What does money really have to do with It?

    The unequal funding of public schools is an increasingly large issue in America today. The public school funding system is based primarily on local property tax revenues. This has created what many people call "wealth discrimination," which is horribly unfair to families with lower incomes living in poverty. This is just one of the ways that money prevents said students of those parents from receiving the same education and benefits as upper middle class or wealthy families. But it does beg the question, how much does money really have to do with the wealth discrimination in America? 

    From reading through the module, I have learned that equity for all students involving schooling does not just mean equal access to the same treatment, funding, or instruction. While it is unfair that students coming from wealthier families get access to more services, it is also on us as educators to pursue equity, the most prevalent topic in this course. In the article, "The Secret to High Achieving Schools: 'I've Never Felt Unsupported.'" Some of the key ways districts have offered support to  lower class schools are to make sure that they, "Prioritize learning for every child meaning: "include expanded access to advanced coursework and new restorative justice approaches." Build relationships to empower staff, value and support stability and continuity, and attract, develop, and retain well prepared teachers and leaders." So, we can conclude these facts using a quote from the same article that states, "Well supported teachers make a difference. Teachers who stay make a difference. And what students need to succeed is more than just reading and math. It includes social-emotional learning, restorative justice, and wrap around services for health and well being provided by education support professionals." 

    Further expanding on this issue, "They Myth of Culture of Poverty" tells us that this idea of "Culture of Poverty" is an idea we as teachers need to stray away from believing in order to help our students succeed. Rather, to realize that "Culture of classism," is a real thing. And we cannot believe the myths held by so many, that poor people are unmotivated, or unwilling to work, when in reality they are the ones working two to three jobs in order to support the family. We should not deprive students of basic rights just because of the stereotypes we as a society hold. And like so many other issues around equality and equity, biases, stereotypes, and inaccurate generalizations of classes are at the center of the problem. We as teachers have the power to tear those down and figure out what we can do to create equal education spaces for students regardless size, location and wealth of the district and people that go to the school.