Education is a choice for some, while for others, school isn’t an option. Kids all around America can go to school, earn a degree in college, and even get a job. For most kids, education isn’t an option for them. They can’t go to school due to conflict, disaster, living conditions, and much more. All kids deserve equal educational opportunities no matter what gender, race, religion, they are.

The American dream is what makes our country great. Our country has done many things to prove that we are great. But, where are some parts we fall through the cracks? A place we fall through the cracks is in the education aspect of our country.

One aspect to be concerned about it student dropout rates. Many students around the country drop of school between the ages of sixteen to twenty four. “As a matter of fact, nearly 6.2 million students in the U.S. between the ages of 16 and 24 in 2007 dropped out of high school, which is more than 16 percent of all Americans in that age range,” (Albada, Michael). This number is shocking.  Who would have thought that 6.2 million kids dropped out of school? 

The question is why? Kids drop out of school for many reasons. Some reasons are due to an illness, helping with the family, moving around too much, or they just don't really care. Everyone has a choice. Students don’t make the greatest choices for their education pathway.

Another problem is after high school, students don’t take on the next challenge in life. That challenge is college. There are so many colleges to pick from, and so many options. Kids don’t always take the stepping stone. They step off the path and don’t get back on.

What is the biggest time in your life for education? High school is the big finale for the education career. High school decides what you are going to do with your life in the future. This is time many kids drop out of school because they can’t afford college, or just don’t want to go.

Students who drop out of high school have a low chance of going back to school and going to college. “Studies have shown that by not making it college, these kids who should become primary-care doctors, nurses, and teachers, all professions which are sorely hurting for workers, will end up in jail, fighting America’s wars, and working endlessly in low-paying jobs with no hope of ever becoming middle class,” (Albada, Michael). This research shows that not going to college can affect your everyday from the day you drop out, and for the rest of your life. No matter how poor you were, you could work hard and make it big. The American dream, it makes our country special.

Another thing that is preventing kids from equal educational opportunities is Influence; the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself. Influences can be good or bad. It just depends on the way you are looking it. Everyone has influences for everything.

There are good and bad choices. There are good and bad influences. Everyone can influence you. One of them main influences on kids are parents. Parents are the main influences to kids for many things. One thing is for school and education. For example, what college they should go to, what they should major in, if they do well in school, and many other things. It all depends on who the parents are. “Studies have shown, rich students are
increasingly entering kindergarten much better prepared to succeed in school the middle-class students,” (O'Brien, Matt), This research shows that more involved parents are with their kids education, the more prepared they are. With the help from your parents, you can do anything. But what about the kids that don’t have parents that support their educational needs.? Being prepared for anything is the best thing you can ask for. All kids deserve this.

Being prepared can get you many places in life. The more prepared kids are, the more successful they are later on in life. “As matter of fact, affluent parents talk to their kids three more hours a week on average than poor parents, which is critical during a child's formative early years,” (O'Brien, Matt), Parents talk to their kids three more hours than poor parents. I don't know  if it's just me, but three hours is a lot of time. Parents are major influences to kids in many different ways. This suggests that parents should spend time talking to their children because it will benefit them in the future.

College is a time where kids become adults. They learn what to do in the real world. For some, college is effortless,  For others, college is a bumpy road the whole four years. People all around us struggle in something. For example, my brother, Alex, has dyslexia. High school was a road with only a few bumps in the road. Everyone felt very confident with him going to college with the help from his teachers. During his college career, he was having a hard times. Professors would not help him like his teachers did in high school. Defeated. That's all my family felt for Alex. Alex is athlete, just like most of the kids he goes to school with.

Typically, the average students and athletes pass through college because the professors help all the athletes, but they didn't know how to help with Alex's disability. “The U.S. education department states, ED’s Office for Civil Rights has released guidance that clarifies existing legal obligations of schools to provide students with disabilities an equal opportunity,” (Duncan, Arne). This evidence declares that all students deserve equal educational opportunities. Even though kids have disabilities, it doesn't make them less capable of doing anything!

Disabilities just makes some things harder to learn and/or do. Disability; a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities. Having a disability doesn't mean that you are different. Equality in education. It's what we all want.

Conflict and disasters happen everywhere. You can't escape them. Conflict and disasters affect a variety of different things. A particular effect is education. “Education is both life-saving and life sustaining,” (Gragert, Dr. Edwin). Education is absolutely necessary for some children. Children use education to escape their unsafe homes during a conflict or a disaster.  Researchers acknowledges “in the midst of destruction, violence, and instability, school is a place of learning and opportunity, a sanctuary for healing and health, and a haven of normalcy and hope for the future,” (Gragert, Dr. Edwin).

Hope. Every child believes they have hope. They might not admit they have hope. Even when they have to leave their homes. Studies report that “nearly 50 million children had been uprooted from their homes, more than half of them forced to flee by conflict,” (Gragert, Dr. Edwin). This evidence illustrates that there are many children that are not only lacking the opportunity to be educated, they are lacking a safe place to live.

How can we expect education to be a priority for kids that are trying to survive their everyday life. In order to keep children in school during hard times, the U.S. Government needs to help out. As a matter of fact, “the Campaign for Education-USA has urged the U.S. Government to significantly increase its investment in programs that improve access to quality and safe education for all children in and from conflict and disaster zones and protracted crises,” (Gragert, Dr. Edwin). This shows that there is a need for  the U.S. Government to improve the education department. The more they improve the department, the more kids will stay in school during hard times. As you can see, conflicts and disasters affect children's education.

The government might argue that they already give each school what they need.  This is partially true.  Schools do receive funding based on the number of students enrolled, however some schools get extra funding, but is this coming directly from the government, or is it coming from taxpayers?

The answer is taxes. Everyone dreads paying them. Have you ever wondered, what does your tax money go to?  As a  matter of fact, your tax money goes to funds to help build schools for the poor. "Studies have shown that these funds usually come from property taxes, which are set by the school board, local officials or citizens. It’s this system that causes the most dramatic differences between states, and even within districts,” (Finance ~ How Do We Fund Our Schools?). This research shows that most of our tax money goes to education. Most of the money goes to building schools for the less fortunate. I believe all schools should receive the same amount of funding to keep the school up and running.

It is outrageous to think that most schools aren't getting the same amount of funding that other schools are receiving. As a matter in fact, "the wealthiest of which rely on additional donations from parents to subsidize high-quality public education only in their district,” (Finance ~ How Do We Fund Our Schools?). These studies show that the wealthiest rely on donation. As you read earlier on, the government funds schools who need more help than others. The government is part to blame for this problem because they distribute the money once they collect our tax money.

As you can see, the government claims to be spending money on helping school districts, but the reality is the people are spending too much money on education for the poor, and equal amounts of funding are not being given to average or to the rich.

In conclusion, all kids deserve equal educational opportunities, no matter who they are or what they look like. Everyone is equal. Treat them the same.