Some Kids Are Lucky, Some Kids Aren’t - Why Does Opportunity Vary by Zip Code?

The Whitter School in Everett, MA, is one of the district’s smaller schools, with only about 600 kiddos.  Other elementary schools within that city district have well over 1,000 students.  The school is right off the Rotary on Broadway in Everett, across the street from a gas station and a pretty stellar burrito joint I used to sneak out to now and then.  When staff members park their cars, they have to do so on one side of the parking lot because the other side of the pavement is the playground…or lack thereof. 

There aren’t any slides or swings, and there isn't any grass, either. I think the only structure for the kids to play on is the flagpole.  So maybe at recess, they can get in a little game of four-square – and most of the children at the Whittier probably don’t even know what a gaga pit is.  Truth be told, I did not know what one was until about a year ago.  Skinned knees come easy on the asphalt, and staff members have to be on watch for passers-by who might be all too interested in the little ones in the lot.

When my own son was in kindergarten, I was at the Whitter to observe a kindergartener who came to us from El Salvador.  Things were not going well for him, his teacher, and his classmates, and there were times when I had to move children from classes to more suitable programs.  I walked into this classroom and took a seat…and I remember thinking to myself….holy shit. 

In a room filled with 29 five-year-olds and one teacher – who was in her first year, there were no other adults other than me…an observer.  It was a don’t just sit there moment.  Any well-intended adult sitting in my seat knows that he/she/they must do something.  So, I did my observations while I did my best to help out.  Half the class barely spoke English, and at least one was only questionably potty trained.  But the teacher was on it.  Homegirl had it down – in a space where most educators would be curled up in a ball by the end of the day, she was a five-foot-five version of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop. 

If only it were this easy

Moving from little kid group to little kid group, I knew that just 18 miles away, there was another Kindergarten with only 16 little ones…with two teachers.  The kids 18 miles away had a playground that cost close to a half-million smackeroos; and SmartBoards don’t necessarily make intelligent kids, but when the staffing numbers are right, they are a tool that helps them get there.  The Whittier School was built in the mid-1970s.  The school 18 miles down the road was built 40 years later. 

Here in America, where public education is funded through taxation – the Free and Appropriate Public Education children receive varies by zip code.  If we can do a reverse Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and have our forefathers take a look at this (rather than Bill and Ted looking at them), what do you think they’d say?  Would they call what is happening democratic and fair?  Is it equal opportunity when the children in underfunded schools aren’t reading, writing, or doing arithmetic even close to those in the well-funded schools? 

All we are is dust in the wind, dude.

~ Ted (Theodore) Logan, 1989

Something brought up to me tonight was the concept that many feel that civil service examinations have certain biases that make it difficult for minority candidates to make it through.  So, it’s the test?  Perhaps.  But has anyone ever considered that the most underfunded school districts are the cities?  The most underfunded districts in Massachusetts are Lawrence and Holyoke, where more than 90% of their student bodies are represented by minorities.  With the absolute lowest educational funding allowed by law, how do you think these kids do on Civil Service Examinations compared to the kids that go to schools with literally 200% of their schools' funding level?  Ever think it might not be the test, and the real issue is class size, professional development for teachers, or services that help children learn and grow? 

Professional development, curricula, and data collection tools—all of which are expensive—are the first things cut from school budgets.  Technology gets yanked, too – and then kids and staff try to make it all happen on computers and an infrastructure that is slow and, at times, useless.  These are the tools the teachers need to make things happen – the equivalent of hiring a master carpenter with few tools.  Carpenters need more than hammers, just like teachers now need more than books.  Carpenters need time to plan great work, and teachers do too. 

The stark disparities between schools like Whittier and their more affluent counterparts illustrate a troubling reality: funding in public education heavily influences the quality and scope of educational opportunities available to children. The difference in resources, from playgrounds to professional support, doesn’t merely hint at inequality but screams a systemic failure that undermines the principle of equal opportunity.  The fact that some five year olds get more out of Kindergarten than others irks the hell out of me. 

This is how AI depicts the public schools in the pockets of families

Public education should be an empowering platform that equips all children, regardless of zip code, with the tools necessary for success in life. It’s imperative that we advocate for policies ensuring that no family is burdened with fees for essentials like transportation and after-school activities, which are critical for children's holistic development. Such costs can deter participation, especially among the most vulnerable populations, exacerbating educational inequities.  Somebody somewhere has to speak up about this.  Somebody has to speak for the children…for they are not old enough to vote. 

Investing in public education is investing in the future of our society. It ensures every child has a fair start in life, with access to the same high-quality resources and opportunities. A truly democratic society cannot afford to have its future leaders' potentials dictated by their financial means. Let's advocate for a fully funded public education – in every city and every town…a universally accessible and genuinely equitable education, allowing every little one to thrive and contribute to our collective progress.  Even AI will need informed and intelligent humans to put it properly to work.