Free Essay on Inner City Education

The American education system problems

The main issues affecting inner-city residents are the crime, gang violence, broken families, drug trafficking, substance abuse, racism, and illiteracy. Parents and adolescents in the areas look for a way to break the cycle and move to better neighborhoods, get good jobs and increase their income. Education has proven to be the primary solution to assist young people from inner-city regions to change their lives (Smith 2010). It promotes active community living as well as providing knowledge and skills for the youth to address the challenges that they face. Due to financial reasons, most people living in inner cities do not have the opportunities such as investment options that other people living elsewhere have. For most of them, a solid education background is their only chance to get off the streets so that they can create a better situation for the next generation. Self-motivation and efficient learning programs have gone a long way in improving the neighborhoods and transforming the lives of thousands of youths from the neighborhoods.

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According to a study by Pieczywok (2013), education among urban areas differs from that in suburban areas. Students in inner cities grow up in abject poverty surrounded by crime and violence and do not get guidelines on behavior from home. Most of them are from broken families, which cannot offer support during difficult situations. They turn to schools for refuge, giving the teacher two roles to play: a parent and an educator (Pieczywok 2013). The study shows that education among city residents has played a vital role in changing the lives of young people. It concludes that one year of schooling after the high school level can increase an individualts earnings by up to 10%. If all students in low-income neighborhoods are allowed to gain basic reading and writing skills, it can go a long way in poverty eradication. More than 100 million people in the United States have been able to get jobs and increase their annual earnings due to higher education opportunities. More than a 120 million adolescents and children who have had access to learning institutions have been able to transform their future. Inner-city Adolescents are motivated to escape the life of drug abuse and violent crime to make necessary changes through education.

Smith's balanced literacy model

Inner-city children are prone to drug and substance abuse without access to education (Davis 2016). They are vulnerable to joining gangs, working in impoverished neighborhoods and engaging in delinquent behavior. Schools give them a chance to learn from the elders as well as strong interactions especially those from poor neighborhoods. They get an opportunity to maintain both the social and financial life. The students can play a part in the reduction of poverty, unemployment and building a stable society (Heidi 2010). They have a chance to change their family and generational backgrounds. Smith (2010) comes up with a literacy model showing how gentrification of neighborhoods relates to education. He demonstrates that bridging the literacy gap between inner cities and the suburban areas reduces income inequality significantly. Schools act as a traditional institution that brings together residents to create safer neighborhoods for future generations. Smith (2010) uses South California as an example, which has been one of the urban regions affected by gang violence. Education has saved more than ten thousand adolescents from gang initiation in the past five years. They can venture into other areas such as sports, which has led to the increase in the number of young athletes joining professional basketball and football from Southside, Chicago.

Inner-city residents are dividing themselves into two different groups, with college-educated workers clustering in desirable neighborhoods that other individuals cannot afford. The less-educated people, who are the majority, have been living in isolated areas where income inequality has increased by about sixty-seven percent in urban areas in the country. It has encouraged people to pursue higher learning opportunities to join colleges and universities in the country. Davis (2016) explains how the vicious cycle of poverty continues from one generation to another. Urban children are more twice as likely to be living in poor conditions than those in suburban locations. When exposed to poverty, it not only affects their family life but also in their school performance. With increased support from the Obama and Bush governments, students living in poverty can attend schools with social workers to follow up for those with unsupportive families. It has reduced the issues in learning institutions improving the level of discipline at home. There are fewer distractions in classrooms, leading to more instructional time. Students can focus more on education to join colleges and universities, which gives them the opportunity to get professional employment.

An educated people in America

Education has given an advantage to families in various cities in the country. It has played a vital role in the gentrification of neighborhoods in cities such as Chicago, New York and Detroit, which were famous for crime due to illiteracy. It gives an advantage to adolescents and their families by providing access to jobs in industries and other economic hubs. Heidi (2010) studies the city of New York, looking at how the literacy gap has affected income distribution in the five boroughs. Brooklyn, which has the highest Latino and African American population is one of the inner-city regions that has been most affected. For the past fifteen years, reforms in the education system have increased the number of adolescents attending schools from the minority communities by more than thirty percent (Heidi 2010). Some families have been empowered by educating their children and have been able to move to safer neighborhoods and even suburban areas. The number of individuals from the minority communities working in Wall Street and Manhattan has also gone up by about 20% due to education opportunities. It has motivated inner-city youths to work harder in school as they can see the impact it has on onets life.

According to Smith (2010), Psychological studies show that about sixty percent of individuals in cities change their character as they advance in education. When a person is more educated, he or she has goals in life and strives to move from a lifestyle of crime to seeking a good job. They look for financial security and avoid negative forces that may push them towards alcohol, drugs and substance abuse. An individual with confidence in his or her skills gives good results and plays a vital role in the formation of a healthier society (Pieczywok 2013). Gaining the higher education in the inner cities depends on the channels through which skills and knowledge are transferred. With successful education reforms, cities such as New York, Chicago, Washington, and Miami have seen full transformation and gentrification of neighborhoods (Smith 2010). Educated people from the areas take part in community initiatives to mentor the youths and adolescents and steer them to a life free of drug trafficking and abuse as well as violent crime. An educated population also takes the initiative to make use of the existing programs such as community policing to fight crime. They can come together without segregation, hatred or gang division to pioneer developmental programs (Heidi 2010).

References

Davis, M. (2016). Normal Science and the Changing Practices of Design and Design Education. Visible Language Journal, Vol. 50, No. 1, pp. 747-754

Heidi, H.J. (2010). Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing world. ASCD, Curriculum Planning.

Pieczywok, A. (2013). Changing the Paradigm of Education for Security. Connections: The Quarterly Journal, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 232-243

Smith, J. (2010). Changing Lives One Family at a Time: The Even Start Family Literacy Model. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin Journal, Vol 76, No. 4.