Chapter IVThe urban education system Although the argument is often offered that financial Inadequacies and the conditions of the students urban environment are the only important contributors to the urban education problem. the education system itself must bear some share of the responsibility. These problems are summarized below. Obstacles Faced by Urban Education Systems.-In addition to the great obstacle of Inadequate funding. the flow of racial and ethnic minorities has created obstacles for the schools in terms of the numbers. poverty. social isolation. and lack of education of these urban immigrants. Yet while the system has generally acknowledged the problems of its numbers. it has in many cases failed to respond adequately to the needs of these individuals. The size and nature of the immigration has in turn imposed difficulties in achieving the goal of integration. increased the inadequacy of school facilities. and made the existing teacher shortage more acute. The problems of recruiting fully accredited teachers. keeping accredited experienced teachers for any length of time. and achieving a racial and ethnic balance are more sharply felt In the cities than in the suburbs. The Problems of the Education System in Perceiving Its StudentsIn many Instances. educational systems are unable to cope with a pluralistic culture. A serious problem with many urban systems today is their lack of awareness of the effects of their own biases on their students. Possessing essentially the same general goals as previous waves of immigrants (e.g.. economic security. selfrespect. personal safety). the minorities today nevertheless manifest some differences in values. needs. and problems. These often unrecognized biases and unchanging expectations have often limited the systems capacity to teach effectively children who do not have the same expectations. such as being oriented to middle classes values and expectations. being "ready" for reading. and having the structural orientation that facilitates shifting from subject matter to subject matter as dictated by time blocs rather than by interest and substance. The failure of many teachers to perceive their students as they are stems from complex origins relating to the status assigned by society to teaching the disadvantaged and the levels of competency and experience of the teachers.
Identified stereotypes
Generalizes about the values, needs, and problems of minority students, suggesting they differ from previous waves of immigrants and lack middle-class values.