The "opportunity gap" in US public education -- and how to close it | Anindya Kundu

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Lo Hsien Huang

My first job out of college was as an academic researcher

我離開大學之後的第一份工作，

是在全國最大的青少年 拘留所擔任學術研究者。

at one of the largest juvenile detention centers in the country.

And every day I would drive to this building

每天我要開車到芝加哥西岸的大樓，

on the West Side of Chicago,

go through the security checkpoint

經過安全檢查哨，

and walk down these brown, brick hallways as I made my way down to the basement

穿過褐色磚牆的走廊到地下室，

to observe the intake process.

去觀察收留的過程。

The kids coming in were about 10 to 16 years old,

來這裡的孩子大約十到十六歲，

usually always black and brown,

通常是黑色或褐色皮膚，

most likely from the same impoverished South and West Sides of Chicago.

最可能也是來自貧窮的 芝加哥南區和西區。

They should've been in fifth to tenth grade,

他們這時應該在讀五年級到十年級，

but instead they were here for weeks on end

但他們最後卻淪落到這裡，

待上數週，等待各種犯罪的審判。

awaiting trial for various crimes.

Some of them came back to the facility 14 times before their 15th birthday.

有些人在十五歲生日之前 就回來這個機構十四次了。

And as I sat there on the other side of the glass from them,

我坐在玻璃的另一邊看著他們，

idealistic with a college degree,

我是個有大學學位的理想主義者，

I wondered to myself:

我忍不住納悶：

Why didn't schools do something more to prevent this from happening?

為什麼學校不多做點什麼， 來預防這種事發生？

It's been about 10 years since then,

那是大約十年前的事，

and I still think about how some kids get tracked towards college

我現在仍然在想，為什麼 有些孩子會前往大學，

and others towards detention,

有些卻前往拘留所，

but I no longer think about schools' abilities to solve these things.

但我已經不再去想學校 有沒有能力解決這些問題。

You see, I've learned that so much of this problem is systemic

我現在已經太清楚知道， 這個是制度的問題，

that often our school system perpetuates the social divide.

我們的學校體制會讓社會分裂長存。

It makes worse what it's supposed to fix.

學校體制把它本來應該 處理的議題弄得更糟。

That's as crazy or controversial

這個狀況不合理且相當具有爭議，

as saying that our health care system isn't preventative

就像是說我們的健康照護 系統並不預防疾病，

but somehow profits off of keeping us sick ...

而是透過讓我們繼續 生病來謀取利益。

oops.

哎喲。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I truly do believe though that kids can achieve great things

不過，我真心相信， 雖然孩子面對不利的條件，

despite the odds against them,

他們仍能出人頭地，

and in fact, my own research shows that.

事實上，這是我自己 研究發現的結果。

But if we're serious about helping more kids from across the board

但是如果我們認真想要 全面協助更多孩子，

to achieve and make it in this world,

讓他們在這個世界上有所成就，

we're going to have to realize that our gaps in student outcomes

我們就必須要了解， 學生的演變之所以有差別，

are not so much about achievement as much as they are about opportunity.

關鍵在於機會而不是成就。

A 2019 EdBuild report showed

一篇 2019 年的 EdBuild 報告指出 （註：EdBuild資助公立學校的非營利組織）

that majority-white districts receive about 23 billion dollars more

多數為白人的地區每年得到的資金

比非白人的地區 多出大約兩百三十億美元，

in annual funding than nonwhite districts,

even though they serve about the same number of students.

但就學的學生人數是差不多的。

Lower resource schools are dealing with lower quality equipment,

資源比較差的學校 得用品質較不好的設備、

obsolete technology

已過時的技術，

and paying teachers way less.

並且給老師的薪水也低很多。

Here in New York,

在紐約這裡，

those are also the schools most likely to serve

這些資源較少的學校也最可能要服務

the one in 10 elementary school students

晚上睡在遊民收容所的小學生，

who will most likely have to sleep in a homeless shelter tonight.

這類學生佔約十分之一的比例。

The student, parent and teacher are dealing with a lot.

學生、父母，和老師 都要處理很多狀況。

Sometimes places are misplacing the blame back on them.

