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The Secret To Fixing Bad Schools Summary

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Americans, when they think of Civil Rights probably think of the Civil Rights Movement. During the civil rights era African Americans fought to be treated as equals by fighting segregated schools, for their voting rights, and for their basic right that every American has today. To say that education is our civil rights movement of today is inaccurate. Antonio Alvarez’s narrative “Out Of My Hands” focuses on a financially struggling family, but proving that they can succeed. David L. Kirp’s article “The Secret to Fixing Bad Schools” reinforces the idea that even though a community might be poor, that doesn’t have to reflect the quality of education students receive. Horace Mann, known as the godfather of American public education, expresses …show more content…

Mann saw children forced into working in the factories so they can earn enough money to help their family. Mann states “universal education can counter work this tendency” Horace Mann’s idea of this free education for all will create opportunities for anyone of any socioeconomic class to rise up leading to a population of literate people which will “increase the intellectual consistency”. This will bring young children out of the harsh working conditions of factories and placing them in schools which will lead them to a more intellectual future. We can see the wonders of education in more recent narratives by David L. Kirp and Antonio Alvarez. In David L. Kirp’s article “The Secret to Fixing Bad Schools”, the reader finds out that Union City is a “poor community” with an “unemployment rate 60 percent higher than the national average” Union City is a great example of how a poverty-stricken community can still achieve high education success rates. “High school graduation rate of 89.5 percent” (Kirp). In Union City the student’s social status doesn’t dictate their success leading to more opportunities for these students to grasp and take advantage of. These kids can start their own tradition of graduating college. Another great example would be the story of Antonio Alvarez, who came into America as an immigrant. Since his status was undocumented he was “limited to low wage jobs”. These obstacles didn’t stop him even though it put a burden on his life, he was still able to press on and achieve a higher education. “I flourished…I will graduate with a degree in sociology” All of these real life stories show the reader that despite one’s socioeconomic status, anyone can receive an education, not just in high school but in college

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