Do Minorities Matter?: Inequality and Inequity in Public Secondary Education in Maryland

Abstract

In the United States, the education level strongly correlates with socioeconomic status. This paper examines relationship between social stratification and public education system. Three questions will be addressed: Does current education system in the United States reinforce social stratification? Is the reason to be found in the fact that current education system distributes resources unequally? Has issue of unequal education shifted from race to class? Data collected from federal and states governments to understand situation among schools. This study finds that inequality among schools is caused mainly by discrimination against the poor and minorities. The current education system reinforces social stratification because of unequal resources. The issue of unequal education has shifted not from race to class but race to race, “social minority” and class, “economic minority.”