For decades the United States has been viewed as the ‘melting pot’ of the world; accepting any and everyone into the land of opportunity. While the United States has had a history of racial tension and prejudice, one would be led to believe that division is that of the past. Unfortunately this does not reign true today. The United States has regressed to self segregating at the hands of the government as well as society. Diversity is a value shared by many in the United States, but in practice people tend to stick to those that look and/or share values and beliefs (Boyd 224). This self segregation has crept into classrooms, leaving students in lower socioeconomic status’ behind (Christakis). The issue of private versus public schools leads to the question of educational opportunities within the country. If students in inner cities or low-income areas are not provided with sufficient funds and quality teachers, is this a form of segregation?
When dissecting the issue of segregation in the United States many look to the past, recalling the brilliant work of many civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X. It was because of the many individuals that fought for desegregation and civil rights that the children of America can have equal opportunity. Unfortunately, with advances in technology, such as the internet, America is self-segregating (Boyd 219). Danah Boyd is a Principal Researcher at Microsoft and founder of Data & Society, an independent, non-profit research institute (Boyd). Boyd is currently researching the role that technology has in today’s society and how it is affecting young people (Boyd). In Boyd’s article titled Why America is Self-Segregating Boyd takes a look at the state of Americans online habits as well as the social implications of the “Self Segregation.” Boyd writes, “This isn’t about our past; this is about our present.”(219). Boyd is referring to the lack of tolerance and healthy resolution. Many say that the problem challenging society is the lack of communication and the failure to listen to what others with different opinions or views have to say. Boyd states that the real problem facing the United States is what she calls the “Filter Bubble.” This bubble that Boyd describes is very similar to the self consensus bias; or the tendency for humans to assume that those around them share similar beliefs and experiences to them. The filter bubble occurs when people only view and interact with people and websites that fulfil the self consensus bias.
One of Boyd’s main points of Self-segregation was the effect that took place after the privatization of the military. Boyd writes, “The public understands the military as a service organization dedicated to protecting the country’s interest.” (221). Before the military was privatized the military was an extremely diverse place (Boyd 221). Soldiers volunteered from all walks of life to fight alongside people of different color, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Once the government privatized chunks of the military the delicate, diverse social fabric in the military was discarded (Boyd 222). Investors main interest is sending soldiers out as soon as possible, delaying training, emotional, and social development (Boyd 223).
Putting people from all walks of life together and cultivate teamwork, critical thinking, and social skills to develop a rich group of individuals and prepare them for battle is not just a job for the military. The public education system has the exact same role in society. School is a crucial institution for diversification and socialization of young people. The public education system has been scrutinized by politicians and debated for decades. Many politicians, including the Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, are in favor of private schools.
Erika Christakis has written extensively about early childhood education and student development from childhood through college (Christakis). Christakis has written for The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, CNN.com, Nightline, Salon, and NPR (Christakis). Christakis’ article Americans Have Given Up on Public Schools. That’s A Mistake dissects the issues facing the education system in the United States. Public schools are under attack and is demanded of for reform. The problem is, people are forgetting the value of public schools (Christakis). The Beauty of public school is that it provides a free learning environment for students from all over the United States, allowing for students from different socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual orientation to sit in one classroom together and learn to mend the fabric of diversity in the United States. The setback of this diversity-rich goal of public schools is the funding. Depending on the district, location, and population of a school leads to funding and teacher quality differences; because of this, the inner-city and low income schools are drastically underfunded and have less quality teachers (Christakis). Privatizing schools would leave the students from lower socioeconomic status’ (which are predominantly people of color) behind.
Christakis writes, “Americans have in recent decades come to talk about education less as a public good, like a strong military or a non corrupt judiciary, than as a private consumable.” Christakis argues that education has become a commodity that one can simply shop for based on test scores and quality. It is this mentality that results in underfunded, unsupported, ‘bad schools.’ Something that is extremely important in the development of students’ education is parent involvement and support. Unfortunately, parents of students in inner-city and low income areas don’t have time to get involved because many of them work. This is why it is so important to have a diverse group of students in the classroom, to build a sense of community.
Furthermore, Christakis writes, “…integrating both immigrants and American-born students from a range of backgrounds into one citizenry.” School gives students that are disconnected due to language or cultural barriers an opportunity to learn and assimilate to American culture. Programs such as ESL (English as a Second Language) and pedagogical trainings for teachers are not enough to fully help a child assimilate to American culture. It is through peer interactions where informal education takes place.
Boyd’s View of Self-segregation combined with Christakis’ take on the issues facing the public school system integrate the idea that the privatization and involvement of politics in schools take away the core principles of an education. Allowing schools to become privatized would have a detrimental effect on America’s growth.