The Obscure Segregation in Charlottesville Public Schools
It has been 51 years since the Civil Rights Act ended the state and local laws requiring the segregation of whites from colored students in public schools, but a new form of segregation is alive in Charlottesville today. With the ever widening diversity in our country, it is hard to believe that a separatist mentality can still exist, after all we’ve had our first African American elected President of the United States. However, it seems that every step we take forward to end inequality in our country causes many of our neighbors to quietly take steps backward building those walls of the division back up. This new type of segregation is about socioeconomic status, and it is much more …show more content…
In a report released by the Windon Cooper Center for Public Service, an estimated 5511 school-aged children were residing in the Charlottesville school zones in 2014 (Cooper), and from those children only 4101 were enrolled in public school. That means that approximately 25% of the potential student population is attending private schools or being homeschool, this is more than double the state and nation average of approximately 10% according to surveys done by Virginiaschools.edu. The 25% decrease in potential student population causes a huge difference when it comes to public school economic diversity.
The other contributer to the great income divide can be found in Albermarle County which has 4 times the total student population of Charlottesville with only 29% being considered economically disadvaantages.
Many would argue that having a school full of poor kids is not a problem since they are still being educated. Children in public schools are in fact getting an education, but the implications of lack of diversity at schools is goes beyond educational issues, and the effects are felt by both the rich and the poor students later in …show more content…
Lack of economic diversity also leave children mal adabted to live in a economically diverse world later in life causing the children on boths sides of the enconomic spectrum to be unable to relate to eachother due to lack of interactions in early childhood. Studies have shown that having compassion for those in need is a skill that needs to be practiced early in life and can not be learned by simpy talking about it.
There are many other issues that develop from the lack of school socioeconomic diversity, and and even more possible solutions for these problem. Most of the solutions tend to focus on the the fact of poverty it self, but my solution would be to change the way we interact together as a society. Lets foster a sense of compassion, unity, and acceptance to try to reverse the effects of the past few decades that have divided and hardend our
It has been 51 years since the Civil Rights Act ended the state and local laws requiring the segregation of whites from colored students in public schools, but a new form of segregation is alive in Charlottesville today. With the ever widening diversity in our country, it is hard to believe that a separatist mentality can still exist, after all we’ve had our first African American elected President of the United States. However, it seems that every step we take forward to end inequality in our country causes many of our neighbors to quietly take steps backward building those walls of the division back up. This new type of segregation is about socioeconomic status, and it is much more …show more content…
In a report released by the Windon Cooper Center for Public Service, an estimated 5511 school-aged children were residing in the Charlottesville school zones in 2014 (Cooper), and from those children only 4101 were enrolled in public school. That means that approximately 25% of the potential student population is attending private schools or being homeschool, this is more than double the state and nation average of approximately 10% according to surveys done by Virginiaschools.edu. The 25% decrease in potential student population causes a huge difference when it comes to public school economic diversity.
The other contributer to the great income divide can be found in Albermarle County which has 4 times the total student population of Charlottesville with only 29% being considered economically disadvaantages.
Many would argue that having a school full of poor kids is not a problem since they are still being educated. Children in public schools are in fact getting an education, but the implications of lack of diversity at schools is goes beyond educational issues, and the effects are felt by both the rich and the poor students later in …show more content…
Lack of economic diversity also leave children mal adabted to live in a economically diverse world later in life causing the children on boths sides of the enconomic spectrum to be unable to relate to eachother due to lack of interactions in early childhood. Studies have shown that having compassion for those in need is a skill that needs to be practiced early in life and can not be learned by simpy talking about it.
There are many other issues that develop from the lack of school socioeconomic diversity, and and even more possible solutions for these problem. Most of the solutions tend to focus on the the fact of poverty it self, but my solution would be to change the way we interact together as a society. Lets foster a sense of compassion, unity, and acceptance to try to reverse the effects of the past few decades that have divided and hardend our