Going to school is more than just passing the tests and turning in the homework. Public education provides youth with an opportunity to participate in society to the fullest. The right to free public education is one of the most valuable rights existing in the United States. It is granted to everyone, regardless of race, ethnic background, religion, sex, or economic status. Even children who are not legal citizens in the United States have the right to free public education. No child can be denied the right to attend public school, which is what makes educational equality the greatest weapon we can use to change the world.
While not everyone comes from the same circumstances, educational equality levels the playing field when it comes to access and providing the same basic education. With everyone starting off able to attend school, children begin as equals under educational equality. Unfortunately, there are still tracking systems in place to divide students into classes as they get older. The results of tracking may determine a student’s likeliness to get into college due to the knowledge they are being taught, as well as the resources they are given access to.
These tracking systems often place white students who come from families with a higher economic status into more advanced classes, as they generally have the resources to perform better in school. This provides them with better opportunities than non-white students who come from families with a lower economic status. This decreases the chances for children of low-income families to attend college, continuing the cycle of poverty. Often times these students become discouraged at their lack of success in school, and drop-out, or graduate without an opportunity for attending college.
Through the use of guidance counselors, students who are interested in changing the track they are on educationally have that opportunity. Since education equality places all students on a level playing field, students from difficult circumstances can be given the correct resources to get on track. When the staff of a school district works with students who are not achieving what they are fully capable of, this opens up a world of opportunities.
Public schools are focusing on equity as well as equality which will prove to be a useful weapon in changing the world. A system in which students once fell through the cracks and fell victim to a continuous cycle is now giving them the attention and consideration they require. Students who have been placed in a mold are being given the chance to break out. These changes are imperative to creating a world in which everyone can prosper and succeed, regardless of where they came from.
