ABSTRACT
Poor children tend to live in crime- and gang-ridden “urban war zones” that decrease educational quality and severely hamper students’ lifetime achievements. Unlike schooling in more equality-oriented European nations, the American system of public education relies heavily on local property taxes, providing more funding for wealthier than poor districts, which favor convenient systems like tracking and high-stakes testing that discourage students’ active participation and growth in the learning process.
While racial segregation is now illegal, the American system of school funding, which interplays with historically prominent racial practices, adversely affects students of color. A connection between family income and race appears throughout the American system, with the greater a racial group’s income, the higher its children’s scores on achievement and aptitude tests, that can significantly affect college admittance.
Females’ involvement in college and other higher-education programs has increased markedly, but research shows that a “hidden curriculum” often operates, with girls less encouraged to achieve, particularly in STEM fields. A clever study reveals a strategy for encouraging high-school girls’ involvement in such programs.
Another advantage European education possesses is a wealth of apprenticeship programs, preparing high-school grads more effectively than their American counterparts for many middle-skill jobs.
