Giving Compass' Take: 

• Underprivileged students, especially students who do not speak English as their first language need more support in our school systems and help from the community that they may not receive at home.  

•  Are there enough tutoring school programs or bilingual teachers that are dedicated to helping students that don't speak English to ensure they understand their classes and homework? 

• There are organizations and education funders that are looking into how to make schools better for immigrants and their families. 

Given her lack of familiarity with the United States, my mom didn’t know what exactly to do, but she knew she had to do something to ensure that I — her firstborn child — had ample opportunity to succeed. This took the form of her incredible persistence and investment in my education. In elementary school, when I brought home reading material and worksheets, she’d sit with me at great length to make sure I understood the lessons.

Knowing that a zip code should not determine a student’s future, Bellarmine College Preparatory, an all-male Jesuit high school, provided me the financial aid necessary to attend. My first few days of classes quickly exposed me to the educational inequality that scars this nation.

As I caught up, my fundamentals grew stronger, and I too would start benefiting from the perks of attending a prep school. The most immediate benefit was the atmosphere. My peers were intelligent and driven; and, importantly, these attributes were celebrated at Bellarmine—unlike what I perceived at the schools in my area.

My experience — going from few life prospects to bountiful opportunity — is not shared by many other students with similar backgrounds, and this is incredibly disappointing. I can’t claim to have the panacea for educational inequality, but I know something must change. As a society, we must offer students from underserved populations more than a meager “stay in school.”

Many low-income parents work incredibly long and odd hours to make ends meet. Because of this, their presence in their children’s lives is often not as strong — precisely because they need to work so their offspring can have a brighter tomorrow. Local and national programs should be set up to provide the same investment and belief in each child that my mom showed me as I grew and developed.

Read the full article about underprivileged students by Cayo Gonzalez at The Hechinger Report.