Racial Dimensions and Education Inequality Social Research Paper

The Connection Between Inequality in Education and Ethnicity in the United States
Author Name(s), First M. Last, Omit Titles and Degrees
Institutional Affiliation(s)
The Connection Between Inequality in Education and Ethnicity in the United States
Introduction
Youth are considered the future of any community and society. Through education, youth are endowed with the necessary skills, values, and abilities to contribute to their wellbeing and that society. Education is a life-long process, and it does not end on completion of college or a university accolade. The foundation for this life-long process is laid at a young age in the minds of the youth. However, the American education system continues to marginalize minority groups in American society as a result of racial discrimination. Social inequality in the modern world refers to systemically structured and recurrent patterns of unequal distribution of opportunities, rewards, goods, wealth, and punishment (Crossman, 2020). Racism, for instance, is a form of inequality through which access to the enjoyment of rights and resources is unfairly distributed along racial lines (Hanks, Solomon, & Weller, 2018). The education sector in the United States is among the key sectors through which inequality based on racial lines remains prevalent in modern times. This paper seeks to explore the connection between inequality in the education sector and ethnicity in the United States.
Education in the United States
By far, the United States is among the wealthiest nations on the planet. In 2019, the country had a GDP of $21.44 trillion and, therefore, the biggest economy in the world. Currently, the federal government has allocated 6.2% of the GDP to the education sector. In 2018, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development published a report indicating that the USA is among the top countries that have invested the most in education. According to the report, the USA spends $12,800 per student on secondary and elementary education, a figure that is 35% more than the average amount ($9,500) for OECD countries. Further, the report indicates that the country spends an estimated $30,000 per student on post-secondary education, 93% more than the average ($16,100) for all OECD countries. Despite these figures, the country ranks below average when ranked against other education systems around the world.
In 2015, rankings compiled by Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) placed America's education system 38th (below average) out of 71 countries in mathematics and 24th in science. Given the size of the American economy and the country's seemingly advanced civilization, expectations are that it should have an inclusive education system that is accessible to all citizens regardless of household income, race, or ethnicity. Scholars have suggested several reasons as to why the American system continues to lag. Nevertheless, funds are not the problem as indicated by the 2017 fiscal year that saw the country provide foreign aid worth $49.87 billion. A significant reason for the problem in the American education system is inequality based on racial and ethnic lines.
Benefits of Education
The benefits of education to both self and society are diverse. I...