The type of education you receive 
will depend on your environment 

When you are living in our society, at one point in time you gain the ability to learn. Many people have an idea of what an education is, and have gotten it at one point in their life. However, many people have differing ideas when they think of education because everyone has had different lessons and different ideas of teaching. In some environments, it is very hard to succeed if you are not taught at the correct time or in the right form. My idea is that you cannot succeed in a school setting if you are faced with certain obstacles, these obstacles including living areas and financial situations. 

Many urban areas are very unfortunate with their school systems and struggle every day to create ways to get students to enroll. The struggles they face include gang life, single homes, and children that are stricken with starvation. This is seen in cities like Harlem, the Bronx and other parts of the city. It is very hard to succeed in these environments and these problems make not just students, but every member of the community struggle. It is an issue bigger than schools but for the future of their environment.

I decided to start developing ideas on why the system is the way it is and what could be the cause or reason it developed in the first place. It is originally hard to pinpoint and decide on what did or did not benefit them at the time. It starts to pin the question: does society not want students to succeed or are students already pushing themselves away from that idea. We need to also understand the areas and what their biggest concern is and try to attempt to work from there to find it out.

The National Center of Education Statistics claims that students and families in lower income do tend to struggle more with succeeding in school as well as attending university. The graph they represent gives you the harsh reality that many of these children do not have much of a chance unless they move from their area. However many students and families are unlikely to do this because of the financial needs in order to do that.  They would need to quickly move and sell their homes as they are struggling to find a new job and income.

Many people wonder if the situation can be preventable or fixed if the right person or government can fix their problem but the issue also is, many of those people do not wish to change their ways. Some people feel more comfortable on the streets or not working than trying to make an example for their family and town. Many cities have gangs that force children out of school into gang life and many of these children do not have a choice. Some of these cities like the Bronx seem like there are very few chances of education which makes me also wonder if people themselves all have the same chance in this world. The same chance that a kid in a suburban town can have will not be the same as a kid in an urban community and it could never be because kids have different stories, different friends and different lives proving that not one person has the same chance as another.

Article by the Youth Government says “On the societal level, youth gang involvement costs local, state, and federal governments a substantial amount of money in prevention, response, incarceration, and rehabilitation efforts. It has been estimated that overall crime in the U.S. costs taxpayers $655 billion annually with a substantial amount of this crime attributed to gang activity”.  This is an example of how much gang life is a very big and overall concerning thing that the government has funded to help but has not seriously benefited anything that the cities need. I personally believe that there needs to be systems in place for children to visit school for education without any dangers on their way to the classrooms. If they cannot fix the overall experience of school for students, kids will never want to attend.

Instead of the state investing in the quality of education they are more focused on building architecture at older private schools. This in my opinion is unacceptable for kids that can’t even go into class without being abused on the way to school. ArchDaily claims that the state of New York board of education believes that fixing building architecture will fix their problems. However, this does not fix many nor any of the long term problems at hand.

The debates that other people try to make have the idea that people are able to make it in life, attend a good college, and work a good job as long as they work hard. I believe that is untrue because there are people in certain unfortunate situations that are unable to make it into a good school because of where they come from. People’s environments naturally change and form the person you are if you live there long enough. I think many people carry disadvantages while navigating their education because of this. It is impossible to succeed with the same path as everyone else. There are always people going at different paces and it is going to make it much harder on them. 

Because of the good education and upbringing I was fortunate to have, it was easier for me to be successful and be able to attend a university. This article by the Georgia Library claims that, “the findings that overcrowded areas contain many chances and have an easier access to depression but it doesn’t affect their education or the level they can contain,”. He says that everyone is capable of succeeding because everyone is physically able to do so in this country. The issue I have is people thinking everyone has an equal chance in that success, and the truth is that cannot possibly happen for the unprivileged. If you are underprivileged it will make things much harder to succeed originally but it won’t hold you back from the world forever if you let it. Because many people are able to turn their lives around and have a successful life.

I found an article on the subject about a Rowan student who visited a middle school and highschool principal located in one of the bad parts of the Bronx where there is a lot of crime and poverty. He found that the principal (who did not want to be named) believed that, “Students in this area may gain no hope in the future because of how our system has been running,”. In the article, he mentions how many children under the age of 14 are afraid to go into school. The reason behind this deals with the amount of gang life in the area. Students tend to see people before walking to class being harassed, beaten, robbed or even worse to be forced into a gang because they think they will have a better chance at life. This example from the principal interviewed shows that even the staff that are working in education are starting to feel like there is very little to no hope for some of these students.

