How to Tackle Wealth Inequality
The top one percent of Americans haul in almost half of new income. The top tenth of a percent own more wealth than the bottom eighty percent combined.
At the cost of the vast majority, wealth remains concentrated amongst the elite. Wealth inequality is one of America’s most damning problems today. It has created a system of social immobility in a country that has laid its foundations in meritocracy.
One of the greatest, most tragic effects of wealth inequality is access inequality in education. From my experiences in Newburgh and Chappaqua, and from the impassioned reading I’ve done on this issue, I’ve come to understand that the wealthier a student is, the more resources there will be at the student’s disposal. Effectively, the wealthier you are, the more academically successful you’ll be.
This system transgresses the aforementioned American value of meritocracy. It also diminishes the founding principle of equal opportunity for all: if you come from an economically disadvantaged background, you have less access to educational resources that have big impacts on students’ success — technology, tutors, and college prep materials, for example.
The great question, then, is how to reduce this disparity in educational access inequality. It's an important issue to tackle, as educating the less fortunate is the best means to stop the cyclical nature of wealth inequality.
One thing that I must address, however, is that while I’m strictly addressing economic backgrounds in this essay, it’s imperative to consider race’s impact on education. For example, inherent, widespread racial bias and segregated school districts also play a large role in the inadequate access of many less privileged black and Hispanic students. Ignoring this altogether is equitable to ignoring racism in America.
This issue is complex; politicians, policymakers, and school officials are grappling with the same difficult task. Any solution requires a thoughtful interweaving of multiple approaches.
I believe that the first place to start, and probably the best way to tackle this issue, is to provide greater technological access to underprivileged students. Technology creates a realm of possibilities. Infinite amounts of information can be found on the Internet, so much so that my AP US History teacher often stated, “Why do you guys even need me here when you have the Internet?” Her somewhat-facetious question alludes to the power of the Internet in education. From Khan Academy to online tutors to college prep guides and materials to online lectures, the Internet has a wealth of educational resources. In today’s era, almost anything can be learned on the Internet.
As a child, I was always enraptured by a breadth of topics, including American history, human biology, and pop culture. I spent many afternoons sitting at the computer in my parents’ office, the hours passing by as I immersed myself in the depths of yet another Wikipedia article. Children are inherently curious, regardless of their backgrounds. While increasing technological access can lead to unintended exposure to inappropriate or counterproductive material, putting an iPad or laptop into children’s hands allows them to follow these interests and create their own academic initiative. It’s this ingrained inquisitiveness that will be essential to each student pursuing a higher level of achievement. The possible benefits provided by educational technology outweigh the potential drawbacks.
Another aspect to confront is the culture around academics within underprivileged communities. When I moved, I experienced a culture shock. In Newburgh few students, including those whose parents held a college degree, had a grasp on preparing for college or the importance of education. Conversely, the culture in Chappaqua, both amongst students and parents, seems to revolve around these concepts. As a result, students in Chappaqua are more academically focused, more engaged with what they are learning, and more inclined to seek higher education.
It’s imperative, therefore, to build a culture of academics in schools in disadvantaged communities. This involves educating parents on the importance of an education and the methods to reinforce this idea at home, hiring teachers who challenge their students, and offering programs that meticulously guide these students towards higher education and instill within them an internal drive to pursue greater goals.
Another element to the cultural issue that’s often neglected is the student-teacher ratio in these underprivileged schools. Anecdotally, these schools feature classrooms filled with upwards of thirty students, but they lack adequate staff to support these students’ learning. As a result, there is less engagement from these students, resulting in less passion for learning. This leads to a devaluing of academia amongst the student body, making the pursuit of higher education a less attractive option.
Finally, government policy must be reshaped to fully overcome the access inequality gap. More money must be directed to underfunded schools in order to pay for resources, such as better textbooks, technology, and teachers. Moreover, there must be student-loan reform, as the current system discourages many poor students from even considering pursuing college or from attending a more elite school versus a less expensive option. Additionally, whether the basis is racial or economic, school district lines must not be drawn so divisively. This is the case in many midwestern and southern regions, where the school a student goes to is often correlated to their socioeconomic backgrounds, thus establishing segregated school systems. Lastly, the government must uphold affirmative action policies, as these policies promote higher and more sustained levels of success for disadvantaged students. While the counterargument is often that thrusting these students into hyper-competitive elite schools is unjust to them and other, accomplished students, a degree from Harvard or another elite school has great consequences. These diplomas open up a plethora of seemingly exclusive career pathways — ones that can might not seen by equally-qualified graduates of colleges outside of the top five. Ballasted by this degree, an underprivileged student may become more likely to land lucrative, high-profile jobs and thus finally gain the means to sever the entrapping chains of wealth inequality.
If we want American society to mirror the image of the Founders and the haven sought after by immigrants from around the world, there must be greater equality in access to educational resources. Until we level the disparity between rich and poor, wealth inequality will continue to persist as one of our society’s greatest issues.
