Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools

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Summary: Savage Inequalities, a real eye closer
Review: This book, wasn't as horrible as my title may lead you to believe, but nonethelesss it put me to sleep. Though it is well written, the content becomes repetitive after awhile. After you read it, you tend to feel that if you ever hear another statistic about the quality of America's schools, you will vomit. This was my first experience of a book by Kozol, and I must say that it turned me off from any other book by him. I simply found this one to be completely boring. He goes to a school, interviews a few people, leaves, and writes about 20 pages worth of statistics. Completely boring. Nobody ever remembers statistics, they remember the story...so if he could have organized the book in a different way it would have been more interesting for the reader, and thus opening their eyes to the world that america's children have to face through education.

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Summary: How children are/are not being educated in America's schools
Review: Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol is very clear about how children are/are not being educated in America's schools. Schools in the urban areas such as East St. Louis and North Lawndale, Ill., New York, NY, Camden, NJ, Washington, DC and San Antonio, TX are examined. The schools mentioned in these urban areas consist mostly of minorities, blacks and Hispanics. The schools, like the children who attend them, are very poor. There is very little funding available for children's education because unlike the suburbs, tax money has to meet nonschool costs such as: police expenditures, fire department expenditures, and public health. All are in competition with public schools. The schools in these areas are over crowded, limited in supplies, under staffed, and unfit for teaching. Employing and keeping young teachers is a struggle because of lower salaries than what is offered at schools in the suburbs. Kozol points out that politics plays a major role in how monies are distributed. He states that: "In Illinois, as elsewhere in America, Local funds for education raised from property taxes are supplemented by state contributions and by federal funds, although the federal contribution is extremely small, constituting only 6 percent of the total school expenditures." (p.56) In Illinois, money spent on a child in the poorest district is $7,900.00 less than what is spent on a child in the richest district. Children living in the poorer districts, usually minorities are simply ignored. These are the inequalities Kozol speaks of in his book. The difference in the type of education one receives according to where he/she lives, amount of income, and race is the message Kozol transfers to his readers.

Mainstreaming is defined as teaching disabled children in regular classes for part or all of their school day. The children Kozol writes about are not disabled, nor are they being mainstreamed. The children in Savage Inequalities are being discriminated against for reasons of race, income, and/or where they reside. For instance, Kozol states: "The magnet system is, not surprisingly, highly attractive to the more sophisticated parents, disproportionately white and middle class, who have the ingenuity and, now and then, political connections to obtain admission for their children." (p.59) Magnet schools, as Kozol describes, are geared at keeping Caucasians in public schools by offering them "choices". These choices resemble what private schools have to offer like hand picked teachers and some of the brightest children chosen by race, income, and achievement. This omits Afro-American and Hispanic children, from the urban districts, whose parent have little knowledge or understanding of the information that has been provided. Kozol states: "School boards think that if they offer the same printed information to all parents, they have made choice equally accessible. That is not true, of course, because the printed information won't be read, or certainly will not be scrutinized aggressively, by parents who can't read or read very poorly." (p.62) Kozol's book speaks of children being mainstreamed, but not in the same manner when we refer mainstreaming in special education. Students with special needs in our local district are mainstreamed according to their individual needs. They are not labeled by their race or social status. Children are identified, however, after the proper assessments have been administered and evaluated.

According to Kozol, P.S. 24, a school in the suburbs of New York, "The school is integrated in the strict sense that the middle- and upper-middle-class white children here do occupy a building that contains some Asian and Hispanic and black children; but there is little integration in the classrooms since the vast majority of the Hispanic and black children are assigned to "special" classes on the basis of evaluations that have classified them "EMR" - "educable mentally retarded" - or else, in the worst of cases, "TMR" - "trainable mentally retarded." (p.93) P.S. 24 services 825 students and there are 12 special classes. 130 students attend these special classes of which are poor, black, and/or Hispanic. The remainder of the students are white or Asian. I do not consider this type of mainstreaming fair or appropriate education as required by Public Law 94-142 ("a free, appropriate public education for every child between the ages 3 and 21 regardless of how handicapped he may be").

