Higher Education for Minorities?
The article "How Wealth Differences Limit the Educational Progress of African Americans," examines the issue today of wealth differences between white and black Americans and how that effects their ability to attend college. The article states that the typical black family has a new worth that is only about one fifth that of American families in general and attributes the problem to this. In the opinion of the author, more must be done to allow African-Americans access to universities. It leaves me to wonder though, that if racially earmarked scholarships, preferential admissions policies, remedial education, and aggressive recruitment of black students aren't enough, what else is there left to do?
posted by Anonymous @ 1:29 AM
2 Comments:
In our society, there will always be racial prejudices. People in power, whether it is because of race, gender, or economic status, will always dominate over those who are not in power. In American society, there will always be groups that are making more money or are more successful than other groups. It has to do with their culture and the way our society perceives things. I honestly believe, that as a teacher, there is not very much I can do to change that status in this country. It is true that every student should have equal opportunities. I believe strongly in that. However, that does not always occur in our society. I honestly believe that the only thing we can change is the lives of individual students. We as teachers must not let our personal prejudices get in the way of our teaching. We have to be able to see inside our students and encourage them to be the best they can be. We are individuals and have the power to effect and change other individuals. If that is the focus of enough teachers, then society will change.
I feel like I'm talking about Hegemony a lot lately. Once again, I think it is that and our expectations that truly make the difference in our society. Too often, money dictates our expectations (often without us realizing it). Why do we expect Bill Gates son to do better academically than a student from Camden>? Even if they were in the same classroom? I think the most important thing we can do as teachers is to expect the most from our students and EMPOWER them to reach those stars.
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