Savage Inequalities - Book Report/Review Example

Savage Inequalities Kozol, J. (1991).Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools. New York: Broadway Paperbacks. 336 p. ISBN: 0770435688б 978-0770435684. The title ‘Savage Inequalities’ is certainly a very apropos and descriptive variant for the literally thrilling book by Jonathan Kozol, which is so daring and impressive in the author’s attempt to throw light onto one of the most important social systems of each society – education – on the illustrative example of school education in America. Being an educator – a teacher – himself, Kozol writes about the wide and complex issue he is familiar with due to his teaching experience: the book reveals the most outrageous and blatant aspects of education in public schools of America, for public schools and school education on the whole can be deservedly considered the mirror of the state’s social system, economic framework and cultural conditions. Beginning with 1988, when Kozol set off on a journey around public schools of around 30 neighborhoods “from Illinois to Washington D.C. and form New York to San Antonio” (Kozol, 1991, p.3). The fruits of the “expedition” are presented in a capturing narrative form with infusion of criticism and interviews with children, who are the immediate participants of the schooling process. The information presented by the author redunds in the sense of outrage and discontent with the public schools system existing in the U.S. and blatant inequality that still persists in education owing to neglect of the authorities and despite numerous programs and attempts of improvement. Even in the modern society of the nation that claims itself to be a nation of democracy, tolerance and equality, discrimination and inequality flourish in public schools system, reaching unacceptable extremes and undermining the condition of the diverse and manifold nation root and branch; and – what’s more, this discrimination and particularly segregation go unnoticed by the government and ordinary people. These concerns are expressed by Kozol, who certainly seeks to arrest attention of a very multifold audience. Jonathan Kozol gives a reasonable and detailed descriptive analysis of public schools located in American urban and suburban districts, highlighting segregation and discrimination by class and race, which still persists there. Depending on the geography and the level of the area’s welfare, schoolchildren are placed in the extremely unequal conditions during the educational process, and this is shown by Kozol. Making the reference to the reforms of school education initially aimed at restructuration of the schooling system and evening up the disparities between children, he asserts that the reform has reached few public schools, with each subdistrict hosting one “improved” school, while others experience no substantial changes (Kozol, 1991, p.7). Moreover, there is a reference to the case of Brown v. Board of Education, wherein segregation in education was claimed unconstitutional according to the Supreme court’s verdict. Nevertheless, it has proved to be of little effect. The image of public schooling system drawn by the author virtually implies that American schools are even more segregated than they used to be in the 1950’s, when segregation was outspoken and legal. The tour around schools clearly demonstrated that most schools with poor conditions are located in low-income neighborhoods hosting predominantly colored population. This means that the majority of classes consist of nonwhite children, which hints at implicit isolation of racial minorities. Probably, the most illustrative example of discrimination is school system in St. Louis, “the most distressed small city in America” (Kozol, 1991, p.18), where nonwhite residents dominate. The author reasonably describes the unfavorable background of this area, drawing attention not only to schools but also to overall conditions people are trapped in: poor sanitation, irregular trash collection, low income rate among the residents, poisonous waste from chemical plants and unemployment (Kozol, 1991, p.18). Local children suffer from dental problems, undernutrition, underimmunization (only $2.40 for a child’s nutrition per day (Kozol, 1991, p.49) and poor dynamics of development due to a complex effect of a variety of external factors. Providing an example of the East St. Louis high school that was overflowed with sewage, Kozol portrays the image of the public school that lacks even the elementary resources and welfare to adjust and organize educational process (shortage of paper, textbooks and chalk, overcrowded classes, late salary payouts for teachers, inadequate sport facilities’ condition etc. (Kozol, 1991, p.58), let alone the quality of education itself. On the other hand, the sharp contrast to suburban schools in more affluent areas of the country is emphasized, for these predominantly ‘white’ schools do not suffer from the same problems and are rather wealthy (Kozol, 1991, p.74). What is also noteworthy, Kozol offers a comparison of inner-city schools with different geographical locations, as it is likely that such analysis can provide more examples of how segregation and social class discrimination are maintained in close proximity to us. For instance, the public school in New Trier is a favorable place to study, for it is aimed at making its students successful (Kozol, 1991, p. 160) and has the full range of facilities and good conditions for studying. At the same time, this respectable educational institution serves only 1.3 percent of black students with others belonging to the racial majority (Kozol, 1991, p.161). Considering the position the authorities seem to preserve for nonwhite Americans, the author implies that it is the dominating racial groups and social classes who struggle to preserve their place in the society and thus deliberately create the described conditions for the minorities to control them. This policy inevitably lead to the never-ending cycle of poverty, institutional and environmental racism (e.g. bad ecological conditions in St. Louis) and division of social classes. Although we seem to have left the era of outspoken racism and segregation behind, inequality exists and it has many manifestations – from placing nonwhite or poor citizens in the areas close to toxic plants or waste sites (like in St.Louis) to pretending to be blind to the problems of the local public schools, where children are deprived of the decent education. The authorities seek to ‘overlook’ the real problem of American education, and Kozol states that reports on education never include alarming information on poor areas’ public schools, focusing on poor reading scores or poor motivation instead (Kozol, 1991, p.5). The material presented in the book shoes that American society has not eliminated racial boundaries so far, as the moves undertaken by the authorities seem to be aimed at creating a kind of ‘ghetto’ education system with isolating minority students from their white counterparts not only in schools, but also in terms of the environment beyond the school territory. Out of schools visited by the author of the book none had an equal proportion of white and black students. The sharp contrast in conditions of schooling between the ‘white’ public schools and those serving mainly nonwhite students indicates the clear pattern of implicit segregation, where white people are associated with wealth and higher social status, while racial minorities are paralleled to poverty, low prestige and unfavorable environment. Therefore, the image of public schools across America constructed by Kozol proves to be the tip of the iceberg, with the portrayed system of public education being one of the instruments for implementing profound ‘hidden’ segregation. Public schools are seen as the tool of oppression, namely, marginalization. Through education and isolation in low-level schools, racial minorities are marginalized and pushed to the periphery of American society: initially inferior life conditions and education are likely to prevent nonwhites from moving up the social ladder and joining the dominating class. Jonathan Kozol created the thrilling image of the national schooling system and revealed its dark sides, though doing it in an unbiased manner and describing all he happened to hear, learn or see during his expedition. To conclude, it would be apropos to mention that the issue dealt with in the book is highly relevant and Kozol managed to ‘serve’ the information it a way understandable for everyone, a very neutral yet expressive way. The strong side of ‘Savage Inequalities’ certainly lies in the fact that this book is intended for a wide audience – parents, educators, officials and ordinary readers. Depending on the interests, background and occupation, the reader might perceive this book either as an interesting narrative involving acute social issues or as an expression of serious concerns regarding education. Therefore, I would certainly recommend this book to anyone, who wants to be familiar with the hidden aspects of our public education or to ‘proficient’ readers involved into educational process or legislative structures. However, having read this book, one would apparently be left with a bitter aftertaste, for the existing system cannot be fixed with mere help of money spared for the needy schools by the authorities. Instead, this would require dealing with far wider issues of segregation and social discrimination as well as with the mentality of Americans, who are still unconsciously prone to accept segregation, though they might not admit that. References Kozol, J. (1991). Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools. New York: Broadway Paperbacks. 336 p. ISBN: 0770435688б 978-0770435684. Read More