Kozol points out a lot of interesting facts about the schools in the states that he has visited. My eyes have been opened to the injustices that are prevalent in some public schools. I do, however, refute the author's point of view. It seems that Kozol was more interested in showing the negative aspects of education and the political involvement. He purposely targeted the urban areas wanting the reader to believe this is how education is in every American state. This is not true. I am a firm believer that for every bad and poor urban school there is a good and poor urban school struggling for the same successes as those schools in the suburban areas with wealth. It is clear from Kozol's research, schools in urban areas receive far less funding than those in the suburbs. Kozol states: "In view of the extraordinary miseries of life for children in the district, East St. Louis should be spending far more than is spent in wealthy suburbs. As things stand, the city spends approximately half as much each year on every pupil as the state's top-spending districts." (p. 38) This holds untrue in the school system in which I work. "Title I", a federal program is in place to assist schools in low income areas. This program is based on the percentage of students who receive free or reduced lunch. Money is distributed to better serve the children and meet their particular needs.

I would not recommend this book because I feel the author targeted poor urban areas. I also feel this book was racist. Poverty and ignorance is every where, not just in the Afro-American and Hispanic communities.

In closing, diverse perspectives on American education is valuable when information is gathered and used correctly. One must also be aware of their own educational surroundings. You cannot assume that all American schools share the same inequalities based on one person's research. In order for children in America to receive the quality education they deserve parents must become involved.

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Summary: Great insight to the horrid American public schools
Review: This book gives us an insight to a world of unbelievable public schools in America. It describes the bold line separating the children of the rich and the children of the poor and also describes segregation which still exists. Schools with unskilled teachers, schools that do not have enough books for all children, overcrowded classrooms, and children who believe that they have no future are just a few examples Kozol goes further into. A great book, but also shameful. Shameful because nothing is done to improve these schools, shameful because we haven't done anything.

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Summary: What an eye opener!!
Review: Many years after "our" (US citizens) awakening that all men are created equal, we still are not treating one another that way. By being completely straight forward, Kozol points this out, and also the fact that we aren't even separate but equal; we are point blank very separate and very UNequal. Case after case demonstrates this with the children in our schools. Kozol's purpose was to point out these facts and prove that something needs to be done. Kozol has definitely thrown an eye opener at me. To think that two schools, both in the Bronx, just minutes away from each other could be as different as he points out. The extremes in these situations go from having a planetarium and an 8,000-book library to rationing toilet tissue. This is quite disheartening. Just think, we call the US a first class country. Anyone who thinks all children in all communities get equal opportunities in education are sadly mistaken. I'm sure that as people read this book, they are astonished. I certainly was. At times, I was almost disgusted. A number of people think that a school is a school; that is, an environment that is comfortable to be in and a place a child gets care and understanding while getting their education. Not many people (especially those who are fortunate enough that their children can go to a top notch school) can fathom that children have to go to a school with sewage floating down the halls. Inadequate supplies is one thing, but poor sewage conditions is unheard of. I went to an extremely old school in middle school. There was even one part of the school that had been condemned because it had asbestos. In my eyes this was the worst thing a child should have to deal with. Now that I have read this book, I somehow consider myself lucky because other than being old, that one building was the only problem with the school. Even people going into the education field (as I am) don't think about these things. For example, a beginning teacher's concerns don't even touch on these problems. They are more concerned with class management or parent-teacher interaction. Savage Inequalities should be required reading for all education majors. Future teachers need to know that they're getting into much more than the perfect little classroom with perfect little children. Kozol is here to show that there are more concerns that are far from trivial. Although I feel for the children Kozol writes of in this book, not all Americans do. Many US citizens feel that as long as their children or family members are taken care of and given a good environment to go to school in, that's all that matters. However, they are wrong! Kozol tells of a group of parents (young, professional, white people) who insisted that a new school be built for their children. Thus, a new school was built. Then, there was a conflict over the children from the projects attending that school. I feel that these parents should be forced to spend just one day in the alternate school that the children from the projects would have to go to. Maybe then they would change their minds. Our future rests in our children and we cannot forget it. People who have negative perspectives on bettering education in America should read this book, visit these schools, and find out what it's really like.

