In my paper, I plan on addressing the issue of public education vs private education in the United States. My main goal will be to provide an accurate analysis of the way the educational system functions in this country, in order to show that public schooling is being undermined and neglected, while also failing to reach the standards of certain private educational foundations. This, in turn creates a huge gap in the educational opportunities given to the American youth. Public schools are seen as "second class" schools compared to most private ones. The students, whose families are able to afford sending them to private schools, are provided with everything they need at an abundance; in order to succeed in their academic career, compared to those students who attend public schools. The economy, the history behind the American educational system and how it has been established and organized in recent years, but also multiple other societal factors that impact education, are some of the main reasons for which one can see such an immense gap between private and public education. In order to successfully address this issue, that is highly controversial, as, from the limited research I have conducted thus far, I have noticed that public opinion varies to a great extent, I will have to dig deeper within the intricacies of the educational system in the United States. My sources so far have proven to be very effective in helping me: a) develop an accurate argument against this inequality but also b) becoming more and more familiar with this specific topic.
The reason why I chose to address this is because of the first-hand experience that I have had since I came to the United States. I think it is clear that the more money one has the better education he can get and will usually get. The private (and in some cases even public!) schools in wealthy upper class neighborhoods, outweigh the public schools in the inner cities to a huge extent. The government is failing to provide its schools with the necessary funds, in order for them to be able to reach a specific educational standard that can make them competitive. Also, the fact that in the US, education has become somewhat of an "economic market", does not help the situation at all. It seems as if, businesses have managed to infiltrate American schools, pouring millions into the ones they want to and could see benefiting from. Sadly, other schools don't have that luxury and solely depend on limited governmental funding and support. Whole communities across the country are desperately trying to stop this and reverse the situation in favor of their schools, but the importance of economic benefit for the few constantly seems to put their efforts down. In Cleveland, I have met and become friends with individuals who attended high schools in impoverished neighborhoods, middle class neighborhoods, and upper class neighborhoods, both public and private. The differences that they have described are so immense, it is as if these schools are located in different countries. On the one hand, schools with extraordinary facilities,modern technological equipment, multiple extra-curricular activities etc. and on the other hand I have heard of schools not being able to get enough desks or blackboards for a classroom or not being able to get their fifty year old library renovated. In our ED 100 class this semester we talked a lot about inequalities and the major issues that have negatively affected schooling, and I personally think this is one of the biggest ones. I also plan on comparing the US educational system with the European one (the one most prevalent in the countries if the European Union). By comparing and contrasting the two systems (since I myself have a first-hand experience of what it is like to attend a public and private school abroad, their differences there compared to here), I might be able to come up with some solutions, that I believe could eventually solve this issue and slowly but effectively gap public and private education so that all students, no matter their economic or societal background are able to enjoy the same educational opportunities.
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