DIGITAL EQUITY
As an international student who's not very familiar with American
schools, I thought I'd reflect on inequities in my home country since we
follow the French educational system but when I start thinking about
these inequities, I found out that they are pretty much the same.
Inequity #1: Schools in rich neighborhoods get access to computers, tablets, and better infrastructure because of where the school is located. For Schools in poor neighborhoods, having a computer lab is a luxury they can't afford due to the lack of funding. Education is free and schools get pretty much the same amount of funding. I took an Education policy class last semester and learned that in the U.S, property taxes parents pay determine school funding, however, in Western European countries like France or Spain, schools are subsidized by the government and schools get money based on the number of students enrolled. Let's say that there are two schools, School A is in a rich neighborhood and school B is in a poor neighborhood. Both schools have 500 students. The government will give both schools the same amount of money. However, School A get donations from the parents and these donations make a difference.
Inequity #2: Schools in the capital get access to training and new technology first. When trying new things like using tablets in classes, for example, the ministry of education will provide schools in the capital first and will train the teachers to use new technology. However, schools in other provinces of the country rarely get selected for these innovative projects. I think that there should be a more inclusive system like a rotation system where every quarter, a different province gets selected for these projects.
Inequity #1: Schools in rich neighborhoods get access to computers, tablets, and better infrastructure because of where the school is located. For Schools in poor neighborhoods, having a computer lab is a luxury they can't afford due to the lack of funding. Education is free and schools get pretty much the same amount of funding. I took an Education policy class last semester and learned that in the U.S, property taxes parents pay determine school funding, however, in Western European countries like France or Spain, schools are subsidized by the government and schools get money based on the number of students enrolled. Let's say that there are two schools, School A is in a rich neighborhood and school B is in a poor neighborhood. Both schools have 500 students. The government will give both schools the same amount of money. However, School A get donations from the parents and these donations make a difference.
Inequity #2: Schools in the capital get access to training and new technology first. When trying new things like using tablets in classes, for example, the ministry of education will provide schools in the capital first and will train the teachers to use new technology. However, schools in other provinces of the country rarely get selected for these innovative projects. I think that there should be a more inclusive system like a rotation system where every quarter, a different province gets selected for these projects.
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