You know those Central Academy nerds? Those kids who are barely at this school, always carrying obese backpacks, and faces buried in textbooks 24/7. I sure do, because I am one. At the end of the day we all take the same letter tests; ACT, SAT, PSAT, and AP. The question is, is it fair for the accelerated and advanced students to be more prepared for tests every kid in the district has the option to take? Well, if highly beneficial resources can easily be integrated into the curriculum of home schools then it is not even reasonable to have this inequality in educational resources.

How did you prepare for the ACTs, SATs, AP tests, and PSATs? Ever since 8th grade I have been taking quizzes and tests over a miniature textbook, Word Within The Word, from the required English courses at Central Academy. This book explores the meanings behind stems of words, and eventually the stems become difficult words made up of the stems which are important on letter tests. I have been conditioned for four years before taking the PSATs and still there were some words on the PSATs I was not completely familiar with. A month before the PSATs my English class focused on grammar and specifically familiarized us with the questions which would be on the test. Without these resources I don’t know how anyone would have faced these tests.

If you asked a North High student how they began their research papers, they might say they would visit the North High library. The library which has no real librarian. A library without enough books of merit to count on a single hand. If you asked a central academy student, they could tell you about the magnificent new library they have or the Iowa AEA database they have had access to since before high school. Although, shouldn’t an Iowa High School level resource be known and made available to more than just our magnet school?

North High’s Vice President Mr. McCulley commented, “From my end, it’s simply we were never aware of this resource.” This seems to be a grave lack of communication between our district’s schools which should have the same goal: educate the Des Moines youth the best we can. I don’t understand why these wonderful resources would be kept hidden like a secret.

Many might say the kids from “home schools”, every school except Central Academy, would never take these weekly quizzes over a hundred words and stems a week. Of course I agree that Central Academy is the place for accelerated learning and high intensity education, but the way those great resources are taught do not have to be identical in the home schools they just have to be equal. Everyone taking the same test and especially coming from the same district should have had the same opportunities for success on a letter test. My focus on the example of Word Within The Word and the PSATs is just the most recent and blatant inequality I have seen. When it comes down to it, we probably couldn’t afford these textbooks for every student to have like they do at Central Academy, but there is a whole lot of things the more affluent schools in the district can afford and we can’t. Why do they persist on perpetuating our poverty?

I believe the old system of additional school funding through property taxes is not as fair as we are made to believe. I understand moving to a nicer area where the school’s are better and wanting to have your property taxes towards your child’s school exclusively. Just open your mind and try to understand me a moment. A public school system is for the good of educating the youth living within the district lines. The youth of the poorer areas already have worries about having to work harder than the next kid because they have much further to climb up in socioeconomic status to be what many consider “well off” or “successful”. Numerous worries, earning scholarships for financial aide, facing and disproving prejudices daily, and most likely caring for younger siblings during hours which could otherwise be used for studies. With all of these added and constant stresses why would we also limit their resources? If all the property taxes within the district of Des Moines Public Schools was summed and divided between all the schools everyone in the district might be able to afford some much needed textbooks and educators. Even better, no child would feel lesser than another or better than another because of where they came from.

Education has been aching for reform for a long time now. Our nation has fallen so far in its education standards and achievements. This system is failing and we need a reboot, and we can be brilliant and fantastic again: only if we work together, for the benefit of each other, and for a better future than what it seems to be at the moment. The first step, is definitely better communication to spread the great resources and strategies already being put to use. Maybe the next step could be reforming our public school financing to create more equality across our community. Franklin put it best: “United we stand, divided we fall”