According to the City Harvest of Rescuing New York City , around 50% of working aged households are struggling to make ends meet. This fact alone shows the magnitude of the situation and how many people in New York are dealing with the same situation. This article as well goes on to mention 1 in 5 children in New York are facing food insecurity and dealing with hunger. This correlates to the schools because if a child is hungry they will have no motivation to do anything. It gets even sadder when you read the article as you discover that 1.2 million people in New York City currently are struggling to feed themselves as well as their families. All these facts open your mind to the sad truth that many of these citizens that are hard working are struggling and creating a deeper hole for families to succeed.  

Many of these students in areas like New York will not have the ability to eat everyday; the starvation causing them to be unmotivated and simply unable to learn anything. The principal from the Bronx believed that students would have a better chance of coming into school at all if there were more free lunches for the unfortunate children. The kids would then want to go to school to eat, and in return, learn some valuable information that could potentially help and benefit a child’s life drastically. Many of the kids that go to these schools are often complaining about being hungry and having no way to fill that need because of the situation they are in. Many kids need to be fed or there will be less likelihood of students coming to learn things that could genuinely benefit their life.

The National Library of Medicine had their own experiment to see if poverty changes the education of students. They believed that, “The results indicate that enduring exposure to neighborhood poverty relates to educational attainment, while timing does not,”. They go on to say that it could affect your ability to learn, but it would affect many more children than adults trying to learn at a university. This is relevant because in the experiment they state that children would have a much harder time gaining an education because of the stress and other factors that they have to deal with in their daily lives. This shows that it will affect the kids life a lot more than an adult’s life. Many kids shouldn’t have to worry about poverty but that extra stress on them will definitely affect the children’s future.

Many children are receiving education around the world; however, that type of learning can be dramatically different from others. Just like New York, there are people that attend public schools in dangerous areas who may not learn anything in class. At the same time, a few blocks away at the private schools nearby, there are students learning and receiving help that will benefit their futures. The idea is that regardless of where you’re from, you’ll learn things differently from other people. There are people that can receive more help and guidance with the reason being they were born into the right family at the right time of life. Many kids sadly are unlucky to that part and may have to learn school in an incorrect manner or form that could very well screw up the future of their careers. 

The New York State Education Department says that the Board as recently as last month are deciding on making a request for a new idea of studying and they are trying to attempt new ways to gain students back at school. I do think there are many benefits to this but the only way people go to school is if they are reassured that they can also be fed and go home safe. Because that’s what’s important to ensure children’s safety, if they are unable to do that I don’t blame the parents for not returning their kids. I am not saying kids shouldn’t be educated but I believe if I thought the school was unsafe I am making sure they are out of there and in a safer environment with a safer 

There are many ways of finding solutions in urban areas like this to get children to attend schools and gain a sufficient education, but it would need to be a whole debacle that would entail many different sides of people joining together to help our future youth. The ideas that I feel make the most sense are to have safer routes to school so kids feel comfortable, free lunches for the children so students would have the motivation to go to school, and to find and hire a team of nurturing teachers that give good quality learning in these dangerous areas; many teachers in that area do not care for their students. More solutions that would aid in attacking the root of the problem would be to be vigilant of children who may be victims of malicious parenting, and help to get these children away from their home abuse. Because many of the children that are also not visiting the schools are abused and are in need of help getting out of their abusive bubble of a home.

According to the Office of New York Comptroller it’s said that there were over 39,000 calls on domestic violence for families last year and that is obviously not including as well as the families that never call. New York is a beautiful place but it can be very scary in some areas and many families are in this mentality that they will never ever get out. But you can and are able too, maybe just not to the amount of potential someone else has yet.

Also, having the cities be more aware of their gang violence and rising up to combat it could make a bigger change not just for the young students, but for everyone in that community. The whole idea in itself can not be possible because of how many of these cities have been living with these problems for years. The idea can be tragic, but many people are able to succeed in this world. I truly believe everyone can and is capable of doing so. The thing that becomes conflicting is: if everyone could achieve these goals, even if they had obstacles like these, why can’t everyone succeed? I believe many people would not gain the same knowledge, therefore everyone would not gain the same standard of education making it much harder to succeed. 

