Ryan+Tozier+The+Wire+and+educational+inequalities

Watch and comment on [|Sociological Cinema: The Wire and Educational Inequality]

The purpose of the two clips from //The Wire// is to highlight the problem of inequalities within the educational system. Most countries fund schools equally, but the US funds schools using local property taxes. This causes issues because the wealthier the area, the better funded the school. Some of the problems that stem from the inequalities are inadequate funding, difficulty retaining students, understaffing, and an inability to attract new teachers. These issue are portrayed in the two provided clips.

In the first clip, we are immediately introduced to one of problem, under-staffing, at underfunded school as the principle lists off the teachers who won’t be returning this year. How they have teacher shortages in science and math. In addition, the two people point out that the teacher moved out of the city to teaching at a suburban school. The two people talking do say that one of the teachers left because of harassment from the students as opposed to leaving specifically for better pay. This does highlight the problem of qualified teachers because to teach in certain schools requires different types of teachers and if the teacher allow their students to harass them they are most certainly not the right qualified. Next it shows that how underfunded the school is as the assistant tries to buzz in Prez because she talks about how nothing works as it should. When Prez is brought in seeking a job as a math teacher without teaching credentials the two people talking look skeptical. That is until he says he was formerly a police officer. This highlights the need of the administration to both fill in their missing teachers and their need for someone able to handle students with behavioral issues.

In the second clip, different issues are portrayed as a result of underfunding. We are introduced to a student who hasn’t gone to school for three years to help get a business started. When he comes back he hasn’t been held back any grades. He is now is a class 3 years ahead of where he left. The principle calls this social promotion, which is when a school doesn’t have the resources to let students repeat grade levels and they don’t feel it is fair to the teachers who are responsible for maintaining order in the classroom. The issue here is that the student who should be in the 6th grade and is now in the 8th grade has no hope of understanding the material he is presented with. The school makes a good point and it is difficult to place the student where he prepared to be, the system is messed up and makes it clear that both parties are trying their best, but there is a problem in the system above where they are capable of making change.