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In this edition, we take a look at education through the lens of social responsibility. Do the well-educated have a social or moral obligation to help those who are less-advantaged become key contributors to society? Guest contributor, A.Terita Smith (We Must Keep Educating) shares her views on this subject.
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We Must Keep Educating
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One has to be asleep in order to be awakened. Sleep and Awake are "2 sides of the same coin"; essentially,
then, they are one. With that said, there is
 | | A. Terita Smith |
always the potential in every killer gang-banger to awaken. Those of us who are evolved have a profound mission to awaken those who lack regard for the dignity of life. Without regard for the dignity of ones' own life, it is most difficult to regard the dignity of the life of others. We have a profound mission to help these young Black brothas see themselves as dignified rather than dehumanized, which is what has happened to them as a result of Blacks in The United States who are historically and perpetually stigmatized because of the chattel slavery (master/slave) hierarchical system that disgraced slaves. This, of course, was the same system that produced this nation's social meaning of race, which endures and socially constructs a disproportionate number of Blacks as inferior to this day. In this respect, Blacks are primarily treated as a monolithic group who is essentialized, misperceived, and excluded in a variety of ways. It is, therefore, very difficult for young Black brothas to see themselves as having worth - they find it difficult to feel self-dignity. No dignity towards ones' life results in a complacency for the dignity of other lives. THIS IS NOT TO EXCUSE THIS BEHAVIOR; they must take on the spirit of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY...but human behavior is a manifestation of something. It just doesn't emerge out of thin air. There is a cause & effect relationship at play. We who are evolved, must work relentlessly to educate, awaken, and help Black young men feel a sense of worth. This is a major task, but one that MUST BE DONE. Until they can come to value their own lives, then the killing will continue. We MUST MAINTAIN A BELIEF IN THEIR INHERENT POTENTIAL and help them see themselves in a better light. The "village" has much work to do.
A. Terita Smith
Ms. Smith is an academic writing literacy tutor and adjunct professor in Chicago, Illinois.
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Education, the Great Equalizer
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The longer I remain in education, the more disillusioned I become. Not because I do not believe in education - I do. My disillusion comes from the shift from education as a means to upward mobility for all to a business where the "bottom line" has become more important than the academic and economic achievement of citizens. Horace Mann once proclaimed education as the Great Equalizer to eradicate poverty by providing opportunity for "rich and poor alike." I am convinced that the current state of education is not what Mann envisioned.
Research suggests that the achievement gap between the rich and the poor is double the gap between African Americans and White children. According to Reardon, family income determines educational success more than race; he goes on to say the relationship between family income and achievement has grown sharply in the last 50 years.
So why is this important? Drawing attention to the growing disparities in income is important because in the era of constantly rising tuition costs and out-of-control student loan debt, education is becoming a luxury more than a privilege. According to John Jackson, President and CEO of The School Foundation for Public Education, "Current U. S. education policies compound, rather than alleviate these massive income disparities, putting equality of opportunity even further out of reach for large numbers of low-income American students."
The most important predictor of success in the workforce--college completion--has a gap of about 50 percent between rich and poor students. Economic inequality and social mobility go hand-in-hand; it is difficulty to achieve one without the other. This disparity is clearly evident in American public school systems. Schools within the same district run the gamut from having the latest technologies, highly qualified teachers, and high-end facilities to inadequate or outdated technologies and substandard facilities. The more affluent the community where the school is located, the higher quality education available to the students.
In his final public address to the 1859 Antioch College graduating class, Mann urged, "I beseech you to treasure up in your hearts these my parting words: Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for Humanity. "
America should be very ashamed right now. Even more so, the decision makers responsible for impacting education policy should be utterly ashamed.
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