Education and Democracy

Education and Democracy

Democratic Society

Various elements define a democratic society. Protection of the rights of every individual and equality are crucial elements of a democratic society (Diamond & Gunther, 2001). Equality means that in a democratic society, members are accorded equal opportunities despite their differences in such as demographic features as age, gender, socio-economic status, and political affiliations et al.

Statement of the Problem

In democratic societies, people are deemed to be equal (Diamond & Morlino, 2005). As a result, people should have equal access to opportunities, and the fundamental rights of all people should be similar. However, it is not the case in most multicultural societies. Although they are regarded as democratic societies, some people, especially the diverse populations, are regarded as ‘second-class’ citizens (Vedder et al., 2006). Consequently, the diverse populations do not have access to equal opportunities when it comes to education. It is a factor that has resulted in discrepancies in educational achievement between the current majority population and the diverse populations in most multicultural societies.

The continued educational achievement discrepancies have seen most people from diverse populations continue to live in a vicious cycle of poverty, a factor that necessitates the need to put in place suitable measures to address the discrepancies. Notably, various stakeholders, especially the governments in the multicultural societies, have put in efforts to bridge the educational achievement gap between the current majority population and the diverse populations. However, the strategies adopted are not sufficiently effective as the discrepancies continue to exist even in democratic societies. Therefore, there is an increasing need to initiate a research-based strategy to help resolve the problem of the educational achievement discrepancies between the current majority population and the diverse populations.

Discrepancies between Achievements of​‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‍‍‍‌‌​ High School Diplomas or Advanced Degrees between Diverse Populations and the Current Majority Population

Table 1: Educational Attainment: 18 Years and Over by Population 2019

Table 2: Percentage Representation of the Educational Discrepancies

Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2019/demo/educational-attainment/cps-detailed-tables.html

Table 1 shows education achievement amongst the different populations in the United States. America is a multicultural society, and hence, its data of educational achievement is a depiction of the discrepancies in educational achievement between the diverse populations and the current majority population in many nations. In the U.S., the whites are the majority population. Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics are the diverse populations. It can be inferred from Table 2 that there are significant discrepancies in the educational achievement of the different populations. For instance, as of 2019, 74% of all bachelor’s degrees were held by the whites, and the remaining 26% shared amongst the diverse populations. Table 2 shows that there are discrepancies at all levels of education, starting from graduation from high school to the achievement of doctoral degrees.

Research-Based Solutions to Solving the Educational Achievement Discrepancies

The educational achievement gap depicted in tables 1 and 2 can be bridged by addressing the causing of the discrepancies. Research by Stanford (2017) reveals that there is a positive correlation between the educational achievement gaps amongst the diverse and majority populations in the U.S. and the social-economic gaps amongst the diverse and majority populations in the country. Thus, the levels of income amongst the diverse populations is relatively low compared to the levels of income amongst the majority populations. Children from families with high levels of income have more access to educational opportunities compared with children from families with low levels of income. The quality of educational opportunities available to the majority population is significantly high compared to the quality of educational opportunities that most families from the diverse populations can afford. Hence, bridging the socio-economic gap between the majority population and the diverse populations is a way through which the educational achievement discrepancies can be addressed. Also, the cost of education should be reduced to ensure that majority of the people from the diverse populations can afford quality education. Policy reforms aimed at increasing the accessibility of quality education amongst all children regardless of the socio-economic statuses of their families can help to address the educational discrepancies between the majority population and the diverse populations.

Teale et al. (2007) associate the continued education achievement gaps to curriculum gaps, especially at the early education stages. Thus, bridging the curriculum gaps can help address the educational achievement discrepancies that is existent between the diverse populations and the current majority populations. Teale et al. (2011) recommend the standardization of curriculum, especially in the early grades, as a strategy to bridge the education achievement gaps. Adherence to the principles of a democratic society can go a long way in ensuring that children have equal education opportunities, and some children are no disadvantaged based on curriculum gaps.

References

Diamond, L., & Gunther, R. (Eds.). (2001). Political parties and democracy. JHU Press.

Diamond, L., & Morlino, L. (Eds.). (2005). Assessing the quality of democracy. JHU Press.

Stanford, C. E. P. A. (2017). Racial and ethnic achievement gaps. Center for Education Policy Analysis Stanford.

Teale, W. H., Paciga, K. A., & Hoffman, J. L. (2007). Beginning reading instruction in urban schools: The curriculum gap ensures a continuing achievement gap. The Reading Teacher, 61(4), 344-348.

United States Census Bureau (2020). Educational Attainment in the United States: 2019. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2019/demo/educational-attainment/cps-detailed-tables.html

Vedder, P., Horenczyk, G., Liebkind, K., & Nickmans, G. (2006). Ethno-culturally diverse education settings: problems, challenges, and solutions. Educational research review., 1(2), 157-168.