Schools aren't just about education

Like most jobs, areas, and pretty much anything you can think of, schools too are regulated by  government and money. It pains me to hear that even with all of the advancements we have made in both technology and education that people are still living in horrible situations due to poverty. Some towns lack the resources they need to keep their streets clean and their employees with a job, how would they be able to properly educate their children in these situations? Schools that are in impoverished neighborhoods often can't gather enough resources to keep their classrooms situated in the way that students learn best. They often shove as many kids as possible into one classroom with the teacher that has a less than satisfactory salary which can make teachers less willing to do good work with their students. Often the schools are dirty and starting to wear down because they can't afford to fix and clean the hallways and classrooms. Environment is everything for the students and they don't learn well in filth. However, once these schools do start finding the resources they need students benefit greatly. Look at Cameron Elementary in Virginia, which has an unusually high percentage of low-income students. Classes are kept at 15 students or fewer, and teachers have a very high salary. They have freshly painted walls and can hire math and reading specialists to help struggling students. Having all of these resources helps the students get the education they deserve, and it is all based on how local and state funding policy is formed, and in Virginia, Cameron is lucky that is benefits so much from the policies around it. Other schools aren't so lucky. You can read more about this in the link below.

School Funding's Tragic Flaw

A lot of this funding policy also leads to a huge discrepancy in the educational world: teacher salary. Teachers are getting paid way less than they should be compared to the effort, time, and importance of our jobs. A good teacher is one of the biggest factors in educational outcome, and poor schools don't always have the money to recruit and retain the best teachers out there, just increasing the educational gap in poorer communities. Being able to raise teacher salaries is important to "draw in the best talent," as Isaac Sall says in his article about paying teachers fairly (linked below).

If We Want Better Education, We Could Start With Paying Teachers Fairly