How America's public schools keep kids in poverty | Kandice Sumner

Summary

In this impassioned speech, the speaker reflects on her experience as a product of a desegregation program and now as a teacher in an underprivileged school system. She discusses the stark educational disparities between affluent and impoverished students, particularly children of color, and the historical roots of this inequity. The speaker advocates for a systemic change in education funding and encourages individuals to support initiatives like DonorsChoose to bridge the resource gap, emphasizing that every child deserves access to a high-quality education.

Takeaways

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The speaker passionately claims her 696 students as her own kids, emphasizing the potential she sees in them despite societal challenges.
• 🏛️ The speaker highlights the systemic educational inequality, pointing out that her students, who are mostly of color and from less affluent backgrounds, are often denied the opportunities she had.
• 🚌 The speaker's own educational journey benefited from a desegregation program that allowed her to attend a better-funded school, contrasting her experience with her current students' lack of similar opportunities.
• 🎻 The disparity in educational resources is palpable, with the speaker noting the absence of libraries, sports facilities, arts programs, and advanced labs in her students' school compared to her own past experiences.
• 😔 The speaker expresses a deep sense of frustration and survivor's remorse, knowing that her students deserve better but are constrained by systemic injustices.
• 📚 Through the platform DonorsChoose, the speaker successfully acquires new books for her classroom, demonstrating the power of community support to enhance educational experiences.
• 🌟 The joy and surprise of the students upon receiving new books underscore their lack of access to basic educational materials and the impact such donations can have.
• 🏫 The speaker calls for a reevaluation of the term 'achievement gap,' suggesting it should be reframed as an 'education debt' to acknowledge the historical underinvestment in the education of black and brown children.
• 💼 The speaker challenges the audience to consider the role of public education as a form of poverty insurance, criticizing the reliance on property taxes for school funding which perpetuates inequality.
• 🌎 She advocates for systemic changes, such as equitable school funding, and encourages individuals to engage in philanthropy or support initiatives that aim to bridge the educational resource gap.

Q & A

How many kids does the speaker consider as her own?

The speaker considers 696 kids as her own, referring to all the students she has had the honor of teaching in her classroom.

What does the speaker believe is the primary reason her students don't see their own potential?

The speaker believes that her students, who are mostly of color and from non-rich backgrounds, seldom get to see their own potential because of systemic educational inequalities and biases.

Why does the speaker feel a sense of survivor's remorse?

The speaker feels survivor's remorse because she had access to a high-quality education through a desegregation program, while many other kids like her did not have the same opportunity.

What was the speaker's experience with the desegregation program during her childhood?

As a child, the speaker was bused from an inner-city neighborhood to a suburban school as part of a voluntary desegregation program, which provided her with better educational resources.

What disparities did the speaker notice between her school and her neighborhood friends' schools?

The speaker noticed disparities such as her school having fully equipped athletic facilities, a library, theatre departments, well-resourced labs, and other amenities, while her neighborhood friends' schools lacked these resources.

Why does the speaker argue that the term 'achievement gap' should be replaced with 'education debt'?

The speaker argues that 'achievement gap' should be replaced with 'education debt' to reflect the historical lack of investment in the education of black and brown children, which has led to the current disparities in educational outcomes.

How did the speaker's experience with DonorsChoose impact her classroom?

Through DonorsChoose, the speaker received over 200 brand-new books for her classroom, which significantly increased her students' engagement with reading and made them feel valued and cared for by the broader community.

What does the speaker suggest as a solution to the disparities in public education funding?

The speaker suggests that school funding should not be dependent on property taxes or economic equations that favor affluent areas, but should be equitably distributed to ensure all students have access to quality education.

What is the speaker's view on the role of philanthropy in education?

The speaker views philanthropy as a necessary but insufficient solution to educational disparities, highlighting that historically, the education of black and brown children has often depended on the charity of others rather than systemic change.

What is the speaker's call to action for individuals to help address educational disparities?

The speaker calls for individuals to donate time, money, resources, and opportunities to help bridge the educational gap, using platforms like DonorsChoose and advocating for policy changes to ensure equitable education for all.