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Summary: A review on the opposite side of a great learning environmen
Review: As an Elementary Education major, I think all should be aware of our public schools and how each are operated. Many children are deprived of the simple necessities to survive and become educated as described in the book"Savage Inequalities". As Jonathon Kozol speaks of the harsh conditions of schools we see how the dreams of education are deferred again and again. The simple necessities for students to have while attending public schools were totally unbearable and unsanitary. The life on the Mississippi East St. Louis was trash infested with terrible chemicals fuming through the city. Also because of these problems, the city had one of the highest rates of child Asthma in America. There was not much money to hire trash men so trash sat in backyards and all around the city spreading germs and diseases. These conditions alone can hurt society and the innocent children of our world. While many people wanted better homes the need for school supplies and well educated motivated teachers was another factor involved. For the students who did attend school, there was not much learned because of the lack of school books. For example, "far from the worst school in Chicago, Goudy's Building is nonetheless depressing" (p.63). Most teachers use material that is extremely out-dated. Also there are no science labs, Art teachers, playgrounds and again, simple necessities such as paper towels and toilet paper. Many of the student's teachers that were spoken of in this book were part-time subs or permanent subs who didn't want to teach and to add to that had no idea of what to do or how to teach subjects. As Jonathan Kozol visited many cities of these harsh conditions, he makes future teachers notice the harsh conditions and it makes me want to help out so that the innocent children have some hope and dreams left. The whole purpose of Jonathan Kozol's book " Savage Inequalities" is to inform all of harsh conditions that children, young or old, deal with everyday. I agree with Kozol's opinion on these issues. I think that any child should have the advantage to learn no matter what color or how poor they are. They also should be allowed to have the same facilities such as computers, new books that are dated and accurate and good educated teachers that are willing and want to help students. I know that there is more to give and if all people contribute to schools and their children's lives, society may be much better off for the future. I would definitely recommend this book because it gives real live example of how bad certain (cities)and /or schools have become. It speaks of the terrible living conditions and how rough life really is. I realized before reading this book how bad some cities are with sanitation and how schools are run but I never knew that it could be this terrible. I never saw that side of it, I have always been in a well-organized school with high tech equipment so that we as individuals could make it on our own when the time came and be successful. All the teachers I have ever had have been well educated and love helping their students. As I read this book, I saw the opposite of what I received from my 12 years of school. The "mainstream" thinking about education was different from what I thought of compared to what the book described. When I think of schools, I see nice cozy places where one can learn. When I think of a classroom, I think of a fairly large spacious room not a tight little bathroom. Also teachers are more educated today than they have been a long time. There are certain criterias for anyone to be accepted to teach in a school. From what I've seen of different schools, I have never seen them as bad as the description in the book. With American education getting stronger and better I think that combining children from diverse backgrounds together can help a great deal. Children can get a true look at the way that other children and their families live and how the cultures differ. If we don't combine children together as one, then we all lose out from learning new ideas and ways of life. After attending my first year of college, I realized how neat it is to see and meet other people from other countries. Just to hear how different their learning environment is helps to broaden your knowledge.

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Summary: It's not fair!
Review: Kozol, Jonathan. Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 1992.

