Ongoing Segregation

Ongoing segregation

Jonathan Kozol, in Savage Inequalities, describes the unjust conditions in which many children in today's society are forced to get their education. There is a big gap between the rich and poor districts. Using descriptive details and scenarios between one of the most affluent school such as "New Trier High School and one of the poorest such as " Du Sable High School", he tells us of the awful conditions in which some these children attend school, but also he describes the more affluent schools and the wonderful opportunities they are given. He contrasts the poor and rich schools to show us just how terrible these conditions are. Kozol brings up another very sensitive issue: racism. There is this idea that poor children (typically black and Hispanic) are poor investments. There are many issues in the public education system that are handled, or perhaps in some cases mishandled. Poor educative conditions result in inferior education and grave academic deficiency in students. There is a wide disparity in the conditions between the schools in the poorest inner-city communities and schools in the wealthier suburban communities. It becomes obvious the way the government, the society, and the educational system fail poor children in the United States.

Savage Inequalities posits that the leading problem in the school system is the condition of these neglected schools. It is difficult to argue that the conditions of these schools, and the areas in which they are located, can be anything but negative ......

The statistics that Kozol gives in the book are very startling, stating how in one school the classrooms are racially segregated. In one classroom there are all white students, maybe one or two black or Asian children. In another classroom, the "special" class, all the children are black, with maybe one white child. According to a study done by the State Commissioner of Education, "as many as three out of four blacks ... fail to complete high school