There’s a great deal of social injustice throughout the world. For a wealthy first-world country, it’s shocking how prevalent inequality is in the U.S. Between racism, homelessness, and poverty, we’d just be touching the surface of our problems. Though some of these issues are getting more attention as of late, this is mostly related to how they impact adult life. Too often overlooked is how injustice occurs in a variety of forms in our contemporary school system.
Let’s take a closer look at a few of the injustices inherent in the U.S. school system alongside a few of the potential solutions that can help to address them.
Anglocentrism
One of the most positive aspects of the U.S. is that its success has been informed and driven by a cultural melting pot. However, this isn’t always reflected by what continues to be a very Anglocentric curriculum. This is evident in the history being taught in schools. It is still largely focused on the achievements of white figures. There’s a continued minimizing of the incredible impact of Native, Black, and Asian Americans, and refugees. Indeed, despite the significant presence of Latinx people in the population, there is often an actively hostile attitude toward learning and speaking in Spanish in schools. Providing English as a second language (ESL) classes for recent migrants is also not standard. This doesn’t encourage a melting pot. Instead, students from non-Anglo-American backgrounds tend to feel increasingly marginalized in schools. They receive a message that their heritage is in some way inferior.
As with so many efforts to tackle social injustice, local communities have a role to play in making a meaningful change here, including parents, students, and community leaders. Use these to put direct pressure on the school system administrators to make changes. This has to be approached in an organized and evidence-based way. Simply highlighting the injustice inherent in the curriculum often isn’t enough. Groups need to work to present evidence of the negative impact this can have. This could include statements from current and past students and educational experts. Evidence from industries can illustrate how a wider cultural education prepares children better for the contemporary workplace.
Beyond influencing school boards, it’s wise for parents to provide culturally diverse extracurricular activities. This could include field trips to introduce children to more varied contributors to the country’s success. It might be having guest speakers talk about their personal experiences and challenges. If practical, mutual language groups can be formed for English speakers to learn Spanish and vice versa. This has the benefit of helping those from marginalized backgrounds to discover a greater pride in their cultural heritage. It also encourages Anglo-American kids to develop a greater respect for a richer cultural diversity.
Neurotypicality
The school system in the U.S. is not designed to handle individual needs particularly well. We can see this in the continued reliance on standardized testing and rote curriculums. In many ways, it is focused on getting students who learn in typical ways through to the workplace. Unfortunately, this approach is not only poorly suited to students who have a neurodivergent experience, in many ways it sets them up to fail. Students living with mental illness, autism, or learning challenges are continually being failed by the education system.
It is not an easy injustice to address. After all, it requires schools to become more tailored and individualized in their approach. This is not always practical for teachers, who are under an increasing amount of pressure. School systems with stretched budgets may not find this affordable. However, it has to begin with starting conversations with students and families. Schools need to understand what is challenging about the current approach to education. At the moment, many schools are still utilizing remote education options. Though this increased screen time can have positive educational effects for accessibility and alleviating isolation, teachers should be aware of how it can impact mental health. Students living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be struggling with remote tools. Others experiencing social anxiety may see their progress inhibited by decreased peer-to-peer interactions. Having regular conversations and taking time to reach out just to check in can be the first step to finding solutions.
LGBTQ+ Intolerance
Although it’s true that our society is more open to embracing and celebrating the LGBTQ+ community than it was in the past, the same can’t always be said for our school system. One recent study found a significantly higher percentage of students identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual were bullied compared to their straight peers. This doesn’t take into account transgender students, though. Studies on the subject haven’t historically taken this population into account.
For many years, schools that had the budget to do so hired social workers to help these marginalized students. These professionals provided vital means of support to address social challenges and navigate potential mental health crises. They also help students gain access to additional resources where needed. However, many social workers are moving toward government and community organizations. School budgets often can no longer accommodate these professionals. This can exacerbate the injustice experienced by LGBTQ+ students by removing access to support.
Though community efforts to raise a budget for social workers in schools may be feasible, it’s far from the ideal solution. More important is to tackle the root causes of the injustice, which is a lack of education and a culture of bigotry. This can be helped by introducing LGBTQ+ topics into more elements of the curriculum. Classes should discuss human rights issues and celebrate prominent historical figures. It can also include the school and community designating public areas as LGBTQ+ safe spaces. These students need leaders to implement zero-tolerance policies toward bias and harassment.
Conclusion
School should be a safe space for students to spend their formative years, but there’s a significant amount of injustice prevalent. Anglocentrism, a tendency to favor neurotypical students, and LGBTQ+ intolerance are just a few of the challenges. Community members need to take the time to come together to devise and execute solutions. Together, we can overcome the systemic issues that are still disrupting students’ experiences.