Education based on financial contributions in america

What comes to mind when you hear the term education? I believe education helps civilians gain the knowledge and skills they need to function in the society. There is more to education than learning from textbooks, it helps us develop ways to accomplish obstacles and empower civilians to have a successful life. Without education, we will lack the knowledge to read, write or speak English properly. As a society, we want to improve the community we live in by endorsing in everyone’s lives but instead education is not equal to all. This article examines how education is accessible based on financial contributions and how a foreign country school system differ from american school. Furthermore, I would emphasize on how education should be a material that we relish on to success. In the article, “ The Good News About Educational Inequality,” by Sean F. Reardon and his co-writers illustrates on income inequality being on the rise and how it has a huge impact on the academic performance between high and low income children.

Meanwhile, in Mark Edmundson’s article, “ Who Are You And What Are You Doing Here? A Word to the Incoming Class,” talks about his college experiences and what others need to do in college to be successful. Attending kindergarten throughout high school in Ghana can be challenging for both the child and the parent. Most parents prefer their kids to enroll in a private school because they get more opportunities for a quality education than children attending public schools. Children who attend public schools get less benefits and have a low chance of becoming successful. To get a better education, low-income parents send their kids to private schools even when they cannot afford the fees.

In their article, Reardon and his co-writers implies on rich kids having more benefits even when low-income child get helped from the government they claimed, “ Children of the rich have always had more of these opportunities than poor children …. rich and poor students attend differ markedly in resources and quality’’( Reardon, Waldfogel and Bossok 433). This indicates how rich children get the best education than a low income child. For a low income child to make it in life, they have to work hard to get a scholarship and receive the same resources and quality as the rich kids. In the previous years, children had a hard time gaining access to education because they lack the knowledge to read or write. But as the years progress, children have access to, “ more books and read with their parents more often than they did in the ’90s. They are far more likely to have computers, internet access and computer games focused on reading and math skills” ( Reardon, Waldfogel and Bossok 431). Based on the technology development, children can easily learn to read, write and speak fluently on their own. As of today, education is easily accessible through the media. However, in a country like America, a child coming from a low income family can attend a good public school /charter school. Public schools are funded by taxpayers and the government; therefore they can experience good education. Public schools can face difficulties depending on the location of the school.

For instance, if the school is located in a bad neighborhood, teachers would not want to teach because of the lack of resources and environment. An example would be a school like Atlantic city high, because of the bad reputation set upon their school, unlike Mainland Regional high school located in a suburban district gets praise for their academic achievement. Other than that American public schools experience good quality education. At one point in their article, they shared how the academic gap has reduced, they claimed,“ the gap in school readiness narrowed because of relatively rapid improvements in the skills of low-income children, not because the skills of children from high-income families declined’’ ( Reardon, Waldfogel and Bossok 433).

Therefore, the money provided by the taxpayers or the government has helped low income kids attend affordable school and has improve their academic achievement for the previous years. Moreover, high quality education provides the means for us to lead a successful life, amplify on our education, skills, knowledge and positive changes in our life. In addition to this, foreigners emigrated to America to have access to education and gain a better life. But they realize, “ To get an education, you’re probably going to have to fight against the institution that you find yourself in—no matter how prestigious it may be” ( Edmundson 406 ). From this, they have to work twice as much as everyone else because they have to learn the language and culture. Basically, they have to compete their way to get an education.

As a matter of proceeding our education, we need to love what we gain from our education. Edmundson believed that we should not study a major because of how good of a paying job it is but instead we should study a major we love. He suggested, “ Education is about finding out what form of work for you is close to being play?” (414) He wants each individual to find a field that he or she may be comfortable with. I think that’s the best way to have a wonderful life and to find a happiness around your surroundings. I could relate to some of Edmundson discussion based on what I have encountered with. For example: we sometimes are questioned about why we chose the career we chose, and most of the times, the response are because they pay good and guarantee a good life. If you were to ask majority incoming freshmen about what they want to become? Most will say doctor, lawyer, or engineer. But most of the times, they do not want to become a doctor, lawyer or engineer but instead they were influenced by their guidance to pursue such careers.

At one point in his article, he implies that, “ we raise our children, we tell them in multiple ways that what we want most for them is success—material success. To be poor in America is to be a failure… then there are those back-breaking student loans—people leave school as servants, indentured to pay massive bills, so that first job better be a good one” ( Edmundson 407). In spite of this, people tend to go for the higher paying jobs and would not able to take joy in their choice. Edmundson wants us to avoid that and choose something that will please us.