An editorial article, “5 Myths About Who Gets Into College”, published in the Washington Post on May 23, 2010, is an informative and detailed overview of the admission process for selective colleges and universities in America written by Richard Kahlenberg. The author makes a credible argument which he strongly builds up throughout the article by effectively incorporating logos and ethos in the effort to address sensitive topics such as legacy admissions, class-based preferences, and the existing gap in the socioeconomic diversity in selective universities. Kahlenberg makes a persuasive argument backing up the analytical assessment with evidence-based research from credible sources, primarily building his argument on logos and ethos, and effectively…
Given the opportunity to acquire and build a productive social and cultural capital is a vital necessity to thrive in one’s future aspirations. For the first class of graduates from Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men, their aspiration was not only to graduate from high school, but also successfully attain a college degree. Lolly Bowean’s article, “ Studies on succeeding: Urban Prep’s 1st grads”, explores the importance of attaining, maintaining, and building one’s cultural and social capital, as viewed through four young men’s stories about their post-Urban Prep experiences. Through their stories, some of the financial, social and academic obstacles African American males face in higher education is presented. The strength or lack of…
Through rigorous instruction and positive character education, Aurum Preparatory Academy Charter School (“Aurum Prep”) educates all of its students, grades 6 – 8, to succeed in high school, college, and life and to serve as the next generation of moral leaders. All students deserve a quality education regardless of race, gender, socio-economic status, and/or zip code. In 1903, W.E.B. Dubois supported the idea of the “Talented Tenth,” articulating that advancement for black people would ultimately be possible through the attainment of a rigorous education by a few. In a more fully democratic country, in which we push for the advancement of all people, and in an intellectually-based modern economy, in which advanced education provides the fullest…
From as early as middle school the educational system begins to ingrain how important going to college is for each individual, whether they attend a trade school, community college, or university. Students take tests that suggest where they are more knowledgeable, what they are more interested in, what field they are more likely to succeed in. This sets up each individual to discover their interests and hone the necessary skills to ultimately get accepted into the college of their choice. For some this requires a lot more work than others. In “Why Elite-College Admissions Need an Overhaul” composed by Jonathan R. Cole, the John Mitchell Mason Professor of the University of Columbia and author of Toward a More Perfect University, explains…
Today, however, the No Child Left Behind law and the Race to the Top program have undermined this ideal curriculum and restricted it to only the most affluent communities (107).” This block of text gets the audience to think of how unfair…
Being successful in the United States today appears to be one of the most—if not the most—daunting tasks for American youth. High school students today face an immense amount of pressure from parents, faculty, and themselves to be involved in and excel in everything, including sports, academics, and clubs. David Brooks, however, believes that some children can achieve this daunting task more easily. Brooks, in his Op-Ed “How We Are Ruining America”, uses logos, personal anecdotes, and hyperbole to add depth to his argument and successfully prove his point that the children of affluent parents are systematically and unfairly advantaged when compared to the children of low-income families, and that this advantage is maintained through structural and cultural class barriers.…
As education is something we take for granted today, the idea that education up until recently, has been considered a luxury – available only to those able and willing to afford it, is surreal to us. As the demand for necessary universal education increased, opinions on schooling have shifted. In Horace Mann 's report for the Massachusetts Board of Education in 1848, he places confidence in the ability of education to be able to give people of all backgrounds an equal opportunity for success. He describes education as “the great equalizer of the conditions of men, – the balance-wheel of the social machinery”. Mann idealizes education as a force that will erase all class divides between people and provide them a sense of individualism.…
In Kandice Sumner’s Ted Talk, How America's public schools keep kids in poverty, she passionately delivers a message about the “education debt” (Sumner, 2015) that many schools, especially those in poor neighborhoods are suffering from. Through her experience as a both a teacher and a student, she constructs an influential speech that argues that we need to help and change the school system, as to include kids of minority races and give equal opportunities to each and every student. Unlike some kids, I have lived outside of New Mexico, I have experienced different things, gone to different schools, and seen different cultures. I have seen the difference in resources, first-hand, in which some of the schools I have been to had many resources…
How can we assimilate HBCUs in the modern context? HBCUs are approaching a cross roads in terms or relevance in today’s society. The purpose they once served is becoming somewhat outdated. The role they once played was could be viewed as progressive and evolutionary, but now they can be described as too conservative and unnecessary in some aspects. Because of this phenomena it was affected many different aspects of HBCUs and has led to a decline in the relevance of them in today’s society.…
INTRODUCTION Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been and are critical drivers of social mobility and social change in the Black community. Since their founding they have had missions to provide access and opportunity for Black people when they were excluded or denied admittance elsewhere. Today, HBCUs continue close the societal and economic gaps that exist for Black people in America. HBCUs represent just three percent of institutions of higher education, enroll less than ten percent of African Americans in higher education, but graduate more than 17 percent of African American bachelor degrees and more than 24 percent of African American bachelor degrees in STEM fields (NCES, 2016).…
Since, students were not overwhelmed with college costs 80% returned the following semester to complete their college education. Usually in all states a requirement is to have 2.5 GPA, Particularly in the state of New York, Patton says “Enroll at least half time, pay $50 for courses, and receive at least $1,000 in Promise aid; create a reimbursement program for tuition expenses paid out-of-pocket not covered by financial aid; recipients must complete at least 25 hours of community service and sign a contract agreeing to live and work full-time in New York for five years after earning their degree.” Thirdly, the article “High-Ranking Colleges and Universities Strengthen Financial Aid” tells the audience about how higher ranking colleges and universities have widely opened the acceptance rates to low income working class individuals as well as African Americans. Some colleges amongst the many have been Harvard university, Columbia University, Brown University, UCLA, etc.…
According to the U.S Census, there are around 655,000 current African American high school seniors. Yet, when reading the statistics of the Ron Brown scholarship applicant pool, there were only 4,000 students who applied. These 4,000 merely makeup .006 percent of the black seniors in this country, and they shine a light on an area that the Ron Brown Scholar program needs to address. Today, the modern education system is tainted with bureaucratic and oligarchical tendencies that prevents students of color, and low socioeconomic backgrounds from excelling in this highly competitive field.…
African-Americans have been and continue to be treated as lower class citizens. The American culture has made little attempt to help African-Americans. Which has left the prejudices and racism discussed by Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird still present in law enforcement, the dismissal of African-American lives, and even in education. America has just woken up to the racism that is still present in law enforcement. In cities all across America, including San Francisco, where some racist cops have been exposed, police departments employ racist officers.…
Equal opportunity in education is as realistic in America as it is to lick your own elbow or fitting your whole fist in your mouth. Equal opportunity in education is the prevention of any discriminatory acts against students, staff and faculty; however, in Mike Rose’s, “I Just Wanna Be Average”, he argues that the educational system is completely unjust for those in a lower program and that those that are in those lower education programs are not being challenged to their full potential. Rose brings up many important points in his study about the educational system, but fails to mention other factors that could cause a student to not reach their true potential. These factors, such as race and social class, nowadays, contribute greatly in the…
“In 2008, 55.9 percent of such high school graduates enrolled in college. By 2013, that figure dropped to 45.5 percent.” (Jaschik 2015) The rate at which low-income students are applying to colleges is dropping. There are many explanations that can be derived from the vast spectrum of disadvantages that comes with being low-income.…