Sociology: Inequality in Education & NCLB Act - Essay Example

Running Head: INEQUALITY IN EDUCATION & NCLB ACT Sociology: Inequality in Education & NCLB Act Providing education is one of the prime concerns of every state. A highly educated citizen gets wider scopes of job opportunities. Education also helps in bettering the overall welfare of a State. Access to education is also a socio-economic issue in topical time. USA is no exception to this. In USA a lot of students are not completing their high school studies and opting out midway. The schools lack records of actual data, and therefore tracking down the dropout students is becoming a major problem. Also, mobility of students is adding up to the problem of providing compulsory education to every child (Shaul, 2006). The problem of inequality in education is mostly experienced by the minority, oppressed and socially backward classes. Poverty, lack of awareness, parental support and faulty education system of the state can be responsible in a combined way for this inequality. But with the introduction of ‘No Child Left Behind Act’, the scenario is slowly changing. Different programs are being undertaken, in order to improve education system in USA. Identification of Social Problem: Cause, Nature, Scope, Magnitudes, etc Judged from the social perspective, a sense of inequality prevailed in USA. Apart from the “segmentation” in terms of economy, a division in the educational system can also be noticed. While children from the affluent families attended private schools, children from middle- class working parents were primarily sent to public schools. Also, it was seen that children belonging to the upper class mostly got admissions in the best colleges whereas children from socially inferior or lower economic groups are left behind. In such cases, often the question of manipulation cannot be ruled out. Discriminations were made basing on race, culture and family education (Shinn & Whitley, 1985, p. 104). As a result, future prospects of a child remained hugely dependent on the choice of schools. Due to these, deserving students were not getting opportunities in USA. Poverty is the root cause of this social problem. The State policies for education are also to be blamed for their preference of public schools over the private schools. Other than these, laws and regulations regarding issues related to dress code, behavior, use of gadgets inside the school premises, etc. varied not only from school to school but also from region to region. This limited the scope of educational development, especially of the backward classes. Therefore, it became necessary to formulate an act which would safeguard the rights of the wronged and unprivileged sections (Bowles, n.d.). Immediate/ Possible Cause, theory The American students were failing in the international standards of education. More than one- fifth of the total population does not have the basic education. Results of standardized tests like SAT [Scholastic Aptitude Tests], are poorer compared to the past decades. Other problems include mobility of students and high costs of availing higher education (Hayes, 2008, p 7). Factors that have affected achievements of USA students are, home and family factors (49%), class size (8%) and teachers’ qualifications (43%) (Foreman, 1999, p 75). Historical, Cultural, Ethnic, Organizational, Systemic, and Demographic Context Nearly 250 years ago, education system in USA was in the hands of local communities or religious institutions. Later on in 1791, the Federal government, for the first time introduced The Bill Of Rights for educational purpose (Hayes, 2008, pp. 3-4). The system of ‘Public School’ emerged during the latter half of nineteenth century. Gradually the State took the largest part of the responsibility. Horace Mann on behalf of the US House of Representatives introduced ‘Department of Education’. During 1960’s, education was associated with poverty in the Parliamentary Bills. However, educational inequality became most prominent during the 1960’s. Students with African, Latino and native roots were altogether barred from attaining higher education (Foreman, 1999, p 72). In 1965, “Elementary Secondary Education Act” was passed. It was followed by “Bilingual Education Act” of 1968. This act aimed at providing adequate educational programs to children. To support the case of female students, “Education Amendments” was passed in 1972. In spite of all these laws, education system was still lagging behind in terms of equality. This gave rise to NCLBA in 2002 (Ritzer, & Ryan, 2010). The social division of highly educated parents and less educated parents affected education patterns of their children. Different places have different cultures This affects educational pattern. Exposure to reading habits is higher in nuclear families. Immigrant students were often facing problems in studying in the state language. All these factors led to disparity and segmentation within a social class (Ritzer, & Ryan, 2010, p. 178). Racism has been a persistent social issue in US society. Students faced biased approach in educational institutions and most of them often experience “interethnic and intraethnic hostility”. Differences are being made between children from various racial groups and nationalities. This is more visible in cases of immigrant students (Lunenburg, & Ornstein, 2007, p. 22). Schools where the population mostly consists of minority groups, the size of classes are up by 80% (Foreman, 1999, p. 74). This makes the room more congested and unsuitable for studying. In USA, the education system