urban schools

When I hear of urban schools , I immediately think of the inner city-schools consisting of high immigrant student population . These schools are composed of majority of students whose first language is not English . Moreover , urban schools are filled with students whose parents belong to a low socioeconomic status , thus a high incidence of poverty In addition , these schools are expected to showcase a diversity of cultures

These perceptions emanated from personal observations in urban school classrooms and environment , stories from teachers and students , class readings , and representations from the media . All

these sources point to the fact that urban school communities are characterized by a variety of social problems when compared to schools located in rural communities Among these apparent problems are illegal drug use , teenage drunkenness prostitution , family instability , poor health , and misbehavior

A clear example of a student in an urban school setting is Freddie Piniella , an academically excellent 11-year old kid from Clarendon Heights , who was cited in Macleod 's article , Social Mobility in the Land of Opportunity . Freddie and his peers in Clarendon Heights belong to the undereducated , unemployed , or imprisoned ' or working class families They come from an environment characterized by dilapidated and jam-packed tenement buildings and busy and noisy neighborhood that are battling out overcrowding , alcoholism , drug abuse , crime , and racism (Macleod , 1995 . This is the reason why one would not be surprised if children coming from this kind of environment would be influenced by such ill behavior and habits

Furthermore , most urban school students , as embodied by Freddie , do not take their future seriously because they believe their education will do them no good . Most of them look at their parents ' working class situation and believe that they will likewise experience the poor condition . They do not dream big dreams but spoke of manual labor in constructions or factories , and do not aspire for better-paying jobs in the future . This attitude of hopelessness of Freddie and his peers is a reflection of either their laziness or their refusal to respond productively to the realities that plague them because for them there is no future to look forward to . While a few may dream to get out of their struggling lives , like the group Brothers ' some will just hung around , choose to engage in violent acts , or waste their lives and their time , like the Hall Hangers (Macleod , 1995 .In addition , urban schools are clear proofs that American educational institutions are becoming more diverse than ever - a depiction of what Ravitch (1991 ) called an amalgamated America ' Currently , students who enroll in these schools are the descendants of different nationalities , religions , race , and ethnic groups ' They , having ancestors and relatives who have influenced and contributed their cultures into the common culture of America , have the right to be enrolled in whichever school they choose . They , like their white or native-English speaking counterparts , should be given equal opportunity to enjoy the right to education necessary for them to belong and be accepted in society , and enjoy...