What Does Money Have To Do With It?
The harsh reality of some schools having quality facilities, up to date learning materials and gym equipment while others have leaking ceilings, outdated textbooks and makeshift gymnasiums is something that has become to commonly accepted. The playing field for students is far too uneven, and this has only lead to achievement gaps and division. Yes, there is not one factor that is the cause for these drastic differences, but the inequality when it comes to school funding plays one of the biggest roles. Public schools within the United States, or their financial systems at least, have ensured that community wealth disparities carry over into education. Relying on property taxes to fund schools creates funding gaps right off the bat, because the range between wealthy and poor areas is far too wide. Affluent areas end up with the well funded schools and lower income areas end up with the poorly funded schools, and this is leaving destitute and minority students and families at an inherit disadvantage. Delegating education funding to local community is only increasing inequality, which is causing us to take steps in the wrong direction. Some may argue that money is not the problem, and that increasing spending will not lead to better outcomes in poor districts, but spending more on those low-income students would show care, acknowledgement and equity. Some see the ways that poor funding impacts the students within the school, but what bout the teachers as well? Inadequate preparation and low morale are both things that affect teachers and other school workers due to the basic condition of services and low salaries. Yes, there are many challenges that go beyond what more funding could solve, but that sounds like a pretty great place to start.
Hi Taylor! Your blog really made me think about the things the government chooses to fund and what they choose to not fund. I find it crazy how the government will spend billions of dollars for the military, yet will make teachers use their own money to provide students with supplies they need for the class. I don’t think it should be the teachers responsibility to spend their money on supplies for their whole class. That is another reason why teachers are quitting, for the lack of funding. When you said that some argue that spending more money on these lower income districts will not lead to better outcomes for them, I couldn’t help but think how someone could possibly think that way. To me, it’s so clear to see how a student is more likely to succeed in the classroom if they simply have the right supplies for the class because in the lower income schools you’ll often see a lot of students whose parents can’t provide their child/ren with enough school supplies.
ReplyDeleteHi Lili! I'm glad this was just as insightful for you as it was for me, because this is definitely something that needs more attention! I completely agree that money coming directly out of a teacher's pocket to give the students the necessary resources is setting the foundation for downfall. I loved hearing your thoughts!
DeleteHi Taylor! I enjoyed reading your blog post this week and I completely agree with you! I think school funding is a huge contributor to a child's education. I think the classroom environment plays a big role, for example when a student walks into a classroom where the ceiling is leaking and the textbooks are falling apart, that does not make it a positive learning environment to be in. I think if students were to walk into a nice well kept classroom it would help them focus more and they would be attentive to learning. This is something the government should focus on, to better fund these schools because it can make a difference in a child’s education and it as you stated it would show acknowledgement and equity for these students. In the end all students deserve a good education regardless of their financial status and the government should help fund these schools because at the end of the day those students are the future.
ReplyDeleteHey Emily! I'm glad you enjoyed reading! I love how emphasized that children need a good and strong education no matter how they grew up or even where they live. This is so important, and I'm glad that we get to go into our careers with this in mind!
DeleteHi Taylor! I absolutely agree with your blog post! A school's funding shouldn't be based off of property taxes because it leaves a lot of students at a disadvantage. I think using a leaking ceiling as an example is perfect, because many people expect students to adapt to their atmosphere, but no student should have to do that, especially when the state requires them to go to school. The government should provide fair and equal funds to each public school. Money shouldn't affect a students education, but it does because lower income schools aren't able to provide the same resources as higher income schools. With that being said, higher income schools have the ability to provide the school with more teachers, and higher qualified teachers because of salary. Every student deserves the same education with the best teachers out there. How much a parent makes, shouldn't define a students education status. As a world, we need to do better for our students and future generations. I enjoyed reading your response! Great post!!
ReplyDeleteHello Raegan! I love that this has been something that almost everyone is agreeing with, because it is so dang important! I've always been confused as to why the students are impacted by something that is out of their control; money. Thanks for your feedback, it was very insightful!
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