is divided into two segments- public sector and private sector schools. Likewise, the funding policies of the State, access to resource, quality of education, and educational cost are also different. The NCLBA has succeeded in solving education-related problems in Connecticut, Kentucky and North Carolina. In these areas, recruited teachers are more qualified and the costs for education are stabilized, thus improving the educational standards (Foreman, 1999, p. 72). “Public heath, mortality and migration” are considered to be the most important demographic problems in US society. Population growth and distribution have affected social welfare. Due to uneven distribution, the deprived and underdeveloped class often remained unidentified. At the same time a lot of dropout students remain untraceable by the State (Sharma, 2004, p. 25). Population affected by the problem: Historically oppressed, under- served, under- represented. It has been noticed by McBay, (2003, pp. 77- 78), that since 1990, underserved and underrepresented population is increasing in leaps and bounds. Sociological studies have predicted that by 2015, these groups will account to 98 million which is one fifth of USA’s population (Lunenburg, & Ornstein, 2007, p. 22). Though programs for developments were made, the benefit was sporadic. USA has its own history of oppression. In past centuries, racial and religious minorities were oppressed by USA. Women were the worst victims. Till date, a section of those people are discriminated against the superior elites. Racism is a popular practice that affects equal distribution of education. In USA, distinctions were made among “African American, Native American, Asian American, European American, Hispanic American” and other racial categories of mixed origins or nationalities. It has been predicted that in the coming years, minority students will acquire 50% of the public schools, in 25 major cities in USA (Lunenburg, & Ornstein, 2007, p. 22). Minority groups that are recognized by USA law are “African Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians, Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans” (McBay, 2003, p 77). Minority students get lesser access to resources, and poor teaching faculty. In minority schools, almost 23.5% teachers are recruited without proper certification standards (Foreman, 1999, p. 75). Access to education is comparatively higher in some schools than the others. One of the goals of Department of Education (Education) USA is serving these sections. Major Social Policies that Address the Problem The bill of “No Child Left Behind Act” (NCLBA) of 2001 (PL 107-110) was passed to safeguard the interests of 48 million high school students in 32 states of USA (Shaul, 2006, p. 1). Its clauses were directed towards ensuring educational rights of the students; solve funding problem of educational cost and safeguarding the interests of the parents. Planning and Development behind the Origins of the Social Welfare Policy or Social Services Prior to NCLBA, certain approaches were adopted. These include “Check and Connect, Project GRAD, Help One Student to Succeed (HOSTS), Talent Development and First Things First (Shaul, 2006, p 33). The Check and Connect program was developed for students belonging to middle school. It targets and mentors the students with poor performance in an “alternate learning environment” (Shaul, 2006, p 33). It was first adopted by schools in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Project GRAD ensured that the quality of education is high. It aimed at increasing the rate of graduation up to 80% and also ensuring that half of passed out students are enrolled to colleges for higher education. This program was successfully implemented at Atlanta. HOSTS holds on that welfare of each individual student must be noticed by focusing on his or her literacy. It was implemented by Michigan elementary schools. This provision looks after the interests of students who have expressional and behavioral disabilities. Talent Development program was adopted by schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to improve the rate of poor attendance and performance, low grades and disciplinary issues. Lastly, First Things First, implemented first in Kansas City, Kansas, stressed on numerous components like monitoring scope from within the family, instructional improvement, and comparative smaller groups of students (Shaul, 2006, pp. 33- 37). Chief Objectives undertaken while planning comprise, efforts for restructuring, making “alternative forms” of education available to immigrants and students with poor classroom performance, and providing supplementary services like tutoring, etc. (Shaul, 2006, p. 38). Goals, Philosophies, Ideologies, Values, Beliefs and Assumptions behind the legislation and social service The NCBLA was brought as an amendment on the “Elementary and Secondary Education Act”. It was enforced with certain objectives. These include, implementation of standard- based tests, primarily on student’s basis literary skills and mathematics, allotting grants for the tests, ensuring fair and regular participation of all states in NAEP (“National Assessment of Education Progress test), identification of states with highest poverty and extensively carry on developmental program and lastly, improving interpersonal sessions among students. It also includes clear formulation about supplemental services. All schools need to maintain the AYP standards. Bettering the situations of Puerto Rico falls under this program. While recruiting new teachers, it must be seen that