MacKenzie Knabel
Dr. Hatten
English 101
25 March 2014
Segregation Against Minorities in Schools
Segregation against minorities has always been a problem in the past, and though
many say it doesn’t exist today, we still see separation between ethnic groups and
different races. This dislike for minorities has been caused by several factors such as
immigration and historical hatred towards different groups. Because of such cruelty and
differences among ethnicities, there have been widening gaps in the population. Society
has noticed higher rates of crime and punishment among minorities and it seems as
though groups other than those of white European descent are being blamed and ridiculed
for things that just don’t make sense.
Segregation of minorities can be caused by a number of things, some of those
including immigration and the history of certain countries, like African Americans
coming over and working as slaves, or the Chinese coming over and taking menial, laborintensive jobs. These types of factors cause society to look down upon certain groups or
ethnicities and in turn can cause hatred for those people. When groups divide, it causes
tension in society and can upset the peace in an otherwise peaceful country.
In the United States, we see many schools that have increased rates of African
Americans getting poor grades, getting punished for poor behavior, and lower rates of
graduating. There has been research done and it has become apparent that if an African
American and a white American were to take part in the same activity that the African
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American would most likely be punished quicker and more severely (EFE News Service,
Darensbourg). White teachers also punish black students much more quickly. Many say
that if a white student and a black student do the same thing, or commit the same crime,
that the black student will be punished over the white student, especially if that teacher is
white. When the students are always getting in trouble, they are seriously discouraged
from attending class. They feel as though they’re always in trouble and they see
absolutely no reason to go to school. When they refuse to attend school, their grades
suffer considerably.
Many schools have seen higher punishment rates in minorities and a lower
success rate. Graduation rates and crime can go hand-in-hand when looked at in school
situations. Many kids belonging to minorities are punished much more readily and can
therefor be discouraged from doing schoolwork and even from attending school in
general. Children spend more time on the street than doing homework or schoolwork.
They are associated with gang violence, and can learn many bad habits that lead to even
more missed schools days and worsening grades. They feel segregated against and some
even revert to extreme crime and violence (Pastagnoli).
These children feel less privileged and less accepted than their white counterparts.
Many of them can grow a hatred for other ethnicities, which leads to more segregation.
Kids of minorities are not attending school like they should and this is not only affecting
their education, but it is causing a lack of funding for certain schools and get be
detrimental to kids of all races. Some of these schools are charter schools. There have
been many charter schools shut down for various reasons, and a lot of these schools have
lost their funding.
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Charter schools have given numerous minority children the chance at an
education and with decreased funding, these schools are being shut down. Obama has
decided to cut funding to these educational opportunities because of “financial dealings”,
but looking at academic rates, these schools are some of the only opportunities these
children will have (Bismarck Tribune). With such low graduation rates, it’s not a
coincidence that there are also higher numbers of crimes among minorities.
Majority of the kids that do not graduate are also kids that did not attend school
regularly. With all the free time on their hands, they end up getting into trouble with
school and eventually getting in trouble with the law. But the bigger problem is the
segregation towards the minorities. They are punished more intensely and are seen guilty
much more readily than their non-minority counterparts. They spend more time in jail
and are more likely to end up back in jail. It’s a cycle that seems impossible to break with
contemporary ideas (Pastagnoli).
So with graduation rates this low, you can expect a decrease in school attendance,
which directly correlates to imprisonment and criminal activity, you can also expect an
increase in homeless children and families. These children are often not able to escape
the poverty that they are born into. It is hard for their parents to make enough money to
get themselves, much less their child out of this situation. These types of events can also
lead to a growing lower class society.
Families that aren’t educated are more likely to end up homeless or on the street
and the cycle continues. More kids do not go to school, are not educated, and spend time
on the streets. They have increased chances of going to jail or ending up in some kind of
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trouble with the law when schools can’t keep them enrolled. Lack of education also gives
them fewer options for jobs.
When jobs require high school diplomas and high paying jobs require college
degrees, it is hard for dropouts to find jobs. More qualified workers also take many low
paying jobs, even if it’s not completely necessary to have degrees, or to have graduated
from certain grades. Because school can be so hard for minorities to finish due to unfair
separation from other ethnicities, these minority groups have a hard time making enough
money to support them. They, therefor, cannot send their children to school and the
unemployment or uneducated cycle continues. It’s horrible when the government
segregates like this and pass laws that shutdown charter schools that give so many people
amazing opportunities.
Initially, school segregation did not seem like a big deal, but one thing led to
another and violence and outraged people resulted. Graduation rates decreased, African
American’s and Hispanics got bad reputations, schools were shut down, and people were
thrown in jail for small crimes or even for crimes they didn’t commit. Minorities were
judged unfairly and without changing the way schools are separated, we just add to the
problem. School segregation leads to many problems including unemployment,
homelessness, violence, and generations of such characteristics. Society is not fairly run
in this regard and changes must be made in the government to get more people back in
school and off the streets.
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Works Cited
Pastagnoli, Tony. “Action Project: White Privilege Continues to Plague American
Progress.” University Wire. 24 February 2014. ProQuest. Web. 19 March 2014
“The Left Versus Minorities.” Bismarck Tribune. 17 March 2014. ProQuest. Web. 19
March 2014.
Darensbourg, Alicia M., and Jamilia J. Blake, “Examining the Academic Achievement of
Black Adolescents: Importance of Peer and Parental Influences.” Journal of Black
Psychology 40.2 (2014): 191, ProQuest. Web. 19 March 2014.
“Black, Latino Students Disproportionately Suspended.” EFE News Service. 13 March
2014. ProQuest. Web. 19 March 2014.
Farley, Reynolds, and Traeuber, Alma F., “Racial Segregation in the Public Schools.”
American Journal of Sociology Vol. 79, No. 4. January 1974. Web. 19 March
2014.
Rumberger, Russell W., and Willms, J. Douglas. “The Impact of Racial and Ethnic
Segregation on the Achievement Gap in California High Schools.” Educational
Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Vol. 14, No. 4. Winter, 1992. Web 19 March
2014.