Jonathan Kozol reiterates what I already assumed, education is not fair. I had no idea just how unfair it really is until after reading this book. Kozol holds nothing back when describing the differences between schools in poor communities and those in wealthy communities. He describes the poor conditions of inner city schools. The inadequate training of teachers, lack of supplies, unsanitary conditions and non-existence of motivation are only a few examples of what makes these schools "hell" for the students and teachers who attend them everyday! I think Kozol uses this book to open the eyes of his readers to the raw and heart-wrenching truths of the abuse thousands of innocent children endure daily in our "land of opportunity." Anyone who believes that a child in a poor community receives the same opportunities as a child in a wealthy community is completely naïve. It is so easy to pretend that all is well in our schools, especially if your child is one of the lucky ones who have educated teachers, beautiful facilities, and extracurricular activities. Tell a child who goes to school with no heat in the winter, has no toilet paper in the bathrooms, sits in overcrowded classrooms, and who has a different teacher each week, just how fair their country is. I think that Kozol does a wonderful job of presenting Americas flaws in education, however I am disappointed by his concentration on racism. The fact is that every race in America has its percentage of children who come from well-to-do families and those who come from underprivileged families. I do not think it is fair to say that the inequalities in education are based on race. Based on the rich and the poor, yes, but not on race! I support Kozol's love for children. How can a teacher who is not motivated possibly motivate a child? Every child deserves a fair chance to succeed in life. No child deserves to be labeled undeserving, nor should a teacher continue to teach if she is not devoted to giving her students a chance to succeed. I would recommend this book to every person who claims to be a caring citizen living in "the land of the free and home of the brave." The book gives well-deserved credit to the brave students who go to school everyday in "conditions not fit for inmates." Kozol presents an accurate account of the inequalities our country allows to continue. It is our job to educate the children, so we too must be educated. Kozol educates his readers, by stating the statistics and facts about the inequalities of education in America. It is our job to find a solution. As a future teacher I can only hope that our country will do it's part to improve the damage we have created. Teachers, parents, politicians and members of the community are responsible for educating our children. Our work is never done. Children are our future and we cannot afford for even one child to fall through the cracks. I consider myself very lucky in that I received a good education, had caring teacher and a healthy educational environment. I now consider it my duty to provide my future students with a safe, motivational and fair education. Every child deserves the opportunity to reach for the stars!

Rating:
Summary: Eye opener
Review: Jonathon Kozol's book savage inequalities deals with many issues regarding the difference between the poor inner city schools and the rich suburban schools. This book is definitely an eye opener and for anyone majoring in education this should be required reading, it would also greatly benefit any other field dealing with children or similar circumstances. This book focuses on the segregation of schools but not only by race but by funding, teacher quality, and building quality. The students described in this book go to school in conditions that I wouldn't wish upon for my worst enemy. The amazing thing is many of them still have smiles on their faces. The schools that the inner city children attend are very small, with bad ventilation, maybe one or two working bathrooms so the place reeks, no windows, located next to dumps, the classrooms are very oversized and sometimes don't even have a teacher and if they do they are probably a substitute. These schools are so bad that even the principals and high officials in the school do not even send their own children there, they send them to private schools, that shows how bad these schools really are if the principals don't even have their own children in that school. After listening to the horrible conditions that inner city children deal with then listen to a suburban school description. The buildings are beautifully built with gardens on the outside, there are no dumps anywhere around, the classes are not oversized they are small, the teachers are paid well and are of high quality, the students have textbooks, the latest technology, big libraries, etc., also the buildings are well ventilated, and the bathrooms work. The sad thing is all the children that attend those schools are very privileged but they do not even know it, they assume it to be normal and would expect nothing less. It is ad to see what a factual painting Kozol has painted into our minds of the disparities of these inner city children. In this book a woman from Chicago says that the main purpose in the inner city schools is "to train the ghetto children to be good employees." Which is another sad but true fact. When minority children go to these schools they do not go to become a lawyer or a doctor because most of them know that there place in society is to work for a factory or a maid or any other low class job. The teachers at these schools expect students to drop out and not go anywhere in life and the teachers teach them with that thought. Therefore the students are never taught to reach for the stars and usually feel there is no point in going to school so they turn to the streets with its drugs, gangs, and other types of violence. While suburban schools expect the best from their students and teach them to reach for the stars. The difference in funding is also discussed, it's ridiculous to see the amount of difference, basically the rich schools get everything and the poor get nothing. People feel that putting money into the inner city schools is a waist because those children will never achieve anything, which is also why the inner city schools get the lower class teachers. The mainstream thinking in the book is tat things are fine the way they are, while outside of the book people are surprised and want things changed. The mainstream view would be to put more money into the inner city schools to start helping them and to start desegregating the schools. People feel things need to be evened up there is too much weight on one side of the pendulum. They want to see changes but don't know where to start. Kozol has definitely opened my eyes and many others, he has written with such purpose to show others the truth and try and let people see what they would normally be blind to. People look at education in the United States with a completely different view thanks to Kozol. I definitely understand where Kozol is coming from and I cannot believe people go to school in these conditions. Kozol does not really describe a solution to these problems but he does let people know that they exist. Therefore I think it is the readers job to take the action and make the changes. This book is definitely worth recommending I would recommend this to anyone and everyone. This book really opens your eyes especially those planning on becoming a teacher it really helps you envision the truth about what could be waiting for you. It also humbles you and makes you want to give thanks for the type of education that you have received and give thanks to those who made your education possible. Kozol points out that being fair is not always the right way, we should be unfair at times in order to make things fair in the long run. It is beyond ridiculous to let these children go to school in these conditions while the United States worries about other areas of the world or while we listen to rich people complain about how it's not fair to give up one of there five gyms so another school can even have a gym. Kozol has opened our eyes now it up to us to use the rest of our bodies to make things happen.

