Reddit reviews The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America

This is depressing. For anyone interested in learning more about inequalities in schooling, I recommend checking out the work of jonathon kozol. It'll really make you believe we're living in a country of two vastly different Americas.

Education policies are kind of in shambles right now. One of the problems are policies like No Child Left Behind which put such a high emphasis on testing that students ended up learning how to take the test rather than learning fundamentals. Basically what happens is that federal funds are funneled to schools that are already well funded because those schools can afford the necessary materials to get high test scores (a good book to read if you're interested in this topic is Jonathan Kozol's The Shame of the Nation). The problem, then, what mechanism should we be using to allocate federal funds to public schools? I'm of the mind that property taxes should go to the state and all school districts should be funded equally, then standardized tests can be used (though maybe not as heavily emphasized) to determine which schools need different management. Obviously that has many political implications, though.

Also, the current state of the public education is so entrenched in a system that isn't working very well and leaves little wiggle room for educators to try to innovate they way that students learn. Often educators are not given much leeway when they see that students aren't learning in the traditional way and should be given the ability to alter their teaching styles to innovate and accomodate these students.

You'd be surprised that today, it's rare to be black in an all-white neighborhood. Even education today is more segregated than it was in 1968 (the height of the civil rights movement).

"White flight" has resulted in all-minority neighborhoods in America. This results in less funding for local schools, lower property values, and fewer businesses wanting to establish themselves in low-income, racially segregated areas. This means that even grocery stores that sell fresh fruits and vegetables don't want to be in a low-income, high-minority neighborhood, limiting their access to healthful foods. Instead, they rely on the local corner store that doesn't even primarily sell food.

There isn't just an unequal standard of living, but also unequal access to opportunity. Your network (from family to your college alumni) can be so important when you're trying to find a job, but if you couldn't afford to go to college and your family has always been working class, you're already set up to have unequal opportunities compared to the kid whose parents are lawyers or doctors. Even if you look in the news today, you'll see instances of discrimination by banks, hiring managers, and federal regulations.

If you're really serious about learning more about why it's more difficult to be Black in America today, I urge you to pick up a book. Here are some of my suggestions:

American Apartheid by Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

The Shame of the Nation by Jonathan Kozol

hey, good luck.

The Public Schools

Jim Crow's Children

Ghetto Schooling

We Make the Road By Walking

Teacher in America

Women's Education in the United States, 1740-1840

Savage Inequalities

Shame of the Nation

also, i'll second Tyack's One Best System

a few authors to read/study: John Dewey, Horace Mann, W.E.B. Du Bois, Maria Montessori, Myles Horton, Dianne Ravitch, Jeannie Oakes, bell hooks, Howard Gardner, Betty Reardon, Howard Zinn, Cathy Davidson

topics: Native American boarding schools, ethnic/racial biases of original IQ test designs, desegregation, resegregation, Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, Bloom's taxonomy, multiple intelligences, tracking, career and technical education, the Common Core, school choice, special education, peace education, types of schools: traditional public, charter, contract, private, independent; the superintendency and school governance, elected/appointed boards, mayoral control, teacher cooperatives; resource inequalities, the incorporation of technology, teacher training, mind brain education, learning environments, standardized testing, accountability, teacher evaluation...

a list like you've requested could never be exhaustive, but that should be enough to keep you busy for awhile.

1. Wow. I didn't call you a racist nor did I say one thing in a way so as to insult what you have previously commented. Again, I'm here for a discussion. Yet you continue to insult and curse. Also, instead of substantively discussing my points and arguments, you have just tried insulting me.
   
   
2. You literally wanted proof as to my arguments. My first argument was that one of the most serious institutional discriminatory practices that occur is that of the issue of Public School Funding. I decided to take that point and provide the research and background you provided. I broke my argument down into:
   
   

• Main Paragraph 1) Kozol's (leading researcher & scholar in this area - here's his wiki bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Kozol) & other sociological research on the existence of the financial disparities & their ramifications on schools and students
  
• Main Paragraph 2) How big of a problem it is when tied into other issues, &
  
• Main Paragraph 3) The epitomization of the problem as evidenced in a famous USSC case & arguments for education being a fundamental right under the EP clause
  
  That is not an attempt to trample. This is a broken down argument with sources as you've provided. I don't see how my break down and arguments could be a "trample," as it is exactly what you asked for presented in an organized fashion...?
  
  

3. Again, although there are exceptions, I've literally provided sources for my argument that the funding issues in public school are a real issue, and not a "massive sweeping generalization."
   
   
4. As for your sentiment that I've made a "shotgun argument" with "a bunch of sources nobody could possible verify"... I specifically picked sources that are fully available online in PDF version so as to allow them to be prop-checked, such that they can be found by simply typing the title into Google. Here they are - These sources, especially the Sociology handbook, have a ton of great research re: race and education, and the lasting issues that remain.
   
   Routledge International Handbook of Critical Education -
   http://books.google.com/books?id=hD3qp2tvrLcC&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=%22Routledge+International+Handbook+of+Critical+Education%22+by+Apple&source=bl&ots=aIKpiv-kAT&sig=TI2gblhjDQ2WRJB6svWy2pkO75A&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xbhNU8yFOYinsQSS3oCAAg&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22Routledge%20International%20Handbook%20of%20Critical%20Education%22%20by%20Apple&f=false
   
   Handbook of the Sociology of Racial and Ethnic Relations -
   http://books.google.com/books?id=7Q93YGc6kngC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22Handbook+of+the+Sociology+of+Racial+and+Ethnic+Relations%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=F7lNU9evI4HIsASNxoLoAw&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Handbook%20of%20the%20Sociology%20of%20Racial%20and%20Ethnic%20Relations%22&f=false
   

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  Kozol's book isnt available in PDF but is available for purchase or at the library - http://www.amazon.com/The-Shame-Nation-Restoration-Apartheid/dp/1400052459/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397602657&sr=8-1&keywords=shame+of+the+nation+by+kozol
  
  

5. While you've thoroughly complained about the style and format of my arguments, and continually claimed I've made over-generalizations despite provided research, I have yet been able to discuss the MERITS of the topic we're "arguing" over.
   
   I'd also like to note that just because we disagree, it doesn't mean you're wrong or I'm wrong. You don't have to get angry or upset because we have differing views. If you actually provide an argument against mine (absent attacking my structure), the great thing about discussion is that its a great way to learn about opposing views and opinions. We can both find support for what we're saying, probably many sources. What I (usually) like about Reddit is that you can take a step back from academia and really get down to what the other thinks about the topic. We could learn from each other, if you allowed it.