Savage Inequalities (Bookcassette(r) Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Education Reform Needed?
Review: One of the hot topics under the Bush administration (and under many others as well) is education reform. It is safe to say that those who think school uniforms, vouchers, just say no, and after school, basketball programs have not read this book. When the basics are not available such as books, teachers, safe schools, and toilet paper, reforming schools must go way beyond the simple mindedness of a new exterior coat of paint. This book provides examples of inequality in the U.S. schools that should shame anyone who believes there is equality in U.S. schools. Giving a affluent kid (or at least a child whose parents can afford a private school education) provides an out for a few, but for the rest of the children who must survive at the public school they did not "choice" to attend, life will become even worse. The solution is clear, but neither Democratic nor Republican leaders want to hear it. The solution is federal education funding. Then the next step is to rebuild and modernize all schools that need it. Finally, whether people like it or not this is a money first society. Teachers should be paid better salaries in hopes of recruiting more teachers, and attracting those potential students who are not sure four to eight more years of school is worth $32,000 a year. In most cities, Taco Bell managers make more money, garbage handlers make more money, coaches make more money, police officers make more money, etc. I believe being a garbage handler is an important job, and I believe in paying people a quality wage. However, the responsibility a teacher has in shaping the minds of our youth is monumental. It is obvious to the U.S. children and to the rest of the world that education is not the number one priority politicians say it is. This book is a testimony of that lack of concern by U.S. politicians, and of the privileged who have the power to change the status quo.

Rating:
Summary: Savage Inequalities book review
Review: Segregated education still exists in today's United Sates, even after the Brown V. Board of Education in 1954 that judged segregated education as unconstitutional. In his book "Savage Inequalities," Jonathan Kozol reveals inequality in public education in the United States by visiting public schools and children that are in poor communities in East St. Louis, Illinois, North Lawndale and the South Side of Chicago, New York, Camden New Jersey, Washington D.C., and San Antonio. As his journey goes on, harsh realities of educational inequality are revealed. Kozol successfully and consistently provides his readers vivid images of the existing conditions of poor public schools-whose students are mostly black and Hispanic-with detailed description of such as dangerous school buildings, various types of lack of school supplements, social circumstances that surround children,. Not only revealing the harsh existing conditions of schools, but he also provides provocative and thoughtful questions for readers throughout the book.

The book is divided into six chapters according to the states where Kozol visits, and each chapter approaches to the issue of educational inequality with different aspects, with voices of children, parents and teachers, and with citations of journals, papers, and sometimes politicians' comments. Although his approaches are somewhat different in each chapter, he associates problems in one area and applies to other areas and communities. Through out the book, he mainly focuses on social issues which are causes, consequences and perpetuation of educational inequality with racial segregation, gaps in allocation of resources that are caused by economical (income) differences in wealthy districts and poor restricts, and disregards on the importance of public education that is caused by individual blaming.

In his reference to the unequally segregated education, Kozol points out that most of students who suffer from the inequality are poor black and Hispanic children. Most students of schools that are in the poor communities are black children, whereas most students in the wealthy schools are upper-middle-class white children. As he reveals, children in poor schools receive much less educational opportunities and worse conditions of school environment compared with those in wealthy schools. Kozol also not only refers to the difference between schools but within a school; he mentions about dual (selective) system in public school that is based on a meritocracy but eventually select students "by race, income, and achievement" (60). Classes for higher educations are almost occupied by white children and poor children especially black and Hispanic are in class for lower education, and they sometimes labeled as neurological damaged or brain-damaged. Kozol strongly criticizes this system in which two schools exist in one school because children get very little from the class.
Kozol seeks the cause of educational inequality in allocation of resources among public schools. He argues that the poor public schools do not receive enough resources to provide adequate educational opportunities for their students, and this seems to be a crucial factor that has perpetuated educational inequality. He remarkably pays attention to the gaps in resources that wealthy schools and poor schools spend per-pupil a year, which wealthy schools spend much more, and claims that the resource for the poor public schools should be prior concern. His point is appropriate because the poor schools need a large amount of money to satisfy their fundamental needs-such as to purchase textbooks, to hire more teachers, to fix school buildings and facilities, and even to provide enough toilet paper-whereas wealthy public schools. He disagrees with those who doubt money as a crucial factor of the inequality by questions to himself and providing factors that indicates money and resources are important in education. Readers will be convinced that "fair" allocation of resources between schools is important to improve the inequalities that children in poor school have faced.