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Summary: detailed
Review: In this book, Kozol,discussed in detail the segregation in schools. This was seen through race and funding for the programs in the schools. He simply described the school situations involving city schools and suburban schools and how they differ. City schools were poor and lacked the essentials for education, unlike suburban schools that were well maintained and had classroom tools. Supplying teachers for the city schools was a huge problem. Kozol stated,in one classroom in a Chicago school, the students received their eighth teacher. Teachers today are a role model for most students. Having a teacher that will not show up for work all the time will not help students shape their life. One boy from Camden, was not wealthy and school was nothing for him, he eventually dropped out and is now a cocaine addict. Students that are in this type of situation, of poor schools, i believe will eventually drop out. They will realize that this is not for them, they will become less interested and drop out. Mainstreaming didn't seem to play a huge role in this book. It should have been noticed and then it would have helped the poor schools. If the students were mainstreamed in classrooms and in the whole school, all students would be recaiving the proper education. The wealthier families would nit want their child to lack an education, so they would fund more to the school system. It is sad to know that children are being educated in the type of schools that were described int his book. No student should have to sit in a class and not have a textbook. No teacher should hold a class in a basemsnt of a school woth more than 25 students. All schools, city and suburban should be equally funded. All teachers and students should have equal opportunities. I greatly enjoyed this book and I recommend it to future readers. Especially anyone in school wanting to become a teacher. I didn't realize how well I was educated with proper shelter, proper tools and the right teachers. It is sad to know that these cities with poor schools actually have no funding to help them. Most students today take advantage of what they have for an education and they take it for granted. If they were to read this book, they would learn to appreciate what they have.

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Summary: A reality check about the suffering of children at school.
Review: Critique of Jonathan Kozol's Savage Inequalities

Every child should obtain a good education; no matter what kind of family they come from. Education is a priceless accomplishment. Children should not be deprived in any way of a good education. Children who attend public schools should get as good of an education as those who attend private schools. I do not think it is fair to the children to have to go to school everyday in unsafe or unsanitary buildings. Personally, I have never seen a private school in half as bad of shape as I have many public schools. It is not the fault of the parents that they are unable to send their child(ren) to private school. Public education should not have to suffer because they do not have enough money to buy proper equipment, or to provide adequate buildings. I am definitely able to relate to these conditions. When I went to school, some of my classes were in the same building that my father and grandfather went to school in. Needless to say, that school is no longer standing. However, it took quite some time for it to be torn down. I remember not being able to drink the water. There were jugs of water brought in for us to drink. The paint was chipping off the walls in the cafeteria, as well as the wall disintegrating itself. On the third floor of that same building, were the auditorium and three classrooms. By my eighth grade year, we were not allowed to go up there. I remember doing my kindergarten play there, and seeing my older cousin graduate on that stage. Eventually that building was torn down and a new school was built; however, that did not happen until 1996. This book was easy for me to relate to. Jonathan Kozol made many good points when writing this book. His chapters are divided very well. Some of the titles of the chapters within this book describe themselves. The second chapter is entitled Other People's Children. This chapter tells of the children who have committed no crimes and done nothing wrong. Yet, they are forced to go to a place not suitable for inmates every day. They are told to go to school and get a good education. I want to know how they are expected to think of a place like that as being "good" for them. The children talked about in this chapter come from a place where there is a high unemployment rate and it is not a wonderful place to live. One would think that the state would want to improve their schools so the children could change the never-ending chain of this bad neighborhood. Kozol states that "only 170 of 800 freshman graduate with their class. These statistics are not very good at all. Chapter three is entitled The Savage Inequalities of Public Education in New York. It is states that "textbooks are scarce and children have to share." That is terrible, children should not have to share their textbooks. In the same school, "on the top floor of the school, a sixth grade of 30 children shares a room with 29 bilingual second graders." I do not think these children of two totally different age groups should not be thrown together like that. I do not see how these children are able to learn with almost sixty people in a classroom at the same time. Limitations are put on classrooms for a reason, but that obviously does not apply here. These children are not able to properly do their homework because of the fact that they are unable to bring home their textbooks; that is, if they even have textbooks.

