argument essay

Hussam Osailan

Professor

ENG

18 January 2016

Education in America

In the article, Still Separate, Still-Unequal: America's Educational Apartheid, Jonathan Kozol talks about the segregation in American education. It is very controversial topic because still there is a big discrepancies between minority and majority, whites and blacks all around this country. Truly, the education plays the major issue in this country; therefore, Kozol writes this persuasive article for students who are able to understand the separation and inequality according to people's ethnicity and skin color.

Today, there is a big segregation in public schools of minority. He admits that students from lower classes are limited in everything. He has been to many different schools across the US and noticed that there is a big racial segregation. Kozol admits that in public schools there are mostly black and Hispanic students and white students make less than 10 percent. For example, "in Washington, D.C., 94 percent of children were black or Hispanic; less than 5 percent were white." Moreover, the schools that go under the name of historic leaders have mostly black and Hispanic students. The publisher notes that white American parents do not wish to give their children in black schools. Those parents usually give their children in private schools where they pay thousands of dollars per year. Basically, this shows that public schools are limiting minority students' success and achievements.

The publisher visited many inner city schools where he met students who were wishing to have a better circumstance. There were schools with now windows, no parks, no sport fields, and with no other facilities. Definitely, the students who attend these schools have no bright future because their education does not worth anything. These students have less desire to go to school that most of them leave the school. It is really sad that this problem is affecting more and more children.

Throughout the article, Kozol gives important arguments and examples. He supports his arguments by talking with students who go to public schools. The students say that they cannot take the courses that they want; furthermore, they are forced to take courses that they do not like. It shows that government really limits students' future career choices. Kozol says that rich people think that money does not solve the problem, in fact, they spend a lot of money for their kids, so they can get preliminary education. Thus, these children can choose their favorite field of study and get a higher education than minority students. It shows that education became a very serious problem in this country.

Throughout the article Kozol describes the society in different classes, such as whites and others. He uses a lot of statistics to show that education is unfair. Also, whenever he visited different schools he said that it was weird seeing white students. This made me feel like whites have privileges over the black and Hispanic students. It is really sad to see students having racial conflicts from the early ages. I think this problem really needs to be solved.

The author really calls America to access equal education for any children because good education develops the country. In fact, every student has a right to study; therefore, they need to have same circumstances under the same program. After reading this article author makes me believe that there is no segregation and that we all are equal. This is a serious growing problem, so he really encourages us to take an action towards making a change in educational system. Personally, I have never thought that there is a big racial discrimination between whites, blacks, and Hispanics because I always believed that it is a country of freedom and equality. Unfortunately, like everywhere else in the world there is a racial segregation. I totally agree with Kozol because we need that change; we need that bright future.