Education Inequality System

Knowre

Sector: Private

Role: Is focused more on mathematics and creates a personalized learning tool for teachers to implement into their classrooms. They are focused on personalization, which is a critical component in the ESSA as low performing schools need to focus on individualization for every student to succeed in the classroom. The impact is long-term because of the ability to bridge students' learning gaps.

California Department of Education

Sector: Public

Role: California has taken on the responsibility of creating a strategic plan based on the ESSA. The state is focused on supporting districts because of the realization of systemic problems associated with solving education inequality. The deparment acts as a balancer to provide resources for low-income students.

Policy: ESSA

President Obama played a critical role by signing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) into law on December 10, 2015. Highlights involve focusing on education inequality for disadvantaged and high need students, investing in local innovations, and taking accountability for low-performing schools to succeed.

Donorschoose.org

Sector: Nonprofit

Role: Provides resources to public schools through private donations. Anyone can contribute to a classroom project of their choice and the organization fulfills the project's needs. Acts as a balancer as they strive to connect people who want to fund school projects with schools who need monetary resources.

Education at Work

Sector: Nonprofit

Role: I worked as a Microsoft Ambassador here. It is dedicated to helping students relieve student loan debt by providing tuition assistance and a base salary through partnerships with large corporations like Microsoft who are in need of customer support representatives. Is long-term because it helps students pay off student loans while working part-time job.

Wells Fargo

Sector: Private

Role: Offers various loans dedicated to college students that involves undergraduate, graduate, career and community college, parent, and consolidate student loans. They have loan benefits like flexible repayment options, 100% eligible costs covered, and interest rate discounts. Although a quick-fix to paying school tuition, too much borrowing can cause a huge negative impact on students’ future if they are unable to pay off the loan.

Nonprofit Financial Services

Sector: Nonprofit

Role: Based on financial education and empowerment for underserved populations. Offers scholarships to middle and high school students. Removes barriers to higher education for those with low monetary resources and funding. Is long-term as they add valuable financial resources of their own to impact local communities.

Financial Systems

Set up to empower people to pursue higher education by providing them with valuable resources like grants, scholarships, and knowledge. Those that graduate need to find additional sources of funding after they graduate to pay off everything they borrowed. Financial systems in place can continue to help individuals by consistently connecting them with different opportunities. Only help in the short-term.

Midfirst Bank

Sector: Private

Role: I had a finance internship here that partnered up with Arizona State University to provide students with their first checking account and debit card. They provide financial education on how to manage a budget in college. Student-focused and supportive, services run from loans to a financial literacy course. This is a quick-fix, however, because the bank does not provide student benefits after graduation.

Arizona Department of Financial Institutions

Sector: Public

Role: Ability to facilitate economic growth and contribute to education inequality through regulating banks. AZDFI can improve and balance out lack of resources in schools by regulating financial institutions already in place. It's role is long-term as it finds ways to strategically contribute to the overall wellbeing of companies and individuals within the companies.

Aetna

Sector: Private

Role: Provides insurance to both individuals and companies. They have a corporate social responsibility to help people live healthier lives. Aetna partners with educational institutions to provide student health insurance at an affordable price. They work with school doctors and nurses to provide comprehensive coverage on school campuses. Is a long-term solution that provides students with ability to seek health care.

LA Trust for Children's Health

Sector: Nonprofit

Role: Supports school-based health programs and clinics by integrating physical, mental, and oral healthcare services for students, promote health programs, and advocate for health policy change. Balancing the system by providing an array of resources to provide even more accessibility to health care for students from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Health Care

Plays a critical role in ensuring that every student is mentally and physically fit enough to succeed in the classroom. If students don’t have access to health care when they are unwell, it will affect how they learn in the long-term. Little to no finances for health insurance, awareness of health risks, and low quality facilities amount to greater distress, especially for students who have to deal with school as well.

