How Education System Impacts the American Dream: A Detailed Analysis

This essay examines the relationship between the American education system and the American Dream, arguing that while education is often seen as the foundation for achieving this dream, inequalities within the system are fragmenting it. The essay references Alexie's work to illustrate the importance of the joy of learning and Putnam's research to highlight the segregation in schooling due to social inequalities. It concludes that the American Dream can only be realized for all when the education system is free of class differences and damaging government policies, ensuring equal access to quality education for every student. The document is available on Desklib, a platform providing study tools for students.

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Education System and The American Dream
American dream means the door for achievement and success. It is a dream of a land
where the life is more productive, fuller and with opportunities for all. However, the American
dream is not so simple as it sounds. For most, it means going to a good college, graduating with a
preferred degree and a well-paying job. Still, it remains to be seen as to how many are able to
get access to the quality education and develop the right skills to be a productive members of the
society. The higher education is believed to be valuable for students and beneficial to society. It
is considered the stepping stone to achieve the American Dream. However, in reality, the
education system is segregating the society and destroying the very foundation of the American
Dream. The American Dream no longer exists for many.
Alexie (1) in his article "The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” expresses
the point of view of a young smart Indian and the challenges he faced to meet the societies
standards in education. He expresses his love of reading books by analyzing a Superman comic
book. He lived with his family in eastern Washington state and was middle-class. His family
survived on odd minimum-wage jobs, irregular paychecks and government surplus food.
Whenever the family had extra money, the father bought books and novels at supermarkets. The
house was filled with books on different and varied topics like the Vietnam War or the Kennedy
assassination. The young Indian boy is aware that he cannot be a prodigy even though he reads
"Grapes of Wrath" in kindergarten when the other children are struggling through "Dick and
Jane." It is because he is living on the reservation and is an Indian. In the classrooms, the Indian

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group of children was expected to be quiet and stupid. The non-Indian world was afraid of the
smarter Indians and expected them to fail. However, the Indian boy in the story refused to fail
and was determined to succeed. He read books all the times, became more well-read and
educated. He wanted to be a pediatrician but became a writer Alexie (2). He finds it strange as he
was never taught how to write stories and poems in school. Moreover, good writing was a skill
beyond Indians.
Chapter 4 in Robert D. Putnam’s “Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis” draws
attention to the differences ins schooling for the upper and lower class children. The chapter
introduces the 140 Policy Perspectives and goes on to discuss Hispanic young women who live
in the Orange County, California. The experiences of Isabella, Clara, and Ricardo differ
significantly at their high schools (Putnam 139). While one high school is top-ranked
consistently and offers a plethora of Advanced Placement (AP) classes, the other high school is
located in an area ridden with crime and violence. The contrast between the two schools provides
an insight into the varying levels of quality of education and atmosphere for the young growing
students. It is because of the residential segregation by income that segregates the quality of
education and school and thus creates different educational experiences for the students. The
author points to the difference in teacher quality, funding levels, and class education. He asserts
how community fundraising, parent involvement, and extracurricular involvement can bridge the
gap in the differences. Thus, the schools are a reflection of the differences in society.
Education is often believed to be the cornerstone of the American Dream, and most
children are made to believe that a good education is the key to success. However, it is
increasingly apparent that all children do not get access to the same level of quality education.
Moreover, thus not all of them will have access to the American Dream (Parachutes and

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Ladders). Thus, it raises the critical question if just studying and working hard can help the
students achieve the American Dream or if they should be given different definitions of the
American Dream. American Education System is fragmented today because of the political and
bureaucratic agendas. It leaves one in doubt if the American education system can provide a
well-rounded education and the joy of learning to create productive members of society. The
increase in immigration and government involvement in the American educational system has
created gaps within the educational system(Fleischmann). It is not possible to evaluate a students'
complete knowledge and capabilities just based on his academic scores.
Education was seen as the route to get an equal footing and Launchpad to fulfill the
American Dream. However, unless the categorical inequalities exist based on race, class, and
gender, it is impossible to create equal opportunities for all. Education encourages success based
on one’s merit and hard work. However, it ignores the influence of class-related issues on the
quality of education (Savage and Barringer 5). About 80% of higher-income families get a
bachelor’s degree by their early twenties, and one can compare that to just 8% from low-income
families (PierreLouis). It means that not everyone is getting the chance of equal access to higher
education which is a must to fulfill the American dream. Thus, it is the wealthier who are more
likely to get a higher education by their twenties. Thus, it is the education itself that further
segregates the society and further solidifies the structural inequality that the nation is based on
social differences. The American dream still cannot be achieved without higher education.
Conclusion
The responsibility of achieving the American Dream lies with quality education. The
above discussion reflects that even though education seen as the foundation to achieve the
American dream, it is further segregating the society and the meaning of the American dream.

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The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” article by Alexie shows how one can get a
good education within constricting environment despite all odds. It is the joy of learning and
reading and not just getting good scores that is part of education. Putnam’s “Our Kids: The
American Dream in Crisis” draws attention to the segregation faced in schooling and education
because of the social inequalities. As not every student is getting the same level and quality of
education, the very education system is fragmenting the American Dream. It is essential haul the
education system and make it free of any class differences or damaging government policies.
Only when each and every student gets the same level and quality of education that one can state
that the American dream exists for all.

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Works Cited
Alexie, Sherman. "The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me." Los Angeles Times,
vol. 1, no. 1, 1998, pp. 1-2.
Fleischmann, Maya. “How Deconstructing the American School System Will Reconstruct the
American Dream.” Clarion Reviews, 2012. EBSCOhost, lib-proxy.sunywcc.edu/login?
url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=edsglr&AN=edsgcl.277276503&site=eds-live.
Putnam, Robert D. "Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis." Simon & Schuster, vol. 1, no. 1,
2016, pp. 1-400.
‘Parachutes and Ladders’ to Break Down How Uneven Education System Prevents American
Dream.” States News Service, 2016. EBSCOhost, lib-proxy.sunywcc.edu/login?
url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.446060413&site=eds-live. Accessed 30 Oct. 2018
PierreLouis, Deborah. “Living The American Dream Through Education.” The odyssey online,
19 Mar. 2017, www.theodysseyonline.com/living-american-dream-education. Accessed
30 Oct. 2018
Savage, Brenda K., and M. N. Barringer. “The Death of the Ideal in Education: Weber,
Bourdieu, Baudrillard, and the American Dream.” Sociation Today, vol. 14, no. 1,2016,
p. 5.