segregation is still a major issue in our education system, and limits for achievement are being set by school districts, which is only making the achievement gap between black and white students wider.

            When reading Still Separate, Still Unequal, Kozol’s argument indicates that students of the minority basically are limited in what they can achieve from a very young age. He discusses the issue of “money” and how wealthy white individuals are able to educate their toddlers in very extensive programs before they even enter kindergarten at the age of five. By the time the students are expected to take standardized tests in 3^rd grade, these white students have had far more education than minority students who are expected to take the same standard exams. He goes on to say that money IS an important object within education because it makes the difference of whether or not a parent can afford to send their child to a private school that costs $30,000 a year, or an inner city urban school down the street.  I believe that examples like these regarding money that Kozol gave in his article are what primarily begins the “segregated education” years in a child’s life. From there, he argues that inner city school districts are limiting minority students’ achievements rather than encouraging them to succeed.

            Throughout the article, Kozol visits several inner-city minority schools that focus primarily on rubrics, standards, and creating classrooms that based on a drill-based program using a Skinnerian curriculum. At one point in the article, Kozol speaks to a teacher that states, “I can do this with my dog”. This part of the article was a shock to me because I honestly had no idea that curriculums like this existed in this country. How can these inner city minority schools be running on drill-based programs, when other suburban wealthier schools are focusing on hands-on, engaging curriculums? It is no wonder why segregation is still a major issue in our country today.

            Students at the high school level are being limited in what they can achieve as well. For example, Kozol supports this argument by talking to students who want to take certain classes, but are instead forced to take other classes that will benefit the economic need of society. In his article, he talks to a high school student who wants to take AP classes and go to college, but instead is forced to take classes that are “required” for graduation, such as sewing and hairdressing. This is telling high school students that society expects them to only have certain careers, and limits choices regarding their own future. 

            When looking at the argument that Kozol makes stating that the achievement gap between predominantly white and minority schools is widening, it is undoubtedly agreeable after reading the statistics and information that he presents in this article. His points above that I have stated prove that great limits are set for the success of minority students. On the last page of his article, Kozol states that “students in this painful situation, not surprisingly, tend to be most likely to drop out of school”. This shows that the primary reason for segregation in education and the achievement gaps between white and minority students are almost predetermined by the limits set for those minority students.