Quality Education

By: Robert Kelly

What is the real issue with a lack of universal access to quality education? What steps need to be taken to solve this issue?


Have you ever stopped to think about the implications of non-universal access to quality education? By definition,
Education facilitates learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, morals, beliefs, habits, and personal understanding. Education or knowledge is the key to unlocking a bright future. However, factors such as socioeconomic status leave a few community members locked out, trapped in a cycle of disadvantage.
Naturally, education is a basic human right, so what can we do to ensure that everyone has the ability to exercise this right? First, it is vital that we understand that in addition to larger inequities throughout society and in our school system, there are also covert disparities present. However, before we discuss what those inequalities look like, let's learn about the history of our current education systems.


The history of the modern day classroom


In the 17th century, it was the model for education to only be accessible to the privileged and wealthy in America. Children from the working class were predominantly home schooled. On the other hand, the socially “elite” had the resources to hire private tutors and place their children in high end private schools.
The education distribution throughout the country was definitely non uniform and showed inconsistencies, leading the overall literacy rate to be low.
In the late 1600s the Prussian model of education was introduced, attempting to standardize the American school system so every child had the ability to read and write proficiently. After this, other colonies around the world began to follow in their footsteps, more public schools than what was available at the time.
Eventually, adolescent education was separated in both primary and high school, creating the structure we see today. However, even though everyone has access to an education, the quality of that education can vary for many different reasons.


What can impact the quality of one's education?

You may already know of a few things that can impact the quality of one's education, but do you truly understand how deep these disparities go?
Factors such as racism and socioeconomic class contribute to the quality of education one has access to.
Systemic policies and practices oppress already marginalized communities, leaving them without access to the materials and resources needed to successfully pursue higher education. Oftentimes, working class parents don’t have the time to review coursework with their children because their time is consumed by their jobs. To the contrary, parents who have the luxury of time can read to their children. Research shows that reading one book a day to your child can result in them knowing 10,000 more words than their less fortunate counterparts by kindergarten.
Such economically linked disparities often follow students into their secondary school experience. Research shows that minority or low income students are often underrepresented in high level courses, resulting in students being ill-prepared to enter collegiate level arenas or professional settings. Again, systemic policies and practices that historically oppress certain groups block them from academically stimulating settings; and attack them for upsetting the status quo.
Similar issues of acquiring or developing a quality education are being addressed across the world, including Western Asia, North America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, a large number of children that are not enrolled in school live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Overall, approximately 617 million youth world wide lack basic and essential mathematics and literacy skills.
Again leaving the question of how we can break this cycle of oppression?

How do we solve this issue?

Education drives the evolution of humanity, fostering personal growth, encouraging community development, and shaping our future. At the core of social development, education can create better outcomes, bond or break relationships, and create new worlds of thought, that is, for those with access to it.
This raises the question of whether it is solely a governmental responsibility or a societal one. Honestly, it should be both. If we can work together, relying on the government to solve the social barriers that stand in the way of underrepresented individuals, as well as band together as a united society to encourage more socioeconomically inclusive classrooms, we can create better outcomes.
A quality education is one of the most important tools to sustainable development and we are a ways from achieving that goal for everyone. However, if we continue to foster understanding and learn to embrace our differences it can and will be achieved.



Works Cited

“EdBuild | Fractured: The Accelerating Breakdown of America’s School Districts.” Edbuild.org, 2019, edbuild.org/content/fractured.

“History of the Modern School System – GradeMaster LLC.” Grademaster.net, grademaster.net/history-of-the-modern-school-system/.

“Out-of-School Children and Youth | UNESCO UIS.” Unesco.org, 2017, uis.unesco.org/en/topic/out-school-children-and-youth.

“Socioeconomics and Reading Difficulties.” Reading Rockets, 24 Apr. 2013, www.readingrockets.org/article/socioeconomics-and-reading-difficulties.

“Sustainable Development Goal 4.” Uis.unesco.org, 18 Nov. 2016, uis.unesco.org/en/topic/sustainable-development-goal-4.

“The Benefits of Socioeconomically and Racially Integrated Schools and Classrooms.” The Century Foundation, 29 Apr. 2019, tcf.org/content/facts/the-benefits-of-socioeconomically-and-racially-integrated-schools-and-classrooms/?agreed=1.