有時，過錯又要算在他們頭上。

In Atlanta, we saw that teachers felt desperate enough

在亞特蘭大，我們發現 有些老師實在無計可施，

to have to help their students cheat on standardized tests

只好協助他們的學生 在標準化考試中作弊，

因為考試的結果會影響 撥給他們的教育經費是多少。

that would impact their funding.

Eight of them went to jail for that in 2015

2015 年，有八位老師因此坐牢，

with some sentences as high as 20 years,

有的判刑高達二十年，

which is more than what many states give for second-degree murder.

許多州連二級謀殺罪 都沒有判這麼重的刑。

The thing is though, in places like Tulsa,

不過，像是塔爾薩這樣的地方，

teachers' pay has been so bad

老師的薪水非常低，

that these people have had to go to food pantries

低到他們得要去食物銀行

or soup kitchens just to feed themselves.

或者慈善廚房才有夠吃的食物。

The same system will criminalize a parent who will use a relative's address

同樣這個體制，也會把 為了讓孩子上好學校

而借用親戚地址的父母視為罪犯，

to send their child to a better school,

but for who knows how long authorities have turned a blind eye

但不知道多久以來， 當權機關就一直裝作沒看見

to those who can bribe their way

那些用賄賂的方式

onto the most elite and beautiful college campuses.

進入最頂尖學校的人。

And a lot of this feels pretty heavy to be saying --

這些事，說起來相當沉重，

and maybe to be hearing --

聽起來可能也很沉重，

and since there's nothing quite like economics talk to lighten the mood --

沒有什麼能比談經濟 更能讓心情變好。

that's right, right?

對吧？

Let me tell you about some of the costs

讓我來跟大家談談

when we fail to tap into our students' potential.

沒有開發學生潛能而造成的成本。

A McKinsey study showed that if in 1998

一篇麥肯錫的研究指出， 如果 1998 年時

we could've closed our long-standing student achievement gaps

我們已經縮小長久以來的 學生成就落差，

between students of different ethnic backgrounds

讓不同種族背景 或不同收入水平的學生

or students of different income levels,

能有更接近的成就，

by 2008, our GDP --

那麼到 2008 年， 我們的國民生產毛額——

our untapped economic gains --

我們潛藏的經濟收益——

could have gone up by more than 500 billion dollars.

本來可以提高到超過五千億美元。

Those same gaps in 2008,

在 2008 年，同樣這些落差，

between our students here in the US and those across the world,

只是改成美國的學生 和世界其他地方的學生相比，

may have deprived our economy

我們的經濟就損失了

of up to 2.3 trillion dollars of economic output.

高達兩兆三千億美元的經濟產值。

But beyond economics, numbers and figures,

但在經濟之外，在數字之外，

I think there's a simpler reason that this matters,

有個更簡單的理由，可以說明

a simpler reason for fixing our system.

為什麼改善我們的體制如此重要。

It's that in a true democracy,

這個理由是，在真正的民主中，

like the one we pride ourselves on having --

就像我們自己引以為豪的民主，

and sometimes rightfully so --

的確有時也應該引以為榮，

a child's future should not be predetermined

孩子出生時的境況 不應該預先決定他們的未來。

by the circumstances of their birth.

A public education system should not create a wider bottom and more narrow top.

公共教育體制不應該創造出

寬底窄頂的金字塔。

Some of us can sometimes think

有時，有些人可能會想，

that these things aren't that close to home,

這些事情離我們的家園很遠，

but they are if we broaden our view,

但如果我們拓寬視野，其實很近，

because a leaky faucet in our kitchen,

因為我們的廚房水龍頭漏水，

broken radiator in our hallway,

走廊的暖氣故障，

those parts of the house that we always say we're going to get to next week,

我們總是說我們下週 會去修房子的那些部分，

they're devaluing our whole property.

但它們正在讓我們的房子貶值。

Instead of constantly looking away to solutions like privatization

除了總是去尋求像是 民營化這類遙遠的解決方案，

or the charter school movement to solve our problems,

或者用特許學校運動 來解決我們的問題，

why don't we take a deeper look at public education,

為什麼我們不嘗試深究公共教育，

try to take more pride in it

試著以它為榮，

and maybe use it to solve some of our social problems.

