Gryphon Gazette

The student news site of Animo Pat Brown Charter High School

The student news site of Animo Pat Brown Charter High School

Gryphon Gazette

The student news site of Animo Pat Brown Charter High School

Gryphon Gazette

Education in Lower Communities

Graduation mortar on top of books
Graduation mortar on top of books

 

By: Angela Acosta, Anabel Ocampo & Abigail Jimenez

You wake up to go to school feeling sad and depressed because you have to go school in a dangerous and poor neighborhood. According to statistics, poor communities where violence and crimes mostly occur, is one of the top worst areas to live in. Day and night there are car pursuits, gang related shootings, violence, etc. Students are constantly walking back and forth from and to these areas in order to proceed in their education. Watts has a high rate of 13,219 people with no high school education and a low rate of 1,196 with a Graduate Degree. It is obvious that in the area of lower communities there are not many “richer” opportunities for students to achieve a high education that will give them a successful career that they dream of. We went out to ask the student’s here at APB, how they feel about their living area affecting their education.

We asked Junior, Yoalmo Nava, if he believed that students in lower communities get the same education as other student in other wealthier communities, he said, “I think  students in lower communities and other students do get the same education… it depends on the person… if you want to put in the work then put in the work and if you don’t want to then you don’t want to.” When we asked him how does his neighborhood affect his education his response was, “I think it affects you because maybe if you grow up in a bad neighborhood… shootings… gang members.”Finally, we asked if he believed that his race/ethnicity affected his education, he said, “I think they are the same no matter who you are or what race you are.” It is known that there are a few communities that are although more wealthier than others, have the similar graduation rates with those in poor communities.

When asked the same question to another student Junior, Anthony Cervantes responded, “I don’t think they have money to afford education unlike white people… white people have more money than other people and get farther more education.” If you live in the a rich neighborhood nothing happens….except for school shooting”. Then we asked if the education he is getting prepares him for college and he stated, “No because I am not paying attention at all and nothing here is interesting….this school is very small.” We asked for his thoughts on how we could improve education/graduation rates in lower communities his response was, “By making the work more fun…more like active not just boring and just writing stuff down.”

We asked Junior, Jose Mendoza, what his opinion on education in lower communities was and he said, “It’s all about the student, if somebody wants to learn, they’re gonna learn regardless of what they have. It’s still the same textbooks, if they want to learn just do it”. According to some effects, students affiliating themselves with antisocial peers had a negative effect on children’s academic progress, even though some students come from nurturing families.

History teacher Ms. Jang, said, “I personally think there is schools in this community that work and that provide students with the education that deserve. I think the amount of money parents are able to spend on their kids is different, some can get a private tutor or they notice their SAT scores are low, they can go to SAT private tutoring.” When asked about improving graduation rates in lower communities, she said, “I think the system here at APB is working, so I’m an advocate for smaller schools like APB where student can have closer relationships with not just their teacher but their counselors and principal.” As statistics also shows that since 2013, people with the highest income rate are eight times more likely to graduate as they are able to afford high quality education than those in the low income rate who tend to poor education and higher dropout rates

During our interview with Ms. Brown she stated, “In more affluent communities, students sometimes have better schools, facilities, more resources because if their families are wealthy they may have access to things outside of school that help them become successful outside of school like they might be able to afford expensive SAT prep and other test preparation. They might be able to get private tutors or things like that so I think wealthier communities have access to resources not just within schools.”As research shows that the education gap is growing wider between rich and poor as richer families are in well funded schools leaving blacks and hispanics in shabbier schools.

In the end, many students are not happy with the education that they are getting because of the area it is located in. Living in poor areas limits students to having less high education opportunities than a student living in a richer and safe neighborhood giving them more opportunities. Living in low communities has been very difficult for students  because they have been negatively influenced by the wrong actions and are being persuaded that committing illegal actions will be the easiest and fastest way to financially support themselves without the need of education. With the student’s beliefs, it shows that they are mentally affected by this because they only have certain limits. Students had different opinions on this topic and how school systems should make different arrangements to improve education in lower communities. Schools should suggest cutting down on homework and making work appealing to the students so they could stay interested on their work. Students having their own opinion about their community affecting their education shows that they are dissatisfied with the school system and students should work together to gain better resources in order to have the education and opportunities that they truly deserve.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All Gryphon Gazette Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to toolbar