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Odalys Mendoza
Professor Ogbara
English 101
November 24, 2015
Inequality Continues
Until we get equality in education, we wont have an equal society. (Sonia
Sotomayor).Without proper education students would not be able to succeed in life. Therefore
the division between the poor, middle class and rich will always remain the same. In the United
States each student is entitled to a free education, but are all students given the equal
opportunities and resources? If one was to compare a school in East Los Angeles to one in
Beverly Hills, the differences would be noticeable. Students are not given the same resources
because of many different reasons, but the main reason they are not given the same resources is
because of low school funding. Schools that have low funding are not able to obtain certain
resources such as new textbooks, the latest technology, tutoring and much more. This gives the
students a disadvantage because they are exposed to materials that will enhance their learning
abilities. Students learning is often enhanced when they are at a young age. If the child is not
given the proper education, then they lack the sufficient knowledge that they need in order to be
at a college level class. This struggle becomes more evident when students of low income enter
college. Many students from low income apply to colleges with the dream that they will pursue a
career and escape from poverty. However, when students enter a class in which the professor
expects that they know a certain material they realize that they are not well prepared to take
certain college courses. Many students become discouraged which often leads to drop outs and

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other disastrous consequences. Not only does discouragement lead to drop outs but also financial
problems. Inequality between the rich and poor is much more evident when it comes to the type
of education students receive. Students from low income are not given the same education as the
high class students. In order for our nation to have Successful citizens the government and
wealthy must allocate much higher school funding in order for students to perform well in class
and become productive citizens. Otherwise students will become discouraged and drop school
and the cycle of poverty will continue once again.
Standardized testing is one of the many factors that prevent students from getting enough
resources for a proper education. Standardized testing is designed to measure a students
knowledge and to determine whether they meet the state standard level. Common Core testing is
a type of standardized testing that has been developed to measure the students abilities in math
and English. According to the article School Funding: Inequality In District Funding and the
Disparate Impact on Urban and Migrant Students by Rachel R. Ostrander, Schools with high
performance will receive a greater allocation of funding. As these schools lose funding for low
performance it becomes even more difficult for these schools to perform well, (278).This article
discuses how the government determines which schools receive funding and why it is unfair for
many urban schools since they cant possibly improve with the little amount of support. Some
people may argue that the schools that perform well should be given much more priority than
those that have poor performance; however they should instead give the same amount of
resources in order to improve the scores of the schools with low achievement. Ostrander claims
the following, It is a self perpetuating cycle. She states that low performing test scores will
continue over and over again since no one is contributing to help the students who are struggling
in certain areas. If they are not given the proper supplies such as free tutoring, computers,

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teachers availability, they will become discouraged which will eventually lead to poor academic
performance. Standardized testing are preventing students and schools from obtaining higher
school funding which in return affects their learning environment.
Not only do standardized testing affect student learning, but also teacher schooling can
affect the students performance. Teachers play an important role in the students education. They
are the ones that motivate their students to do better, and help them whenever they are struggling
with a problem. But not all teachers seem to understand the important roles they play in the
childrens lives. Not only does lack of resources hold back students from advancing, but it also
may be simply because they are not getting sufficient help or support from their teachers. In the
article by Brian , The Challenges Of staffing Urban Schools with Effective Teachers states that,
Teachers play a critical role in schooling, particularly in inner-city school districts where
children often have less support,(4). Student performance is greatly influenced by how well the
teacher taught the subject. Although it is not fair to say that if a student performs poorly that it is
the teachers fault, the teachers do have some responsibility to push their children forward and to
improve their learning regardless of the students abilities. The article states that urban schools
are lacking efficient teachers. According to the Jacob Brian A, Districts respond to such
shortages in a variety of ways: by hiring teachers with no certification or experience, by using
long-term substitutes, or by increasing class size. School districts are having a difficult time in
recruiting efficient teachers due to the salaries they offer and working conditions. The article
states the following, People are more likely to enter teaching when starting teacher salaries are
high relative to salaries in other occupations. Many teachers go on to teaching in schools that
offer a higher wage as well as better working conditions. Due to the lack of funding urban
schools receive, they are unable to give better pay or better working conditions to teachers. In

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return students are not being well taught due to the inexperience that substitutes or new incoming
teachers have. The article High- Poverty Schools often Staffed by Rotating Cast of Substitutes by
Emma Brown, states a real life situation in which students were not taught properly. Brown
states, This fall, she had a group of incoming freshman who had not permanent math teacher in
eighth grade. Eighty percent of them were not proficient in math, according to state tests, she
said because they didnt get instruction last year. Due to improper teaching, students fall
behind in their studies which can cause a fallback in their future studies. Students should be able
to communicate with their teachers one on one, but because the increase of classrooms, this
makes it a difficult to approach a teacher who is busy with other classmates. The decrease on
qualified teachers is more evident in urban schools. Brian states, According to federal statistics
in the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), 34.7 percent of central city schools had difficulty
hiring a math teacher, compared with only 21.5 percent of suburban schools. Te lack of teachers
in return is reflected upon a students performance such as standardized testing. If this problem
continues to be ignored by many, students from urban schools will most likely remain in the
lowest level of learning. This can greatly affect them in college since a lot of the coursework
given consists of higher thinking.
Furthermore, recent studies have shown that there is a big gap between the rich and poor
and the graduation rates. Many students of low income go on to college; however, they do not
complete their studies to earn bachelors or doctorate degree. According to the article by Melissa
Korn, Big Gap in College Graduation Rates for Rich and Poor, Study Finals, About one in five
college students from the lowest income bracket completed a bachelors degree by age 24 in
2013 and Among students from top-earning families, meanwhile, 99% of students who
enrolled completed their degrees, up from 55% in 1970. These studies show that those who are

