New York City epitomizes superiority. Being one of the most renowned cities in the world, it is placed upon a pedestal. People travel here from across the globe for the cuisine, nightlife, and immense culture just to name a few. Another main attribute of the Big Apple is its vast diversity and integration, which is a topic that people who do not live here are greatly misinformed about. While it is true that many different nationalities and races inhabit this city, obvious segregation is still evident. The above quote is from a poem entitled "I Don't Hear America Singing in the South Bronx," in which Rodriquez-Montalyo writes about how hard it is to become successful coming from the South Bronx. She ends her poem by saying she is one of the few people who has had their voice heard growing up in such a racially segregated neighborhood. The heart of any problem can be found at its roots, so in the case of not becoming successful coming from a neighborhood such as the South Bronx, one can look at the flaws in the public education system. Children are growing up with a false sense of hope in certain neighborhoods, where only few prodigies make it out to be successful. Even though segregation has seemed to come to a legal end, this is not the case. In reality, children growing up in certain neighborhoods are not capable of affecting their own destiny and this segregation has an extreme negative impact on their lives.
[...] People may decide to live in segregated communities, but that doesn't mean that the public education system has to be inferior because of its geographic location. Many of these segregated neighborhoods probably come to mind, but the South Bronx, in particular the Mott Haven region, is statistically one of the absolute worst. When it comes to the living environment that the children have to endure, there is none like it in the rest of the United States. As stated in the very beginning of Jonathan Kozol's Ordinary Resurrections, of these children are black or Hispanic. [...]
[...] Kozol predicts that there will be no significant change made in the school system under this program and that within 10 years it will be deemed a failure.[9] Politicians are all scratching their heads when this issue is brought to the table, because no body knows how, or better yet if, it will ever be solved. Kozol offers his own solutions to this ongoing problem. He says, “Mayor Bloomberg could also turn small schools from institutions that reinforce segregation into places that help break it down.” He believes that Bloomberg should provide incentives for the formation of small schools created solely to bring the poorest and richest children together in the same classroom. [...]
[...] Louis, Boston, and Milwaukee have had successful integration programs mixing children in the inner city with those of the surrounding suburbs. As a result of these programs the high school completion rate and graduation rate for black students averages 90 to 95 percent or better, and an overwhelming number of these black kids actually decide to attend college.[7] Integration programs need to be implemented at early ages. Segregation is an issue that will probably never completely disappear, but to introduce it to children of such youthful mindsets is a catastrophe and something must be done to stop this. [...]
[...] Although the correlation between segregation in the public education system in New York City and poor performance is clearly proven in the above examples, how are these children affected on the larger scale. The implications that can be drawn from the argument that segregation still exists, especially in the public education system, are extremely hard to categorize and define. It is obvious that children growing up in less fortunate positions, whether it be having a lower economic status or living in a neighborhood, are not given the same opportunities as those in a situation. [...]
[...] Segregation in the education system has been evident for years. The children who are succumbed to this cannot help it. People wonder why certain groups of children are so uneducated and the answer lies within the school walls. These students walk into classrooms where the amount of children outnumber the desks, where the teacher is being almost forced to work there for a lot less money, because no other school would hire her. If the teacher does not want to be there, why would the students? [...]
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