Children's Health Insurance Program

Sector: Private

Role: Focused on children that need low-cost health coverage. Provide comprehensive coverage from doctor visits to dental/vision care to emergency services. The program works closely with the Medicaid program to provide public health care insurance to families with children that qualify. Aimed towards families whose income is too high to apply for Medicaid, not a long-term solution.

Virtual Reality in Health Care Research

Sector: Public

Role: Encompasses providing everyone with equal opportunity through engaging and interaction with virtual reality. Different simulations of health scenarios come up and learners are able to participate in a variety of learning environments. It is sustainable because the technology aims to be accessible in every hospital and training room for students to utilize.

University of Phoenix

Sector: Private

Role: Prepare students with the skills necessary for the changing environment of the workforce. It is focused on an older generation, those who are already out in the workforce with no degree and want to pursue a degree. For profit universities like University of Phoenix offer flexible degree programs and is geared towards the adult population, however, tuition can be more expensive than most public universities. Not sustainable because of high tuition rates.

Arizona Science Center

Sector: Nonprofit

Role: Aims to educate people about STEM. Inspire and educate people of all backgrounds through exploration, discovery, and creativity. Interactive exhibits for learners of all ages and is open to the public. Is long-term and sustainable as they are inclusive, especially of age.

Economic Systems

Economic systems exist to ensure growth in the economy. In the current education system, a mix of private and public educational institutions exist. Current structure of how schools are set up are not sustainable because of exclusivity of such institutions and programs being provided for families with high income.

National Museum of Nuclear Science and History

Sector: Nonprofit

Role: Had the chance to expand my STEM skills by performing live science demonstrations for public visitors. I increased my knowledge in physics and chemistry and was able to spread my knowledge to others as well. The museum focuses on World War II, however, is innovatively changing how people interact with the exhibits and structures in the museum. This is a long-lasting solution because it keeps everyone engaged and curious about science.

Arizona State University

Sector: Public

Role: Strives to be #1 in innovation through the focus of social programs and expansion of new courses and degrees. Its charter is very inclusive to students of different backgrounds with a belief that success is measured by whom it includes and not exclude. ASU is a balancer because it provides resources for students of all backgrounds and strive to be the most innovative university every year.

Teach for America

Sector: Nonprofit

Role: Decrease the learning gap in low-income schools by finding qualified teachers who are leaders dedicated to making impactful changes in every students’ lives. TFA is aware of the systemic challenges and understands how change can happen. The organization is a major balancer as they have the capability to connect schools with very qualified teachers.

Tutor Me Education

Sector: Private

Role: Database of top tutors who go through rigorous interviews to be more than competent and provide personalized and engaged learning for the student that signs up. The company guarantees effective results by this matchmaking process. The company ensures qualified tutors to educate the child. Although this company can provides qualified tutors, it acts as a reinforcer because it is exclusive to those that can afford it.

Human Capital

Teachers are a huge factor in the success of every student. They provide support at school and enable a positive and welcoming learning environment for each student. Quality teachers can be hard to locate because of such low compensation that institutions pay. Training, mentorship, and support are provided for some institutions but not all. If teachers aren’t qualified to teach, they are producing negative and detrimental consequences on students’ learning. The unequal distribution of funding affects teacher shortages and current solutions of reaching out to train teachers to fill the shortage are being implemented. These changes must be initiated through other organizations and sectors as well in order to be sustainable.

Veterans Upward Bound Tutoring

Sector: Public

Role: I tutor students here in all subject areas and am dedicated to helping every one of them succeed. Connect veterans with qualified tutors. One-on-one instruction provides personalized and individualized learning to help each student succeed. Long-term solution as the center can reach out to different organziations as needed for student support.

American Federation of Teachers

Sector: Public

Role: Public union that strives to advance the principles through community engagement and activism. Each member is committed to providing better quality education and support system for educators. The organization acts as a balancer as every single committed member wants to achieve more by spreading awareness and stand up against education inequality.