Differences between the schools that leads to disadvantages in the education system as displayed in the video
The video “A Tale of Two Schools” shows the boys from two different schools that have critical dissimilarities between each other. First of all, the first feature that catches the eye of the viewer is the diversity in the school curriculum and the general state of the schools. The primary argument in the favor of diversities in enrollment ratios among students of different social classes is the connection with family history, educational aspects, and the attitude towards the price and advantages of higher education (Bolton, 2010). Nonetheless, there is a much broader extent of concerns that affect the decision to enroll in an institution of higher education than a social background. Students from the families with lower income are not able to afford a school or a college, where the classrooms have everything that is necessary for the effective and successful education of the undergraduates. This factor appears to be rather discouraging for the students and their families who are in the search for a school.
Another example of differences between the schools is the accessibility of the educational institution. The students with the lower family income are forced to choose a school that is situated rather far away; they are obliged to pay for the transportation, as the schools fail to provide them with a school bus. On the other hand, the students with higher income are able to drive to school in their own cars; as a result, the location of the school is irrelevant to them.
The third example of differences between schools is the equipment. The schools with lower income are not able to provide their student with necessary equipment; thus decreasing the level of enrolling into the given educational institutions.
How to help bridge the gap?
After observing diverse factors that impact the level of participating in higher education, several policy endorsements would be suggested (Fees and higher education, 2014). The reimbursements of higher education should be improved and more extensively interconnected. “In particular, outcomes associated with improved employability and finance need to be given more prominence, though it is recognized that this is an area of variability across the student body, especially in the first years after graduation” (Connor & Dewson, 2001, p. 7). Furthermore, the help of advisers should be implemented in order to help students from various social and racial classes to communicate with people with contemporary experience of the preferred colleges and schools.
As a result, undergraduates with various social and racial backgrounds would be able to attend the school or college of their choice and debate over their hopes and expectations of higher education with other, more competent students. Finance issue becomes an acute problem for students of lower social classes. Lacking the funds for the prices of higher education, especially when it could be a solitary excessive issue, is a deterrent. “The low-income families could be helped by better guidance on the financial support available and the likely net costs of different options for them, according to their different circumstances” (Connor & Dewson, 2001, p. 7). The material on financial support and benefits should be introduced in a way that a student with every social background would able to retrieve it at the beginning of the course of decision-making and choosing an institution of higher education.
References
A Tale of Two Schools. (2009). [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Bolton, P. (2010). Higher education and social class. Westminster, United Kingdom: House of Commons Library.
Connor, H., & Dewson, S. (2001). Social class and higher education. Falmer, England: Institute for Employment Studies.
Fees and higher education: does social class make a difference? (2014). Web.