the lack of equal opportunity

I could not help but notice while reading how the sentiments expressed by Aristotle in regards to equal access to education continue to resonate in today’s society, most notably permeating through political platforms. Rightly so, as Aristotle states, “No one will doubt that the legislator should direct his attention above all to the education of youth; for the neglect of education does harm to the constitution.” It is true that the issue of education has been addressed time and again by politicians and government officials, yet there remains a significant achievement gap between the haves and the have-nots (which we touched on briefly in class) due to the lack of equal access to opportunity. This divergence only continues to grow as the government has provided mere band-aids to the problems plaguing public education rather than getting to the heart of the matter. The Republican platform of school vouchers is one such “band-aid.” That is, rather than forcing students to attend the public school in their district which may be struggling, families are given vouchers to facilitate payment to attend a private school of their choosing. What then, of the schools that the best and brightest students are avoiding? The fact is, schools that are struggling desperately need parents and motivated students to roll up their sleeves and get involved to turn them in another direction. When families throw up their hands and choose to go elsewhere, these schools continue to erode, much to the detriment of the students who cannot afford to go elsewhere – thereby reinforcing the achievement gap.

Only when we can look beyond ourselves and our own needs to the betterment of society as a whole will we begin to close the achievement gap. But, I guess we are all guilty of wanting the best for our own children. As parents, the first thing you look for when buying a house is not how many bedrooms and bathrooms a particular house has, but rather the school district in which it resides. Aristotle states that “education should be one and the same for all, and that it should be public, and not private – not as at present, when everyone looks after his own children”. Well, Aristotle, I’m sorry to say that modern society still does not have it right.