Summary: The Merrow Report

The passing of prop 13 back in 1978 resulted in a lot of unintended causes for the school system. Some people felt indifferent about voting for the prop, with their reasoning being that they do not have any children. We need to be looking at the bigger picture though, regardless if those thirty something year olds do not have kids it will affect them in fifteen years when these children are sent out to the work field to attend them. The impact of socieeconomic status and poverty in the American education is tremendous and really cannot be missed. “In California right now, the average cost to support a prisoner for one year is 27,000 dollars, we have a little under 6,000 to support a student for a year” (“The Merrow Report: First to Worst”). Children of all colors …show more content…
The school in San Pablo reflects a lot of characteristics of that of public schools in California. The conditions in which these schools are maintained are far from ideal, having broken ceilings and hallways. Due to their location the school is constantly getting tagged up. Resources to help students strive and enhance their learning are limited, “electives are minimum, no p.e, no career counselors, no speech counselors, etc..” (“The Merrow Report: First to Worst”). Students are deprived from simple necessities such as working water fountains. Because of overcrowding some of the teachers do not even have their own classrooms, having to pick up and move within periods. This can be extremely distracting for students since it prevents them from starting right away on their coursework for the day. On top of this many of the teachers are underqualified, coming straight out of college with some even still in the process of getting their teaching credentials. “We are always on a surviving level, we’re understaffed, were over crowded, our roof leaks” (“The Merrow Report: First to