Jack Thorman - Integration Response

If we lived in a nation where we could trust the government or the people in power to work to equalize the gap in educational equality, forced integration would not be necessary. However, there is no end in site to the gap in education between races and between children of different socio-economic strata. Before the debate, I had no doubt that schools needed to be integrated, not only to create an equal education for all, but also to expose young children to different races, cultures, and economic backgrounds. After the debate however, I came to the conclusion that integration of schools would not be a necessity if our government tried to create a level playing field. If the government would put resources into underserved school communities, the disparity of educational opportunities would lessen. The elitist system in America facilitates schools remaining segregated and economically unequal. High-income families self-select communities peopled with families like themselves leading to a lack of diversity and concentrations of wealth and privilege. Although some studies have found that children who learn in integrated schools are more prepared for the real world and are more likely to have a diverse group of friends, integrated schools do not seem like the only way to achieve this success. It seems entirely feasible that students from less advantaged backgrounds and minority races would feel more comfortable in a learning environment with others of the same background or race. Unfortunately, the reality is that if we keep schools segregated, the schools with a majority white population will continue to get the most money, and therefore, better prepare their children for college and beyond.