Blog Post #5: Final Thoughts

 April 1, 2021

Just this morning, I finished reading Jonathon Kozol’s The Shame of the Nation. Throughout the novel, Kozol has made it apparent that there are many issues with America’s school system. Statistics such as per-pupil spending and minority population percentages prove that the segregation of schools has reverted to some of the highest levels since 1968. Kozol shares stories about the conditions in these schools (overcrowded rooms, long lunch lines, rat infestations, and more) to prove that ultimately, the school segregation issue contributes to America’s widespread issue: systemic racism. Having black families generationally walk in and out of the same poorly funded schools creates a compounded level of disparity. The extensive level of evidence that Kozol puts forth throughout the novel makes this argument irrefutable. Segregated schooling has set minorities back generationally and the inequality amongst their right to education is still prevalent today. 

Prior to this final reading assignment, the question that had sat in the back of my mind was, and still is “How can we resolve the issue of school segregation?” In finishing the novel and analyzing Kozol’s arguments regarding funding, accountability, and adequacy, I’ve come to realize that this will not be easy.  In fact, it hasn’t been easy. The harsh truth that I’ve taken out of this book is that it’s expensive to be a poor person in America. A clear theme that has stuck out to me as one of the primary reasons why such heavy levels of segregation and inequality still exist today is money. Kozol dedicates multiple chapters to talk about funding, and how inner-city schools are dependent on it to improve their curriculums. He addresses the standardized test score issue, in which he talks about the reformation of school teaching practices to optimize test scores (in hopes of receiving more state funding). Additionally, he talks about per-pupil spending and cites an occurrence where one girl questioned why the school required her to take a sewing class over an AP class. She was later told by a peer “You’re ghetto, so sew!” (180)  Through Kozol's arguments, I’ve come to realize that today’s school segregation issue is a heavily socioeconomic matter. More importantly, I've realized education is expensive for the less fortunate in the sense that children of minorities pay the consequences of having a troubled education, outcasted from hope and opportunity. 

In order to lessen the disparity of educational inequality amongst minorities, we have to integrate. One of the integration programs that Kozol mentions is Metco in Boston. Metco, a state-funded, educational desegregation program, enrolls 3,300 children (230).  In chapter 7, Kozol writes about a story of a girl who took part in Metco in which she was bused from Boston to Lexington to receive integrated education. She believes integration was beneficial to her, saying “I had already sat next to white students. I had been on teams and in student politics with them. So at Brown I could deal with the academic part” (229). Kozol also quotes a man by the name of Roger Wilkins who attended an almost totally white school in Michigan. Wilkins, who ended up receiving a law degree from the University of Michigan, said “integrated education creates better citizens for a democracy” (238). Kozol's addition of these integration "success stories" proves that integration programs are a necessary step in education equality. Overall, I think The Shame of the Nation does a good job of proposing various solutions to the issue of school segregation while also suggesting systemic racism can derive from socioeconomic factors. 

Works Cited

Kozol, Jonathan. The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America. New York, Three Rivers Press, 2005.

The Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity. METCO, metcoinc.org/. Accessed 1 Apr. 2021.