When it comes to assessing the impact of the environment on education, it becomes prominent that the type of education a child will get is profoundly influenced by their surroundings and overall lifestyle. From the rough areas of New York City to the nice rural communities of New York state with private education, the disparities in opportunities are obvious. While some students benefit from well-funded schools and supportive communities, others grapple with even bigger challenges that hold back their academic success.

Urban areas like Harlem and the Bronx give a perfect example of the battle faced by many students. Controlled by gang violence, single-parent households, and financial instability, these communities struggle to provide a productive  learning environment for their youth. The strong influence of societal factors such as poverty and crime extends far beyond the walls of the classroom, shaping the future and fate of students’ lives from an early age.

At the heart of this issue lies a hard question to answer, does society fail to provide equal opportunities for all, or do individuals give in to the limitations imposed by their circumstances? The reality is that it is very hard to get out of, with many barriers in these societies  giving a cycle of disadvantage for many. Despite efforts to level the field, the true nature of these challenges is the approach to change.

One key idea contributing to educational imbalance is the strong influence of gangs in urban communities. As mentioned before by the Youth Government, the costs associated with gang activity gives reason for the urgent need for intervention. However, just addressing the symptoms of gang violence fails to address the true causes of educational imbalance. To truly transform the educational future, we must prioritize the safety and well-being of students, giving them reassurance that they can access education free from fear and intimidation of the world around them.

Moreover, the help of resources plays a crucial role in shaping the educational outcomes for students. Instead of investing in the quality of education, governments often prioritize superficial fixes such as renovating school buildings which help no one. While infrastructure upgrades may give off the idea that they are being fixed and think about the issue of the physical learning environment, they do little to address the underlying systemic inequities.

The debate surrounding education is the idea of a fantasy, the belief that individuals can achieve success through hard work and determination. However, this ideal overlooks the structural barriers that interfere with the progress of smaller communities. As mentioned  by the experiences of a principal in the Bronx, systemic differences undermine the aspirations of countless students, giving the promise of equal opportunity a distant dream.

In confronting these challenges, it is important that we adopt a realistic and effective approach to education reform. This means addressing not only the immediate needs of students but also the systemic unfairness that gives in to these educational issues. By collaboration between schools, families, and community organizations, we can create a support network between the city that empowers students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Which can further cause a better environment for the future students that will attend school.

Ultimately, the quest for educational equity requires a collective commitment of everyone in the community into destroying the problems that stand in the way of students’ success. By challenging these difficult  systems of inequality and fighting for policies that prioritize the needs of the unfortunate communities. We can create a more functioning, better lasting society for future generations. It is only through aggressive action and very enhanced dedication that we can fulfill the promise of education as a pathway to opportunity and empowerment for the future .

References

“Adverse Effects.” Adverse Effects | Youth.Gov, youth.gov/youth-topics/preventing-gang-involvement/adverse-effects. Accessed 14 Apr. 2024. 

Domestic violence: Recent trends in New York. (n.d.-b). https://www.osc.ny.gov/files/reports/pdf/domestic-violence-recent-trends-10-23.pdf 

Do poor housing conditions affect educational attainment? : An analysis of the impact of poor housing conditions on educational achievement, a study based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (n.d.). https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/553803&nbsp

Golden, V., Campanile, C., Brown, H., & McCarthy, C. (2024, April 9). Long-awaited report on Future Control of NYC schools released – and it just calls for more studying. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2024/04/09/us-news/long-awaited-report-on-future-control-of-nyc-schools-released-and-it-just-calls-for-more-studying/ 

Hunger in NYC. City Harvest. (2023, August 14). https://www.cityharvest.org/hunger-in-nyc/ 

Marrone, C., & Bullimore, M. A. (n.d.). A Case Study of Secondary School Leaders’ Perceptions of Attendance Policies and Procedures Used to Increase Attendance. https://doi.org/10.32469/10355/66143 

Nieuwenhuis, J., Kleinepier, T., & van Ham, M. (2021, May). The role of exposure to neighborhood and school poverty in understanding educational attainment. Journal of youth and adolescence. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8043918/#:~:text=The%20results%20indicate%20that%20enduring,stronger%20impact%20than%20later%20exposure 

Urban schools: Executive summary. (n.d.). https://nces.ed.gov/pubs/web/96184ex.asp#:~:text=would%20have%20predicted.  Accessed 14 Apr. 2024

Wormald, J. (2023, June 13). Inner-city schools solving the problems of inner-city architecture. ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/1001794/inner-city-schools-solving-the-problems-of-inner-city-architecture