What does money really have to do with it?

When asked this question at the beginning of the module, I would have liked to think nothing right? The amount of money a person has shouldn't have to do with the kind of education their child is receiving. After reading more into this module, I realize this is not the case.

Almost half of the funding for schools in the United States comes from local property taxes. This makes for a large difference between wealthy and poor communities. These differences can be seen among states, among school districts within a state, and even among schools in a district. Many people are aware of these inequalities within school funding but tolerate them. According to “Unequal School,” the reasons people tolerate this because of 3 factors, historical factors relating to how public schools have always “been viewed as institutions that serve their local communities,” flawed studies saying that “levels of funding do not affect student achievement,” and beliefs about the causes of poverty. These beliefs about the causes of poverty, I feel, affect society's perceptions of public school funding the most. Lots of people in the United States hold the belief that “success and failure result mainly from individual effort rather than social circumstance.” I learned a lot about the myths and biases people hold relating to those in poverty. From reading “the myth of the culture of poverty,” I learned that although people may believe that poor people are unmotivated, or that poor parents don't care about their child's education, this is not at all the case. There is no culture of poverty, there is however a culture of classism. This is the idea of having lower expectations for lower-income students. Holding these beliefs that lower-income students can accomplish less is dangerous, and can lead to these students being treated differently and given less than they deserve, which can lead to those low expectations coming true. It is a sad reality that there are people who believe these things, but education on these biases and misconceptions is the first step to making a change.