Why Basic Education Is No Longer a Means for a Better Life

Schools are supposed to prepare the young for a productive future. Basic education is provided by the government through public schools. Schools can vary from each other especially in terms of resources. The disparity in resources leads to a disparity in opportunities. And when opportunities are not equal, there is no equity. Unfortunately, schools that need more resources are often the ones under resourced. This sad state exists in the United States and a recent report for the state of Washington demonstrates that less opportunities are provided in schools that have more students living in poverty thereby exacerbating the effects of poverty on education. The report authored by Havala Hanson, Biraj Bisht, and Jason Greenberg Motamedi of Education Northwest looks at the number of advanced courses taken by students in high schools in the state of Washington. Taking these advanced courses is correlated with a higher chance of enrolling in college. Students are grouped ac...