也許還能用它來解決一些社會問題。

Why don't we try to reclaim the promise of public education

為什麼我們不嘗試重新 實現公共教育的承諾，

and remember that it's our greatest collective responsibility?

記住它是我們最大的集體責任。

Luckily some of our communities are doing just that.

幸運的是，我們有一些 社區正在這麼做。

The huge teacher strikes in the spring of 2019 in Denver and LA --

2019 年春天在丹佛和洛杉磯 發起的大型老師罷工，

they were successful because of community support

這些罷工能成功，是因為有社區支持，

for things like smaller class sizes

支持項目包含像是小班制教學，

and getting things into schools like more counselors

把更多資源導入學校， 比如更多指導老師，

in addition to teacher pay.

不僅是改善老師薪水而已。

And sometimes for the student,

有時，對學生而言，

innovation is just daring to implement common sense.

創新只需大膽運用基本常識。

In Baltimore a few years ago,

幾年前在巴爾的摩，他們 制定了一個免費的早餐午餐計畫，

they enacted a free breakfast and lunch program,

taking away the stigma of poverty and hunger

為一些學生除去貧窮和飢餓的污名，

for some students

but increasing achievement in attendance for many others.

並讓許多學生的出席率提高。

And in Memphis,

在曼非斯，

the university is recruiting local, passionate high school students

大學招募當地有熱情的高中生，

and giving them scholarships to go teach in the inner city

提供他們獎學金，讓他們能在 沒有學貸重擔的情況下

without the burden of college debt.

到市中心貧民區去教書。

And north of here in The Bronx,

在布朗克斯北邊，

I recently researched these partnerships being built

我最近研究了高中、社區大學，

between high schools, community colleges and local businesses

和當地企業之間建立的合夥關係，

who are creating internships in finance, health care and technology

他們在金融、健康照護、 及科技產業創造實習機會，

for students without "silver spoon" connections

讓沒有「金湯匙」的學生

to gain important skills

也能習得重要技能，

and contribute to the communities that they come from.

並對他們所屬的社區做出貢獻。

So today I don't necessarily have the same questions about education

現在我對於教育的問題，不見得

that I did when I was an idealistic, perhaps naïve college grad

和我還是理想主義者 或天真的研究生

working in a detention center basement.

在拘留中心地下室工作時一樣。

It's not: Can schools save more of our students?

我的問題不是：學校 不能拯救更多的學生嗎？

Because I think we have the answer to that --

因為我已經知道 那個問題的答案——

and it's yes they can, if we save our schools first.

是，可以，如果我們 先拯救我們的學校就可以。

We can start by caring about the education of other people's children ...

我們可以從關心其他 家庭孩子的教育開始。

And I'm saying that as someone who doesn't have kids yet

我說這句話的身分， 是一個還沒有孩子的人，

but wants to worry a little bit less about the future when I do.

我希望我可以不要那麼擔心 有了孩子之後的未來。

Cultivating as much talent as possible,

盡可能培養有才華的人，

getting as many girls as we can from all over

盡可能讓各地更多女孩

into science and engineering,

進入科學和工程領域，

as many boys as we can into teaching --

盡可能讓更多男孩進入教學領域。

those are investments for our future.

那些是對我們未來的投資。

Our students are like our most valuable resource,

學生是我們最珍貴的資源，

and when you put it that way,

當你這麼想時，

our teachers are like our modern-day diamond and gold miners,

我們的老師就像是 現代的鑽石及黃金礦工，

hoping to help make them shine.

協助讓他們閃閃發光。

Let's contribute our voices,

咱們需要投入我們的聲音、

our votes and our support

我們的選票，以及我們的支持，

to giving them the resources that they will need

把他們需要的資源給予他們，

not just to survive

希望能讓他們不僅 能生存，也能夠茁壯，

but hopefully thrive,

allowing all of us to do so as well.

也讓我們其他人能夠如此。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause and cheers)

（掌聲及歡呼）