Post 3: Revised Version

Evaluating Internet Sources

The article I chose to evaluate is “The Inequality in Public Schools” by Michael Godsey for The Atlantic. Michael Godsey, the writer of Inequality in Public Schools, is a educator in Southern California along with being a contributing writer for The Atlantic. Classism is used to destroy the education system by presenting unequal opportunities to those of lower income. Although Michael Godsey’s has the credentials to write about this topic, The Atlantic is also a respected online news source. Also the website has an email and phone number one can use to contact them or write to them. There is also a link to the home page but the writer and the news source website are both not part of a organization as the articles are posted about a wide range of current topics. The URL lets one know that the article/website is owned by the The Atlantic. The audience the writing is intended for is the general public along with those apart of scholarly programs. The purpose of the writing is to inform and explain the issue that is going on in our education systems with the input of classism. People are enlightened that classism is a growing issue in the education system that is destroying the future success of our country. Michael Godsey uses many facts based on averages across the nation and in his local education district. For example, “The seniors taking AP English, for example, reported an average SAT score of 1890, while those in the mainstream English classes reported a mean score of 1590.” Godsey uses this as an example of how those who are able to pay for the higher AP classes are more prepared for the tests like the SAT. Then Godsey uses an example nationwide like, “A 2004 National Center for Education Statistics report, which found that students who took AP science and math had an overall GPA of 3.61, compared to 2.85 among students who hadn’t taken either course.” This is another example of how students who are able to pay for the higher AP classes are more prepared and succeed more in school due to the curriculum difference between the two classes. He also explains the difference between students of high income and low income by stating, “In 2013, students in the country who qualified for free or reduced-price meals, an indicator of poverty, represented nearly half of all high-schoolers but only 27 percent of AP test-takers.” By stating this, Godsey is explaining how 27 percent of AP test takers are on a reduced meal plan. Another example of how much the colleges make of these tests would be, “The College Board, which oversees the AP program, collected $350 million last year from the nearly 4 million tests that were taken.” As one can tell the AP tests make the college board a lot of money, nearly $350 million. A more simple example of classism in education Godsey gives would be, “A more-obvious discrepancy happens when parents pay for private tutors or test-prep courses.” An obvious statement is given by Godsey to show how long and easy it is for classism to be introduced into education on so many different levels.

Through costs of tests, school materials, and tutors, students of low income are put at a disadvantage as they are not able to buy and receive the necessary tools to succeed. The article Inequality in Public Schools is a credible source because the writer Michael Godsey is an educator so he is able to observe the inequality classism presents in schools first hand. Godsey also uses many credible sources like the US Department of Education USDE, where Godsey seems to retrieve all his evidence and statistics of students from. Another credible source Godsey uses is the National Center for Education Statistics report NCESR to obtain statistics of dropout rates and graduation rates. In the article Godsey aso uses the credible source of National Statistics Statistics, to obtain information about AP tests and students. The Aspen Institute Aspen Institute is another credible source Godsey uses to explain the financial discrepancy in education. Lastly, Godsey uses the news source US News US News, to help conclude his argument on how the education system is segregated by money now rather than race.