Immigrants and the Schools by David K. Cohen

David K. Cohen a Professor of Education discussed the idea that Knowledge is power and the key to individual social and economic status; he also stated that having an education prevent social problems. David also compares various measures of school performance for immigrant and native white children, in approaching the question of schooling and social mobility. Research on the following is evaluated: (1) surveys of school retardation carried out at the turn of the century, (2) differences in retardation rates between children from English and non-English-speaking countries, (3) rank order of nationalities for high school and elementary school completion, (4) rank order of nationalities in IQ tests among elementary and high school children, (5) relation between ethnicity and high school selection, and (6) importance of ethnicity and class to educational achievement among immigrants. The evidence presented suggests that pupils from many immigrant groups were much more likely to be retarded than their native white schoolmates, more likely to make low scores on IQ tests, and a good deal less likely to remain in high school. There was, however, a good deal of variability in immigrant children's educational attainment: some groups (Jewish) did as well or better than the average for native whites, and others (central and southern European non-Jewish, and to a lesser extent, Irish) much worse.

I am a believer in education.  As I looked at this article I realized that the historical view was that schooling worked for immigrants coming from Europe but had a different effect for Negroes.  I asked myself the question ‘Why, why did schooling worked for Europeans and not Negroes?’ Even though this article was based on the history of education which occurred so many years ago we still faced the same problems, Negroes continued to be treated unfairly in the education system.  The school system to me have not change, there are too much politics involve in the school system.  It seems as though the more money you have means that the more enhanced the public schools in your neighborhood would be.  Even though our government has passed the law of “know child left behind” some of our schools are setting up our students for failure by not providing the necessary tools that they need to further their education. 

Children in the inner city schools face significant barriers when it comes to education.  These problems derived from lack of significant funding, overcrowded classrooms, teacher retention etc. while children in the suburbs have better schools, funding, qualified teachers etc.  The suburban schools are helping their students to succeed while the inner city schools are barely making the grade.

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