Your Home Dictates Your Education: A Look at the Opportunity Gap in Minnesota
I can still remember the day vividly. As I walked down the school’s hallways, I could see that the ceiling tiles were cracked; some had fallen onto the ground and left piles of crushed, white powder. A few of the computer keyboards were missing keys, including important letters like “A” and “O”. It would be impossible for a student to type full sentences without these crucial vowels. The carpet had been ripped in several places; my foot got caught in one of the tangles as I made my way to my supervisor’s desk. He turned to me and asked if I had ever worked in an “inner-city school before.” I shook my head. He chuckled and replied, “Well, get ready.”
It was my first day working at a charter school in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I grew up living in a suburban residential neighborhood about 30 minutes north of the city. My educational opportunities and school facilities were stellar, to say the least. My public elementary school was well equipped with a newly-renovated library, a computer lab filled with the latest Apple computers, and a gymnasium large enough to fit several basketball courts. If the facilities weren’t enough, my teachers were able to push me to reach my full potential. I learned how to type on a keyboard at age 9, I was reading at an 8th grade level in 4th grade, and was always placed in advanced tracks or accelerated classes.
I grew up hearing the adults in my life say, “Minnesota has some of the best education in the United States! We are very lucky,” and “Anyone can do well in school if they work hard and do their best to succeed.” At the time, I fundamentally believed that everyone growing up in America had access to the same facilities and educational opportunities as I did.
It wasn’t until I first started volunteering with the charter school in Minneapolis that I realized how wrong my preconceived notions were. I came to understand that my educational achievements were largely dependent on the fact that I grew up in an upper-class suburban neighborhood, I attended well-funded schools, and my teachers were given adequate resources to support me in my studies.
Looking back on my experiences, I believe now more than ever that the white-dominant narrative around education in Minnesota must be changed. For starters, let me clarify a few key misconceptions Minnesotans have about education in our state:
1. Minnesota has one of the best education systems in the country. This is partially true, but only if you are white. If you are Latino, African American, Asian, or Native American, your chances of completing high school are worse in Minnesota than in almost any other state.
2. All students in Minnesota have access to equal facilities and educational technology. Once again, high caliber educational facilities may be available for white students growing up in Minnesota, but school funding for these facilities is inherently unequal. In fact, let me break down how public schools are funded not just in Minnesota, but in the United States. (Please note that charter schools are funded differently, but the financial barrier still persists. On average, charter schools receive 30 percent less funding per pupil compared to public schools.)
Public schools can receive funding in a variety of ways, but about half of total funds come directly from local property taxes.
Why is funding from local property taxes important? Families living in residential areas where their properties are worth more money will supply more funds to support the schools their children attend. However, in areas where properties are valued less and more people live in apartments or subsidized housing (and therefore, aren’t paying property taxes) less money will be going to fund local schools.
Students of color are more likely to live in low-income neighborhoods than white students. A study conducted by NYU sociologist Patrick Sharkey found that of children born between 1985 and 2000, 66% of black children grew up in a low-income neighborhood (defined as being 20% or more below the poverty rate), whereas only 6% of white children lived in a neighborhood with a high poverty concentration.
Schools are primarily funded based on the local wealth of the area. This perpetuates a cycle where children who grow up in poor areas attend schools with fewer resources and poorer facilities. Alternatively, students growing up in richer areas (like me) benefit from having well-funded schools with state of the art facilities.
3. All students in Minnesota have equal opportunities to succeed. This belief couldn’t be more false. Minnesota has one of the worst education gaps in the country between white students and students of color. For example, looking at graduation rates by race, one can see the clear distinction. In 2015, 88% of white students graduated from high school compared to 69% of Latino students, 68% of black students, and 56% of Native American students. These data demonstrate there are clear barriers students of color are facing when it comes to educational success.
My own experience working at a low-income charter school made up of primarily students of color has taught me that the Minnesota education system is failing its students. Through tutoring these students, they demonstrated to me their eagerness to learn and achieve success, but they were constrained by a lack of educational resources, facilities, and support. One girl I worked with was determined to understanding the math material we were covering in class. We formed a close relationship and she shared with me that she wanted to attend college someday and her top choice was the University of Minnesota. She was in 7th grade, but was still working to understand math that was at a 3rd grade level. It wasn’t her work ethic, dedication, or mindset that put her in that situation. Institutional barriers made it difficult for her (and other students in the same situation) to succeed in the same way their peers do at well-resourced schools. This is not the dream I have for Minnesotans.
Despite having access to limited resources, under-funded charter and public schools are taking measures to lessen the opportunity gap. The charter school I worked with has a tutoring program that is designed to provide students with a long-term tutor that can provide support and serve as an additional educational resource. Several schools are adjusting their curricula to better fit the student bodies they work with; this includes centering their schools around entrepreneurship, the arts, and science. However, the impact of these efforts would be amplified immensely if these schools were better funded.
What can you do to create a more equitable education system in Minnesota? For starters, contact your state and local representatives and tell them that funding poorer school districts is important to you. Additionally, you can email the Minnesota Department of Education’s Commissioner (currently Mary Ricker) to discuss your concerns about educational achievement in Minnesota. If you would like more resources about how to take action, this website is helpful.
