You cannot expect a child to pass a swim test if you intentionally move him to a pool where there is no water. Although a swim test may not relate to inequality in education, the concept of students being expected to be successful in school while not having the resources they need to learn is absurd and is discussed in the articles “Inequality in the American Education System,” by William H. Schmidt, and “Inequality in Education,” by Kevin D. Williamson. These articles discuss how inequality in education exists because of low tracking for students, weak learning resources, and lack of proper nutrition. Social inequality in our country is causing many issues for our education and economy. With the intention to solve all these issues, our society must put an end to social inequality and provide equality for everyone, which will also result in a better economy.
Underprivileged students commonly attend schools that receive less funding than those attended by well-off students, therefore those who attend lower income schools are taught with weaker content, resources, and materials. As a result, “students placed in classrooms with lower level topic coverage see their chances to move on and take more advanced courses in high school and college severely limited -- once placed in a lower track, it is very unlikely that they will ever catch up” (Schmidt, 1). Low tracking fails to provide students with the assistance they need to move to a higher track. Underprivileged students in low tracks lose self-esteem and motivation, while expectations for their performance decrease. In order to put an end to tracking, an alternative would be to start programs aimed to helping students catch up to speed, instead of permanently separating them from other students and teaching them a secondary curriculum.
Moreover, lower-income students are disadvantaged because they are exposed to