Are Low Income Children Being Robbed Of An Education?

I remember it like it was just yesterday. The freshly polished floors, the sweet smell of a lemon cleaning agent, and the bright new painted walls. It was my first day at my new school, and even at first glance, I knew my life was about to change forever. Everything was different from my old school. I had never seen that many computers in one room before. Nor had I ever seen students so engaged and interested in learning. Instead of tattered outdated books, they had laptops with their textbooks downloaded onto them. Instead of mind numbing lectures that had been repeated since the 70s, they had adapted to the way students of my generation learn. It was like a whole new world, and it shaped me into the person I am today. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that very few children get this opportunity.

Does it really affect a Child’s Future?

Education has a huge impact on how people in today’s society conduct their everyday lives. It isn’t like 40 years ago, when you could pick up a well paying job with little schooling. Whether a child decides to become a well paying doctor, or a poor narcotics dealer, it all depends on their amount of education. Take students in Cleveland Ohio for Instance, a city with an average income of a mere $26,179, and graduation rates of only 34%. Cleveland is among the worst cities in America for education, and has an alarming crime rate of 35.3%. Pretty bad right? Well, hold your horses, it gets worse. Compare these rates to Village of Indian Hill Ohio, a city with a whopping average income of $228,500, and the best graduation rate in the state at 99%. The city of Indian Village Hill is home to many well known doctors, lawyers, and high paid business men. But, why is there such a difference in crime, and most importantly graduation, between two areas that are only 3 hours apart? The answer is Income. With higher wages comes more gross in taxes for that area. Thus, creating more money to donate to schools in that district. Due to the mass amounts of budget cuts in Cleveland totaling up to $2 million dollars, the school has lost 50 teachers in the past year. That leaves the student to teacher ratio at 30-1. Crazy isn’t it?

Are these children given the same opportunities?

Some might say these students are set up to fail. Those people are absolutely right. In a recently conducted survey on children ages 8 through 16, 80% of Low Income students say that their schools have little to no access to educational materials. While only 2% of high income students have little resources. That’s a giant 78% difference. So instead of being given access to updated resources, or any resources at all, students in lower income schools are forced to use materials that give them a large disadvantage. As opposed to higher income schools that are able to give their students access to technology or useful material. This reflects the students test scores also. The average standardized test scores in an inner city school in Cleveland Ohio is 33%. The state average is 77%. You may be thinking that a state test really doesn’t matter, but they most certainly do. The higher the score a school gets, the more funding the state allows for that school. Now let’s take a look at tests that effect the students individually. While the average ACT score is 15 in a lower income inner city school, the state average is 29, and in a suburban higher income school the score is 31. Colleges use State Test and Act scores to determine if they will accept students into their university. It’s obvious that the college board is more likely to accept the score of 31 over 15. Which leaves the inner city school student with no options to better them selves.

What can we do to help?

Sadly it seems that the education epidemic in less fortunate children is a never ending vicious cycle. When a child is born into poverty they have to make due with the opportunities they are given. Unfortunately, one of those opportunities is not a good education. America’s children are being neglected of the one thing every citizen is promised. The big question is: How can we help these children? While, most Americans and charities may think that money is the answer, it’s actually the total opposite of what they need. Instead, teachers and students encourage the donation of resources. Why? Almost 68% of the time, when money is given to schools, it is not spent on the correct materials the students need. Programs such as athletics gain the most financial support from donations, while academics are left to sit out in the cold. Leaving these students with almost no preparation for college. So instead of pulling out your credit card the next time you see a school asking for donations, try donating notebooks and folders. It’s time to make a change. Together we can end the education epidemic.