Education Inequalities May Inhibit American Economic Competitiveness (1/11/2008)

While there is growing consensus in developed countries that widely-available education is essential for remaining competitive in the global economy, the traditional American model of education is often seen as plagued with inequality. As a result, illiteracy among minorities in the labor force continues to be high, while the achievement gap in high schools remains unresolved. A new study published in Curriculum Inquiry entitled, "Social inequality in education: A constraint on an American High Skills Future," examines the current American educational condition, finding that these inequalities are a serious constraint on the future of high-skills industry.

As the economy becomes increasingly dependent on high-skills, less privileged children who do not have access to high status academics that prepare them for university careers are becoming increasingly marginalized, the study finds. The lack of academically rigorous programs for underprivileged and minority children makes not only college, but also jobs that could lead to a move into the middle-classes, extremely difficult to attain.

"The U.S. will not be the exemplar of liberal democratic values that it wishes to be in the world, if its schools continue to be stacked in favor of those with power," says study author Theodore Lewis of the University of Minnesota.

The study calls for the dismantling of curriculum tracking and the notion of the "non-college bound student," which has underprivileged students pursuing watered-down academics or vocational education, while more privileged children are prepared for college. "Curricula approaches that are premised on alternative post-school destinations leave the children of under-classes in the same unfavorable position as their parents, such curricula serving only to reproduce inequality," remarks Lewis.

Instead, the study advocates the introduction of challenging curricula with more egalitarian principles, calling for increased funding and resources for schools in minority communities, and for alternative schools - such as career academies - with curricula aimed towards post-secondary education.

"In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case Brown v Board of Education struck down school segregation on the ground that separate schools were inherently unequal. More than half a century later, segregation persists within schools, along socioeconomic and racial lines," says Lewis, who argues that politicians and judges are uniquely placed to bring about changes to the education system that could have far-reaching benefits for the future of American economic success.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Blackwell Publishing

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