they meet the criteria mentioned on bill, and that they have undertaken various programs including the CLC (Olivert, 2007, .p 2). Students who were poor performers are the targeted groups. A majority of these students are from elementary (94%) and middle schools (92%). This group of students are low achievers of grades along with poor attendance As an remedy, more interactive sessions are built up, and extra time after the school were also provided to enhance their grades (Hamilton, et. al, 2007, pp 79- 83). Secondly, there is the group of high achieving students. This group is targeted for their lower attention levels in class. Also, the talents of this group remain unexplored due to absence of adequate curriculums and instructions. Parents are also targeted as a part of this program as they are indirectly related to the social well being of students (Shaul, 2006, p. 2). NCLBA has been a successful one till date. It kept up to the goals and objectives in all the states of USA. It monitored the developments thoroughly and reached to larger groups of students and their parents. It was also successful in creating a steady progress among different religious and socio- economic minority groups. It improved the overall standards of education as well as the quality of education. Strengths and Weaknesses Reformations in the educational field like identical definition of graduation rates all across USA (cohort definition), providing additional guidance to a certain class of students, lessening the number of dropouts every year, have taken place. The policy has succeeded in raising awareness on a social level. The policy has failed to achieve the aspired heights. Not all the schools have adequate technical assistance and advocacy. Often the teachers, who are newly appointed, are not provided with required training. Also, utilization of resources is not optimized. However, one of the major drawbacks of this policy is that it has not mandated funds for specific programs, which in turn creates a problem in allotment of funds. Also, NCLBA do not state very clearly the roles of family, schools and organizations (Daly, et. al. 2006, p. 447). Recommendations The whole momentum of improving the education system in USA can be taken to a higher level if the data of the reports submitted by the states are made more accurate. Also, the whole education system could be monitored well if the states can freely interchange accurate data and records among themselves. More focus could be laid on improving schools’ mental health. The NCLBA should focus more on monitoring and aiding the schools. Conclusion In present times, USA is facing challenges from numerous social problems. It is trying to cope up with those problems in every possible way. Providing adequate education to every child is one such problem. But providing education does not mean only up to the primary grades, but higher education. Higher education will not only open up new career prospective of the aspirants but, at the same time will also serve the state and reduce unemployment. If USA becomes self sufficient, less human resource will have to be imported. In some recent surveys it has been found out that after getting enrolled in high schools, about a third of students did not complete graduation. This picture can be seen all over USA. As of 2005, Government Accountability Office of USA (GAO) found that out of 32 states in USA only 12 states made use of cohort definition. The cohort system is effective in tracking down students who left their education mid- way in high schools. States which did not make use of this system could not track down the higher rate of dropouts. Therefore, a policy was necessary to control this tendency as well as provide adequate guidance to special category students like students belonging from families below poverty or students with disabilities (Shaul, 2006, p. 1). The NALBA is the solution in settling the problems of education and inequality in accessing education. References Bowles, S., (n.d.). Unequal Education and the Reproduction of the Social Division. Retreived on April 10, 2013 from http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~rgibson/BowlesEducation.htm Foreman, C. H. (1999), The African American Predicament. Washington D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. Hamilton, L. S. et. al. (2007). Standards-Based Accountability Under No Child Left Behind: Experiences of Teachers and Administrators in Three States: US: Rand Corporation. Hayes, W. (2008). No Child Left Behind: Past, Present, and Future. US.: R&L Education. Lunenburg, F. C., & Ornste No Child Left Behind Act: Text, Interpretation, And Changes in, A. C., (2007). Educational administration: concepts and practices, Volume 13. US. : Cengage Learning. McBay, S. M., (2003), Still Underserved After All These Years. Retrieved on April 10, 2013 from: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c17287e3-e25a-4e66-871b-ee49c29c397d%40sessionmgr111&vid=6&hid=24 Olivert, D. P., (2007). No Child Left Behind Act: Text, Interpretation, And Changes. New York: Nova Publishers. Ritzer, G., & Ryan, J. M., (2010). The Concise Encyclopedia of Sociology. US: John Wiley & Sons. Sharma, R. K., (2004). Demography And Population Problems. India: Atlantic Publishers & Dist. Shaul, S. S. (2006). No Child Left Behind Act: Education Could Do More to Help States Better Define Graduation Rates and Improve Knowledge about Intervention Strategies. USA: DIANE Publishing. Shinn, T. & Whitley, R. P., (1985). Expository Science: Forms and Functions of Popularization. New York: Springer. Read More