Segregation in US Schools
Decades after the Brown versus Board of Education ruling was made barring segregation, segregation still exists in many US schools. This is very suicidal in the economy of the country. Research has shown that in those areas and communities where segregation is common, the neighbors are poor and there is high prevalence in crime. Consequently, poor neighbors have less access to doctors and medical facilities and die of chronic diseases. There is also inequality in resource sharing and makes these groups more vulnerable. Segregation promotes conflict amongst communities and this hinders productivity of the said people and thus, end up hurting the economy negatively. Unfortunately, when we have a group of sad, unproductive members in the community, the economy hurts (CHAMBLISS). These people use state resources but make little or no contribution through taxes since they are unemployed due to this segregation. For this reason, there is high need for all stakeholders to come together and address the issue of segregation, objectively, so as to foster diversity hence forging peace. This will greatly contribute to the growth of the economy and most of the social problems, such as crime will be reduced greatly. Consequently, the economy will grow and there will be equitable distribution of resources to all.
College Dropouts
Research has shown that the phenomenon of school dropouts has risen in the US making the country sink low in the list of countries with high transition rates at the college level. This phenomena has been promoted by current high college costs – it has been seen that the cost of college education has tripled between 1980 and 2010 (CHAMBLISS). Another reason is that some students are not able to cope with the rigorous college academic demands and this has rendered frustrations. Additionally, most students are not able to balance education and work, thus, drop out.
A Functionalist Perspective
A functionalist would look at this from the perspective of positive contribution to the economy. They would argue that some of these dropouts end up forming the lower class in the society that support the educated class. That is, if everyone was educated and wanted to work in the high profile jobs then we would have a gap and the society would not function as expected. They would also argue that while others are studying the dropouts are out working making a positive contribution to the economy.
A Conflict Theorist Perspective
A conflict theorist would look at the dropout phenomenon from a conflict point of view. They would argue that students drop out of school due to conflicts that are brought about by discrimination, unequal distribution of resources, disagreements with the administration, among others.
Solution Opinion
In my opinion, the most effective way of addressing this problem is by formulating better policies that will address the current financial challenge at the college level. For example, by increasing the loan allocation to students in college, this way they will concentrate on education without distractions.
Works Cited
CHAMBLISS, WILLIAM J. Discover Sociology + Discover Sociology Interactive Ebook, 3rd Ed. S.l.: SAGE PUBLICATIONS, 2017. Print.