Kozol argues that the importance of realizing equality in public education has being disvalued or disregarded because educational inequality usually becomes objects of individual blaming. He cites some comments that blames on parents of poor schools that inadequate educational opportunities are caused of regardless of the parents about children's education. He also criticizes tax rate, which is higher for the poor and lower for the rich, and also criticizes the denial of equal funding that were decided by the reason that might create reverse inequality for the wealthy school if the education of the poor schools improved by the resources. His arguments seems that he is criticizing people's, especially those in powers', individualism that they only concern benefits of their own or of their children, not concern of others' children that would bring social benefit as a whole in the future. These claims are important and relevant to the previous points because attitudes of people for "individual" benefit seem to relate to not enough allocations of resources to the poor schools and, the most of all, to the perpetuation of racism and class stratification.

Kozol's argument is limited in a way that he does not provide or suggests concrete possible solutions for improving educational inequality, although he mentions that the resources are important. However, it is good because he may intentionally does not give his answers in order to let his readers think about possible solutions because educational inequality is not only his issue but issue of the society, us. His arguments and factors of the inequality throughout the book gives us rich perspectives when we try to face the reality and think of solutions. It is also limited in a way that he does not suggests "who" or "what" should be blamed as causes or crucial factor of the inequality. However, again, it is good not to have objects of blame because if there were the objects, readers might blame the objects and would not do anything to improve the inequality because they may feel no connection to the issues and blame responsibilities only to the objects.

"Savage Inequalities" is a great book that provides opportunities for children who have faced educational inequality to let others know their conditions in reality and their full of voices. It also provides it readers, especially those who are not familiar with the reality of the inequality in public education in the U.S., to perceive and face the facts to realize the value of equal public education for all children, as Kozol says, "regardless of their parents' poverty, [race,] or wealthy" (208).


Rating:
Summary: savage inequalties review
Review: Tenisha Davidson



In the novel, Savage Inequalities, Jonathon Kozol shows several comparisons between wealthy and detrimental educational systems. Schools that tend to be in poor areas don't receive the same kinds of offers that rich areas receive. Kozols' novel shows how harsh the government is acting towards these schools with no money in their schools period. Kozol feels that schools the look and appear to be bad tells children we don't care about them and vice versa with wealthy schools. Savage Inequalities is a heart breaking, but insightful novel that shows how school systems are treated certain ways when the look certain ways.
Kozol lays out all of the comparisons between schools with money and school without it. He gives you an idea about how the bad schools tend to be in a dirty environment for these kids, when on the hand the good schools are just as clean as you want it to be.
Kozols main point in his novel is to give people a better understanding of what goes on schools all over that are treated differently because of their circumstances. He shows all the tragedies these poor kids have to face everyday and how good the rich kids are living fine. He's not blaming the rich children and their families individually, but he's blaming societies and how they treat certain areas that are less fortunate.
A lot of schools get no support from their society and government because they on the other hand tend to care about materialistic items instead of children's educations. Certain cities and states will spend majority of their money on new stadiums and things that are less important instead of setting money aside for schools that need it. Kozol feels certain places in the world don't look at the big picture which is struggling school systems, but they have a tendency to look at and support things that they feel will benefit their state in the future. Not knowing that children with high-quality educations will help their place in the future. Not a lot of people know how bad our children are stressed in these poor schools until they read a book like this. His book sets up everything for the reader to receive a better understanding of the issues in education.
I agree with everything Kozol puts in his novel and all of his key points that address the educational issue. Everything he says makes a lot of sense and everything he put in his book was absolutely true. They make sense because he made sure he was knowledgeable about the issue at hand. Kozol in my opinion didn't miss anything in his novel because he stated everything he knew about the topic. The only thing I might have added to his novel was the fact that he could've talked about some more places. Kozol is an educated author looking for answers to the question in his novel. He's obviously compassionate about the issue he writes about and his novels show all of that.
Overall, this novel is one of the best in the educational aspect of things and it's a book you have to read. The novel shows us everything we need to know about the good and bad things in education. He lays out major points that catch reader's eyes all over because his writing is so real and truthful. Kozols novel is a great novel that should be recommended to all ages.