Position Research Paper - Essay Example

Schools can help children facing substantial obstacles of poverty and discrimination to learn to read, write, compute, solve and become the good contribution citizens? Karen Chenoweth and Kati Haycock try to answer this question in their book Its Being Done; Academic Success in Unexpected (2007). Looking at the history of the American education system the answer whether schools have the potential to deliver the pearls of wisdom and knowledge to the poor kids is ‘yes’. The schools have the potential to deliver.

It is and not a mathematical question of judging the resources against the population. It is the undertaking of faith and commitment. Quality education does not only mean that one should put together a bunch of students from all races and ethnicities in the same class. It defeats the purpose because the competition will eradicate the less privileged students. Increased competition improves student performance (Marlow, 2000); however, the competition should be at the same level. The educators and the teachers need to design the courses and teaching methodologies according to the students’ needs.

Does the Californian public schools have this acumen and the vision? The authors write in the book that standard suburban schools paint the perfect picture of this unjust education competition where wealthy white girls excel in education and the poor African-American and Latino children barely survive. The solution is not only confined to giving due attention. Interestingly, ethnic and racial discrimination also plagues the education system. It is a common observation that there are schools where all the kids are whites or from the upper middle class.

Such segregation or accumulation of ethnicities reflects the test scores of the students. The elementary schools show high average state test scores and high schools show above average SAT scores. These schools also feel proud in sending dozens of kids to Ivy League colleges. But