Another problem is that children, whose parents make more money, get more things. In the book, Kozol states "the richer districts-those in which the property lots and houses are more highly valued-have more revenue, derived from taxing land and homes, to fund their public schools." This is not fair to the lower class families who have to suffer. Not everyone has a nice home, or a well-paying job; however, everyone does pay taxes. I think that tax money should be divided up and put towards all education in the state, not just the high-income areas. Teachers do not make enough money to live in a rich district, or a higher valued home than some families. It is not right for the less fortunate children to suffer because of the neighborhood in which they live. The children should not be punished for their parents' lack of income or lack of higher living. "...the government is not responsible, or at least not directly, for the inequalities of family background. It is responsible for inequalities in public education." This proves that the government should be doing something more than they are presently doing to help improve the situations in public education. They are the only ones who are supposed to be doing something for the public schools. I guess the government does not feel that it is their place to provide a place for the future of America to get a good and descent education. In New York, there are some schools which are still segregated. Maybe it is just I, but I thought the world wanted to end prejudice between races. It does not look like to me that anything is going to be done to help prevent that either. This book opens up a whole new light for people to see what children are actually getting out of school: not much in some places. My heart goes out to the children who are put in those situations every day. I only hope that this problem is solved before I have children of my own.

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Summary: Segregation i n Public Schools
Review: Who would of thought in the year 1999 we still have segregationin our public schools. Jonathan Kozol points out that in one school wehave 90 percent blacks and hispanics. These children are looked down on when they have done nothing wrong; they just grew up on the wrong side of town. These children go to school where their areonly few books, lab equipment, and teachers who really care. When it rains the school is flooded with sewage and they are sent home or continue to learn in these conditions. The bathrooms are awful, they can be smelled from far away, no toliet paper, or even a toliet that works. Some children will say they do not even want to use the bathroon at school because they will feel dirty and discusting. Some classrooms are freezing cold because the heat does not work on one side of the building while other classrooms are burining up because the heat will not turn off. The windows will not open to let some cool air in and their is no money to correct these problems. The other school which is only a few blocks away are mostly white and asian. These children have no worries when it comes to their education. They have text books, library books, teachers and more. This is only two schools is one town, this happens in many places. Not many people believe segregation still exsist, Kozol wants everyone to realize how bad it really is. Someone who does not beleive it is still out their would say they are only divided up because of districts. Kozol tells how this is not true; it also happens outside of the schools and inside the town. People on the poor side of town were getting ready to have a nice family day at the fair but they find out they are not allowed to go. The bridge coonecting the town was blocked by police and would not anyone through. They were not able to cross enjoy themselves like everyone else. They had to stay on their side where their is prostitution, drug sales, and poison in the soil where children play. Two factories sorrounding them give these children athsma and lead poison. Kozol's questions are why is one school being funded and the other is not? Why do children not have equal oppertunity to learn? These questions are to make the readers think and realize what is going on in our public schools. Hopefully bringing it to everyones attention will make people understand and make schools a better place to send our children. I beleive Kozol also wants to point out that all children deserve the right to learn no matter their color, where they live, and who their parents are. Children are our future so let's educate them better and give them an equal oppertunity to learn.