Introduction: Wealth and Poverty at Schools
“A tale of two schools” provides a short overview of the elements that constitute a financial core of any school. The video depicts two contrasting sides of education, which are poverty and wealth. These two extremities determine the level of learning in a country as well as its well-being. Despite there being a general opinion of education being a wealth-dependent unit, it is meant to be the greatest equalizer of human rights and possibilities. Thus, it is crucial to bridge the financial gaps between schools so that to ensure impartiality in the spheres of learning.
The Key Elements that Determine Success or Failure of Learning
The cultivation of knowledge is sustained through the help of various factors: a variety of subjects that are interesting for the learners, and availability of tools and supplies, etc. The video demonstrates the crucial differences between such factors at rich and poor schools.
School Supplies
While the first person demonstrates the availability of such prodigious tools as stereo systems and telescopes at his school, the boy from the poor school mentions that the government does not even supply his educational establishment with the basic study materials.
Transport
Through this video, one can figure out that the pupils of poor schools are concerned with a fact that they have no money to pay for their school bus rides. The pupils of wealthy schools do not face this problem, since they have an opportunity to drive their own cars.
School Subjects
There is an evident discrepancy between the subjects that are studied by the pupils of two schools. In the first case, the learners have a chance to tackle the high-quality disciplines, which motivates them to become future leaders. The pupils of the second school study only standard subjects that do not attract the learners’ attention.
Education as a Two-Sided Tool: The Major Reason of Educational Segregation
Education is a crucial precondition of welfare in any country. However, the schools that are marked with poverty do not contribute to the progress of a state. They cultivate misery and low living standards. Thus, education appears to be a two-sided tool that causes not only development but degradation as well. The analyzed video provides the most evident reason for such segregation, which is peculiar for the U.S. This is a race. A general wealth gap between white and black Americans equals $236,500. Thus, Afro-Americans are more likely to suffer from unemployment and household problems (Shapiro, Meschede & Osoro, 2013). Accordingly, the children who are born in such families receive fewer opportunities to receive a high-quality education than the white Americans do.
Bridging the Wealth Gaps in Education
An effective solution that can help to discard wealth inequality at schools is the usage of academic exchanges. In his article, Paul Gorski (2008) claims: “instead of accepting myths that harm low-income students, we need to eradicate the systemwide inequities that stand in their way” (p. 32). Thus, the educators who work at rich schools can spend some time teaching at poor schools and vice versa. Such practices can create a space of shared experience and promote understanding.
Conclusion: Culture of Wealth vs. Culture of Poverty
Finally, to establish financial equality within the educational spheres, one needs to recognize that human abilities do not depend upon money. However, the absence of basic financial support can create conditions that discourage pupils to attend school. Thus, it is a challenge for modern society to bind a culture of wealth and a culture of poverty together in order to create a common culture of equality and well-being.
References
Gorski, P. (2008). The myth of the culture of poverty. Educational Leadership, 65(7), 32-36. Web.
Shapiro, T., Meschede, T., & Osoro, S. (2013). The roots of the widening racial wealth gap: Explaining the black-white economic divide. Research and Policy Brief, 12(3), 1-8. Web.