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Introduction to topic

- What is the issue?

- Education inequality is a prevalent issue in the United States, affecting children daily.

The longer we silence ourselves and turn a blind eye to injustice in education, we allow

innocent children to be deprived of an equal education. The research found on this

website is an attempt to spread awareness and knowledge on the issue at hand to bring

forth a much needed change within the current education system.

Quote

One of the most powerful tools for empowering individuals and communities is making

certain that any individual who wants to receive a quality education can do so.

- Christine Gregoire

Quick Statistics

15 million children live in poverty in the United States today

They are unlikely to achieve the same success as their wealthier peers.

Statistics suggest students will perform on a lower academic level, drop out sooner, and

have less motivation to attend.

Inadequate funding in the public school system creates a cycle that children living in

poverty find hard to escape.

How does budget contribute to this issue?

- Each year unfair and inequitable school funding deprives millions of students of an equal

opportunity for academic success. Reports over the past five years show minimal
 improvement, showing no substantial efforts from the system to change the inadequacy

and injustice in the distribution process of school funding. The research provided on this

website was conducted in order to stress the value of equal school funding and the

negative impacts it can have upon students academically when not distributed properly.

How can we help?

- Support teachers and students in need of resources for the classroom

- Donorschoose.org

- Spread awareness to educate others in an effort to make a change

THE BREAKDOWN

As citizens, we should concern ourselves with the question of whether the current levels

of poverty and inequality really matter. The answer to this question is simple, they do, and they

matter a great deal. Poverty continues to be a significant and growing problem for America.

Poverty has worked its way into one of the most valued aspects of the American life, education.

This alone reduces the chance of individuals achieving the American Dream, a dream that so

many flock to our country to achieve.

The United States is currently ranked the second highest country in child poverty. More

than 15 million children live in poverty today, with an even higher rate for Black and Hispanic

children and for those in families headed by a single parent. Children growing up in poverty

complete less schooling due to lack of motivation, resources, and opportunities. The lack of

motivation, resources, and opportunities can be attributed to the lack of funding in the public

school system. Schools within the public education system are financed through a combination

of local, state, and federal funds. This is where the issue with school funding begins.
 Although public schools are financed through a combination of funds, they are primarily

funded by local funds which come mostly from property taxes. The problem with a

school-funding system that relies so heavily on property taxes is that it creates an imbalance.

Property values vary from community to community which result in poorer communities

receiving less money for their schools. Therefore, the vast amount of public schools across

America remain racially and economically segregated creating an even larger gap between the

rich and the poor. Today, the achievement gap between the rich and the poor is becoming more

evident with no substantial efforts to bring forth change.

As with any other issue, there are two sides and people choose a stance that they most

closely relate or agree with. In regards to this issue, some individuals deny that there is any

inequality within the school system that needs to be addressed. However, these individuals come

from or work for schools that are in the wealthier communities. On the other hand, people agree

that there is inequality that needs to be address and believe that property tax is not an adequate

way to fund schools as it decreases opportunities for children living in impoverished

communities. When looking at the larger picture, poverty and school funding exposes the

underlying issue of social injustice in America.

The Cycle

- Add visual representation

- Poverty lower property tax less $ for local school no resources lower

education lower performance rate/ dropout repeat

SCHOOL FUNDING

How is money budgeted in the United States?

- Introduction into rich v. poor

- Racial divide

- Less money = lower education

Data Charts

- How much public v. charter schools receive

- Low v. high poverty public schools receive

- Per pupil comparison

- Local school comparisons

*include relevant data from teacher survey on web page*

THE IMPACT

When discussing the importance of an equal education, one cant help but wonder if

students realize when social injustice is happening right before their eyes. Do students notice?

Well, it all depends. As children become older they are able to distinguish the differences

between what is right and wrong, as well as what is fair and unfair. Students at racially diverse

schools, particularly African American and Hispanic students, are more tuned in to injustice than

students going to school with peers that look like them. Students who attend more diverse

schools gain different experiences and perspectives that they can share with one another

regardless of boundaries such as race, class and gender. These experiences give students a fuller

sense of how the world operates. However, students who attend less diverse schools are less

aware of injustice and often turn a blind eye to situations they cannot relate to or havent
experienced. Although being tuned into injustice can be a good thing, it can be bad as well.

Students who attend schools in lower income areas and are able to recognize the apparent

differences between their school and wealthier schools, may experience the feeling of

discouragement and confusion. Seeing wealthier schools being provided with more advanced

technology and resources often times discourages students causing them to give up out of

frustration and lack of feeling important to society.

Result achievement gap, dropout, etc.

- Children suffer as a result of issues that are far beyond their control

Which children are suffering more?

Include Oprah experiment video

*include relevant data from teacher survey on web page*

TEACHER SURVEY

1. Are you aware of how public schools are funded in the United States? If so, briefly

explain.

2. Agree/ Disagree

There is inequality in the school system that needs to be addressed.

Students are treated differently by the school system based on their race.

Students are treated differently by the school system based on their family

income.

Needs of minority students are dealt with in a timely manner.

Needs of white students are put before students who are non-white.
3. Public school funding in the United States comes from federal, state, and local sources, but

nearly half of those funds come from local property taxes.

Do you think that property tax is an adequate way to fund schools?

Do you think that by funding schools from property tax we decrease opportunities for

children living in impoverished communities?

Do you think that students who attend charter or private schools receive a better

education?

Do you think that students who attend charter or private schools receive more educational

opportunities?

4. How many students in your classroom do you estimate live at or below the poverty line?

Of these students, how many are:

Caucasian?

African American?

Hispanic?

Other?

5. How many times do you find yourself not being able to fund an activity for the classroom?

6. How many times does lack of funding prohibit you from being able to teach a certain activity/

topic in the classroom ?

7. Do you think that the school system allows for children living in poverty to receive the same

educational opportunities as students who are not?

8. Do you believe that the school system does a good job of creating an equal education for each

student regardless of race, economics, etc?

9. How satisfied are you with the resources available to your students at your school?

10. Agree/ Disagree

If there were more efficient resources/ technology at my school, my students would be

more engaged in learning

If there were more efficient resources at my school students would be more likely to

attend

If there were more efficient resources at my school I would be able to provide my

students with a more advanced education

11. Agree/Disagree

If I worked at a charter or private school I feel that I would receive more financial help

with funding activities for my students.

If I worked at a charter or private school I feel that I would be able to provide my

students with a better education.

If I worked at a charter or private school I feel that my students needs would be addressed

in a more timely manner.

If I worked at a charter or private school I feel that my students would be seen as more

important.

12. Agree/ Disagree

Students from higher income families are presented with more educational opportunities

than children from lower income families.

13. Do you teach at a title I School?

14. What school do you teach at? (optional)

WEBSITE ADDRESS:

ensuringeducationequality.weebly.com
 Works Cited

Anderson, Meg. Your School Shapes How You Think About Inequality. Review of Unequal

City, by Carla Shedd, National Public Radio, 14 Nov. 2015.

Boykin, A. Wade, and Pedro Noguera. Creating the Opportunity to Learn. ACSD, 2011.

Cho, Seonhee, Jacqueline T. McDonnough. Social Inequality in Education: A Constraint on an

American High-Skills Future. Journal of Science Teacher Education, pp.385-402.

http://www.tandfonline.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-873X.2007.003

90.x?scroll=top&needAccess=true. Accessed 10 Mar. 2017.

Teach First. www.teachfirst.org.uk. Accessed 13 Mar. 2017.