Studies Suggest Economic Inequity Is Built Into, and Worsened by, School Systems
Paul Thomas, professor and prolific writer on educational issues (see his blog Radical Scholarship), traces trends in educational reforms in the United States, from charter schools to Teach for America. In his most recent article, he has synthesized his findings to outline how the language of American educational reform hides the real issues and links between educational and economic inequity.
(Photo credit: trustypics; Reproduced courtesy of Truthout)
Through policy decisions that place the most qualified teachers in the highest-performing classrooms, which are typically in wealthier neighbourhoods, economic inequity is increasingly reflected in academic performance, thus creating a system in which economic and educational inequity are mutually reinforcing structures. “No excuses” reform masks these links by deliberately ignoring economic status, and further perpetuating the connection between economic and educational inequity. Read the article…
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By Alexandra Epp
