A recent survey revealed the vast educational inequalities based on a students' color are present in the current education system. Black students tend to get more inexperienced teachers, more suspension cases and are more likely to have law enforcement officers present in their schools.
The research known as the department's Civil Rights Data Collection surveyed 99 percent of the country's public schools on issues that relate to the level of opportunities available to the students. Data about students'' access to teachers, classes and school discipline trends were collected.
The data shows that students of color, students with disabilities and students whose first language is not English, do not get the same opportunities to learn. The data was compared to other students who are white, who do not have disabilities and whose first language is English, according to John King Jr., U.S. Secretary of Education.
In the U.S., experienced teachers and more rigorous classes tend to be reserved for white students, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Students of color typically attend schools where more than a fifth of their educators are at their first year of teaching. In addition, students of color are also less likely to attend schools where high-level courses in math and sciences are offered.
Aside from experienced teachers, white students tend to experience only moderate discipline, according to Huffington Post. Although student suspensions rates dropped by 20 percent from school year 2011 - 2012, black students are 3.8 times mote likely to get suspended than white students.
As early as preschool, students of color tend to experience harsher punishments compared to their white classmates. Despite accounting for only 19 percent of preschool students, about 47 percent of black children received out-of-school suspensions, based on data from 2013-2014.
In addition, black students are also more likely to be arrested or referred to law enforcement while at school. Although 42 percent of high schools have a law enforcement officer on campus, the rate increases to 51 percent if the student body is composed mostly of black or Latino students.
In an April 2016 survey, about 80 percent of African-American parents and 60 percent of Hispanic parents claim that their kids' educational institutions lack the resources, according to Parent Herald. Most parents believe that students should be provided with better teachers, more challenging programs and tools or technology for learning.