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rich are much more likely to go on to pursuing a career, than those from a lower class. There are
several reasons as to why students might drop out of college; sometimes student drop outs is
caused by financial issues. As Melissa Korn states, While the maximum amount 4,690, took
care of more than half the bill for average tuition, room and board in 1974, Pell funding expenses
has remained fairly flat. In 2012, the maximum 5,550 award covered just 27% of these
expenses. Students with low income arent given the proper financial help they need in order to
continue their studies. Even though there are plenty of scholarships available for low income
students it doesnt guarantee that they will actually qualify for it. Many scholarships require
students to have a good GPA, be involved in extra circular activities, and a written essay but in
many situations students from low income do not meet all the requirements. Not only do they
struggle financially but also mentally. College students often become discouraged of having to
work twice as hard to get to the same level as everyone else which could result in health
problems such as anxiety, eating disorders, and sleep deprivation. The inequality between rich
and poor is evident in college and the rate has increased gradually.
To emphasize more on the struggles of low income college students I interviewed Valerie
Izaguirre, a former student from Cal State L.A. She is 20 year old and the last time she attended
school was in the year 2014. I asked her to describe her daily routine, then I asked her to list her
major obstacles during college and lastly I asked her what she would change about college. For
the first question she responded, First I would wake up at 5 a.m. in the morning, shower, eat and
then catch the bus. After that I would go to my class which would last about 2 hours. Then I
would go to my second class which was much longer than the first one. I would eventually get
out of school at about 11:00 a.m. and wait for the bus. At 1:00 I go to work at a restaurant in
Pasadena from 1:00-5:45 p.m. After I would once again catch the bus and go home to Glendale.

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By the time I got home it was around 7:00. Id stay up late and finish some homework and then
go back to sleep. This was my daily routine when I was a college student. I then asked her the
second question which was, what were your major obstacles? She replied, I think that my
major obstacle was transportation. If I wouldve had a car it wouldve been less stressful for me.
My solution to the problem was to buy a car however I did not have enough money to buy
anything. All my grants went to my tuition and school supplies. The money I received from
working went all for my rent and for food. It was very difficult for me, but at the end I managed
to pass my classes, not with the best grades but at least I passed. After two semesters I was fed up
with everything I quit school and till this day I am still working. The last question: do you think
you did the right thing? She answered I honestly dont think so. Sometimes I feel as if I am a
quitter. However it was just too much for me. I wouldve loved to become a nurse, but now it too
late to do that. Like Valerie there are many other students in the same situation who are unable
to earn a degree. Those of low income are constantly battling to from one place to another and to
manage their time wisely, unlike students of wealth, who are much more settled and have a
greater amount of time to concentrate in their studies. These disadvantages give the students a
less likely chance to earn a degree or pursue a career.
There are various ways in which we can solve social inequality between rich and low
income schools. One of the ways in which this problem can be solved is the rich helping the
poor. If the rich were to contribute in school funding and place more public institutions in urban
areas then there would be a fair amount of resources between the rich and poor. In the book The
Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie states and other, who know the best means of
benefiting the community is to place within its reach the ladders upon which the aspiring can
rise-parks, and means of recreation, by which men are helped in body and mind: works of art,

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certain to give pleasure an improve the public taste (Carnegie). The passage states that it is
the duty of the rich to help out that are most needy. If the rich begins to fund schools or build up
new libraries with better computers, offer free tutoring centers then parents of low income
students wont have to worry about extra school expenses. This extra help can increase the
performance of students which will benefit them later in their future. Another possible solution to
end inequality between schools would be to get rid of standardized testing. As mentioned before
standardized testing is a way in which the government determines which schools get what
amount of funding. This is unfair to those schools with low funding since they are not given the
sufficient resources and tools to be able to achieve the state standards. Without help these
students will not be able to perform well and those incoming students will also have to suffer the
burden of not being able to obtain certain tools. The cycle goes on and on, and eventually
students stop trying. Instead of the government focusing on who gets the highest scores they
should focus more on what schools need the most help and add more funding. Standardized
testing discourages students and that is something that we want to forbid from happening.
As can be seen, inequality between the rich poor has become a major issue for U.S.
Students from high class have a greater chance of becoming much more successful than those
who are from low income. In order for our society to function as a whole we must have well
educated people. Because there are much more poor and middle class citizens than rich class, the
government and even the rich must contribute to providing the necessary tools in order for them
to perform well. A child that goes to a school in which they are constantly exposed to drugs,
inattentive teachers, torn out books, etc. will not perform well. If we want our future students to
become successful we must provide them with better resources in order for them to feel much
more appreciated and dedicated to study. With this, more and more poor and middle class

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students will be able to part of our community which will create a much more functional and
united nation.

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Works Cited:
Brown, Emma. High Poverty Schools Often Staffed by Rotating Cast of Substitutes.
Washington Post. Katharine Weymouth., 4 Dec.2015. Web. 5 Dec.2015
Carnegie, Andrew. The Gospel of Wealth. A World of Ideas. Ed. Lee A. Jacobs. New York:
Bedford, 2013. 481-497. Print.
Jacob, Brian A.The Challenges of Staffing Urban Schools with Effctive Teachers. The Future
of Children 17.1 (2007)ProQuest. Web.28 Nov. 2015.
Korn, Melissa. "Big Gap in College Graduation Rates for Rich and Poor , Study Finds." The
Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones, 3 Feb. 201
"Valerie Izaguirre." Interview by Odalys Mendoza. 19 Nov. 2015: n. pag. Print.
5. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.
Ostrander, Rachel R. "School Funding: Inequality In District Funding And The Disparate Impact
On Urban And Migrant School Children." Brigham Young University Education & Law
Journal 1 (2015): 271-295. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Nov. 2015

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