Gaining
The Shame of the Nation is a book written by Jonathan Kozol at the beginning of the 21st century. It is based on the author’s observations and experiences and reveals his views on the way African American and Hispanic students are educated in the USA. The author refers to the segregation and its state today in comparison with the middle of the 20th century. He underlines that the private and public education in cities and well-to-do suburbs differs greatly because it receives unequal treatment.
Due to this book, I realized that great differences in funding and unequal educational opportunities are those problems that can be observed even nowadays even though the government promises equality. In this way, particular populations are prevented from achieving more. They have limited resources and support so that only those who can afford private education receive a chance to obtain their proper education that can be beneficial in the future. Still, regardless of these discrepancies, students tend to be scored in the same way. As a result, tests have even more adverse influences on children. Segregated schools are in despair. They are often extremely overcrowded, which means that there are not enough resources for everyone. Poor children are those who have the lowest chances to graduate because education requires funding and when it is not provided by the government or sponsors, parents are to pay.
National Response
I support the author and believe that numerous issues faced by the public education system should not be left in the current state. Unfortunately, Kozol claims that no national response is yet observed and I tend to think so too (240). The population realizes that something is wrong with the way children receive education in the public schools. They underline those problems and discuss them. Still, nothing substantial is done to alter this situation for better. If some school lacks resources and is overcrowded, it tries to adapt to the situation and to continue providing children with education even though its quality spoils. The brightest example of such an approach is an overcrowded school in California. This issue turned out to be so critical that some learners attended school in monthly shifts. The nation did not consider the possibility of making a pause and advocate for the learners’ rights even though it could. I believe that when speaking about no response, the author wants to emphasize the fact that those actions that can bring a change are not maintained. The representatives of public education are not able to fight for their equality. They just react to the problems trying to operate as usual.
Final Message
Taking everything mentioned into consideration, I can conclude that the final message of this book is that even the most segregated and deprived schools still have hope for a better future if the nation becomes active and responds to the issues faced by the public educational system. Community leaders always ensure the representatives of the general public that they will implement a wide range of positive changes to benefit them. They discuss various improvement plans and indicate challenges that will be overcome. Every time the majority of the population tends to believe all these promises but nothing alters. That is why with the help of his book, Kozol wants to urge the nation to take action and make all those promises come true (241).
Work Cited
Kozol, Jonathan. The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America, New York: Random House, 2005. Print.