Racial Inequality In

Education
ANALYSI S OF RACI AL I NEQUALI TY I N THE SOCI AL
I NSTI TUTION OF EDUCATI ON
History of the Institution of Education
First schools in the thirteen colonies opened in the 17
th
century
Schools were generally run by churches
The schools were not initially used as the primary agent of socialization
Schools in the South were initially only for white children and were run by local parishes
Public schools flourished in the North after the American Revolution
Teachers were not formally trained
Horace Mann instituted reforms and created a system of statewide professional teachers
Post Reconstruction, Freedmens Bureau opened segregated schools for black children
Blacks-only higher educational institutions began to be formed


History of Racial Inequality in
Education
The white male founders who drafted the U.S. Constitution built into the countrys foundation
mechanisms designed to maintain Black enslavement
During Reconstruction, public educational opportunities were briefly extended to Blacks
Post-Reconstruction, Blacks who had been free during the slavery era were affected by broadening
racial segregation in response to emancipation
Jim Crow laws in the South caused segregation to become a deeply entrenched way of life
Access to education for Blacks was severely restricted, as well as access to housing, churches, political
participation and health care, among other things


Separate But Equal
The 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision upheld the legal mandate for segregated
public accommodations, including schools, as long as they remained separate but equal
Separate but equal was always separate but rarely if ever equal, but served to satisfy the 14
th

amendment equal protection clause
Public education for black children was disregarded, and lack of funding ensured blacks would
have inferior educational facilities

Desegregation of Schools
The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision ended legal segregation in
schools
Separate educational facilities were proven to be inherently unequal
Some Southern schools closed in defiance, others developed freedom of choice programs
designed to allow white children to choose to attend all white schools and intimidate potential
black students
Forced integration began


Resegregation of Schools
Since 1988 there has been a trend towards resegregation
The number of black students in the South attending predominantly white schools grew from
0.001 percent in 1954 to 43.5 percent in 1988 then dropped to 32.7 percent by 1998
The number of African American students attending schools nationwide with more than 90
percent African American students has grown from 62.9 percent in 1986 to 70.2 percent in
19981999
Increasing segregation of Latinos--by 1998 they experienced a higher degree of segregation than
in 1968
The phenomenon of white flight, or the tendency of whites to leave neighborhoods with
growing numbers of black residents, provides one reason to explain the trend
Another reason is that a growing Latino immigration has led to Latinos now making up the
largest population in many major cities and older suburbs


Inequality In Educational Funding
School District Expenditures per Student: 1996-97
Expenditures
District characteristic Total Instruction Support services Capital outlay Other Number of districts
Total 6,555 3,473 1,876 617 589 14,493
Metropolitan status
Primarily serves a
central city
6,742 3,607 1,958 567 610 709
Serves a metro area,
not a central city
6,711 3,526 1,920 677 588 5,751
Does not serve a metro
area
5,952 3,168 1,663 558 564 8,033
Children in district
below poverty level
Less than 2% 7,080 3,753 2,074 639 614 3,535
2%-9% 6,912 3,631 1,961 701 618 3,623
10%-19% 6,075 3,184 1,729 619 544 3,618
More than 19% 6,422 3,459 1,844 529 590 3,717
Education and Functionalism
The institution of education is a major agent of socialization, teaching our core values and beliefs
Education is perceived as an essential component to creating an efficient society
Educational institutions provide the necessary skills and knowledge needed for social mobility, and
increase human and future economic capital
Racial academic achievement disparities are partially due to the disadvantaged positions of the
students family

The Deck is Stacked Conflict
Analysis
Schools as an agent of socialization reinforce cultural ideas regarding the inequality of races, and serve as a barrier to social mobility
Lack of funding and poor quality of education maintain the status quo and promote conflict over resources
The institution of education is still designed to promote the success of the elite
Simultaneously the institution of education is designed to ensure racial minorities are unable to access the same privileges or change their social
status by gaining skill knowledge
Without the necessary skills racial minorities remain in poverty and the position of the upper class is not threatened
Oppositional attitudes towards schools are engendered in minority students when they recognize the inequality, which causes them to reject school

Implications of Racial Inequality in
Education
Racial inequality in education causes inequality in the workforce
Higher education is necessary for social mobility
Lack of education leads to lack of life chances, and can increase crime rates as individuals do not
have non-deviant ways to achieve success
Lack of education also leads to dependence on social services and increases the homeless rate

Works Cited
Tarasawa, Beth. "Racial Inequality In Education." Encyclopedia of the Life Course and Human Development. Ed. Deborah Carr. Vol. 1:
Childhood and Adolescence. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2009. 383-388. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.

Golash-Boza, Tanya. "Educational Disparities." Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. Ed. Patrick L. Mason. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Macmillan
Reference USA, 2013. 96-99. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.

"Resegregation of Schools." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr. 2nd ed. Vol. 7. Detroit: Macmillan
Reference USA, 2008. 201-202. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.

"Segregation, School." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr. 2nd ed. Vol. 7. Detroit: Macmillan
Reference USA, 2008. 386-389. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.

"Education for African Americans." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Vol. 4: 1930-1939. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Virtual
Reference Library. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Finkelman, Paul. "Desegregation (US)." Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. Ed. Patrick L. Mason. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Macmillan
Reference USA, 2013. 30-42. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
"Trends in Educational Funding." Social Trends and Indicators USA. Ed. Arsen J. Darnay. Vol. 2: Community & Education. Detroit: Gale,
2003. 209-227. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.