Verified Document

Education And Empowerment Essay

Education and Empowerment Since it became a country, the United States has made it a priority to educate its citizens in order to allow them to progress. The reason for this is that there is an established connection between education level and the potential for social mobility of Americans, a statistic which has been verified in other countries as well. In the United States, there is a concept of the American Dream which says that anyone who is willing to work hard can become socially mobile. This is an unspoken promise given to the citizens by the founding fathers of the nation. According to this dream, even people born in the poorest communities can, through a strong worth ethic, skill, and dedication to their own bettering, will be able to become millionaires. The thing that allows for people to move along the ranks of the social ladder is education and the opportunities that education presents.

Even from the earliest days of the country's founding, people have tried to support the quest for a greater education in others. Scientists interested in sociology and child psychology have found that the more educated a person is, the better their chances at life. According to Horace Mann, "Education, then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, - the balance wheel of the social machinery" (Colombo 110). More than perhaps any other country, the United States supports the education of its citizens, going so far as to make laws which require children...

Parts of this document are hidden

View Full Document
svg-one

Young people who receive an adequate education will be more likely to get a good job and to pay taxes back into the government, thereby continuing the cycle for future generations.
In the United States, the system of education is failing a great number of its students in the promise made to them by the founding fathers. It is an inescapable and unfortunate truth that there are some school districts which are far more well off financially and can supply their students with an abundance of technology and materials. There are other districts where there are barely enough books to go buy and a budget so tight that there are more than thirty students to a classroom. More and more society is stratifying students so that those who are born into advantageous and wealthier communities have a better chance of becoming successful adults and those that do not find themselves relegated to the margins of their communities. According to Michael Moore, "There are forty-four million Americans who cannot read and write above a fourth-grade level -- in other words, who are functional illiterates…I've also read that only 11% of the American public bothers to read a daily newspaper, beyond the funny pages or the used car ads" (Colombo 116). This is a frightening statistic because it means that even if people complete their education, they are still not intelligent…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Colombo, Gary, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. "Chapter 2: Learning Power: The Myth of Education and Empowerment." Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. 8th Ed. Boston: Bedford of St. Martin's, 2010. 109-238. Print.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Education
Words: 1995 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Education Over the last several years, the field of education has been continually changing. This is because the public is demanding greater amounts of accountability. For the Library and Media program, this means that there must be a focus on providing additional resources in an era of declining budgets. The key for dealing with these challenges requires that everyone have a sense of leadership and vision. To fully understand how these

Education
Words: 2300 Length: 8 Document Type: Term Paper

Education As the educational system continues to come under increasing amounts of scrutiny, the teacher is ultimately at the fulcrum of pressure. They are required to digest new educational theory and sort out the wheat from the chaff. They are asked to manage increasing levels of diversity in the classroom, and students who come to class across a widening spectrum of preparedness. At the same time, they are expected to be

Education in the Wake of the Recent
Words: 2541 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

Education In the wake of the recent globalization, education has emerged as one of the most necessary tools for the field. For globalization to be realized on a large scale, the public has to be well conversant in matters concerning education. However, this has come to pass just a mirage, owing to the poor standards of education amongst some sectors of the public. Immigrants have suffered the most, and it is

Education of Pisa Members Vs. Economy the
Words: 1177 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

EDUCATION OF PISA MEMBERS vs. ECONOMY The relationship between economic growth and quality of education of PISA member countries 2003 and 2009 Economic Growth vs. The Quality of Education of Pisa Member Countries One of the most valuable assets for both the present and future generations is "quality education." Its achievement requires a robust commitment from everyone including teachers, governments, parents, as well as the students themselves. Therefore, this urge motivated a number

Education Both Woodson 1933 and Howard 2001
Words: 843 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Education Both Woodson (1933) and Howard (2001) agree that the education system in the United States is inherently biased, and that it does not serve the needs or interests of the African-American community. Blacks are systematically excluded from history and the construction of pedagogy in schools. Furthermore, Woodson (1933) points out that there have been few opportunities for African-Americans to join established professions. The message has been that blacks do not

Education Disparity in America
Words: 2026 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Education Disparity in America: Education has traditionally been regarded as a great equalizer in the United States because of its capability to lift less disadvantaged children and enhancing their probability to succeed as adults. As a great equalizer of conditions in the society, education has been regarded as the balance wheel of America's social machinery. Since the establishment of the first public school in the United States, there has been widespread

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now