Jonathan Kozol in his book Savage Inequalities details how the public schools have failed large numbers of children and why. He was a teacher in the 1960s but had not been in a classroom in some time. He returns to the classroom in East St. Louis, a troubled area with a depressed economy and consequent economic problems in the public schools. East St. Louis is a black community deliberately created in a bottoms area which is given added problems by the water that drains from the Bluffs, while the Bluffs pay nothing to alleviate these problems in the Bottoms. Kozol discusses the problems of this area--economic, social, the crime rate--and shows how the schools relate to these concerns. He describes the different classes and the few white faces seen in these classes. He also notes how the press and critics have treated these schools, indicating that more money is spent in these schools and that they have larger staffs as if this proves they are bloated and should be doing a better job simply because more money is being spent.
Kozol describes many of the teachers, and it is clear he respects them greatly. He talks about the attitude brought to the classroom by the best of these teachers, and the reason these teachers are effective is because they bring a warmth and sense of humor to the classroom that serves the students well. Kozol talks about how money is spent in these schools, comparing expenditures with schools in more affluent regions in the suburbs. In some respects, money makes a difference by providing more books and more equipment. Kozol cites various authorities on these subjects as he goes, and he refers to parents who have argued that their children are being shortchanged by the system. Kozol finds that there is a caste society in America and that the children of the poor have to make decisions and choices that rich children do not. While the schools in poor areas need more funding, business leaders and other...