Documentary Review: Unequal Education: Failing our Children

"Unequal Education: Failing our Children" is a video that compares the life of two seventh grade students, and the differences between their schools. These two seventh grade boys are both in New York City school district, going to Jr. High schools that is only a couple miles apart.

Lonnie goes to the Jr. High in the poor neighborhood. While James, on the other hand goes to Riverdale Jr. High, a school where middle income families attend. There are major differences in the education that the two boys are receiving. I noticed a big difference in the resources that each school had to offer. For example, Riverdale Jr. High has a music program with a full band, and the urban school only has electronic keyboards to offer. There were vast differences in their sports programs, after school resources, and even the quality of the teachers.

The video then went into a debate regarding Voucher's and Public School Choice. Jonathan Kozol, who wrote the book entitled, The Savage Inequalities, was a speaker in the debate. This video was very eye opening for me, to see the stark contrast between the educations that each child was receiving within the same district.

The largest concern for me was the fact that the urban schools do not have quality teachers, and most of the teachers are not even certified teachers. This is where the alternative licensure debate comes in. Company's like “Teach for America” are putting people with any general four year degree through an intense summer of teacher training, and then are allowed to license them, cutting out the higher education system. The need for teachers is high because many people do not want to teach in inner city schools. With this type of alternative licensing they are obligated to teach at an inner city school for a period. I know there is a need for teachers in urban schools, but I do not think that the higher education systems should be cut out completely.

We still have the problem of school inequality today in education. The federally mandated law "No Child Left Behind" has created many problems in schools districts today. Schools are currently held accountable for the Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) of their students. The schools that do not make the AYP, are flagged and then parents have the option to send their children to a different school. The parents of higher income, white students, are being placed in better schools, leaving the low income and minority children.  This mandated law is creating segregation in our schools. Jonathan Kozol thinks that we need to fund schools differently that we do now. Currently, schools are funded by taxes. The rich communities have lots of money in their funds, and the poor neighborhoods have very little in their funds. I personally do not know what the answer is, but clearly, something needs to change.