Stop Trying to Make Equal Education

Much has been written in recent years on the ways of reaching what is generally conceded to be the national goal in education, “equality of opportunity.” However, the writers and researchers have spent more time laying out various routes to the goal than in defining the goal itself. But the goal, equality of opportunity, is ambiguous and deserves to be analyzed.

It is generally accepted that the more formal schooling a person has, the greater his productivity and income are likely to be. And it is a fact that certain nonwhite minorities in the United States have on the average lower incomes than whites. Now the difference in the average incomes of the two groups can be explained, at least partially, by differences in education. But in all probability some of the income difference can be explained also by the discrimination of employers or consumers which leads to lower rewards for members of certain minority groups for equal productivity. Experience has shown that it is easier to take steps which eliminate some of the inequality in productivity between groups than it is to legislate effectively against discrimination, and consequently efforts have been directed toward the former goal. Thus, the relationship between education and income was of prime concern because once members of certain minority groups are able to get as much out of schooling as members of wealthier groups, the difference in incomes of the groups will narrow or—if discrimination is left out of account—even vanish.

LS

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Lewis C. Solmon

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Much has been written in recent years on the ways of reaching what is generally conceded to be the national goal in education, “equality of opportunity.” However, the writers and researchers have spent more time laying out various routes to the goal than in defining the goal itself. But the goal, equality of opportunity, is ambiguous and deserves to be analyzed.

It is generally accepted that the more formal schooling a person has, the greater his productivity and income are likely to be. And it is a fact that certain nonwhite minorities in the United States have on the average lower incomes than whites. Now the difference in the average incomes of the two groups can be explained, at least partially, by differences in education. But in all probability some of the income difference can be explained also by the discrimination of employers or consumers which leads to lower rewards for members of certain minority groups for equal productivity. Experience has shown that it is easier to take steps which eliminate some of the inequality in productivity between groups than it is to legislate effectively against discrimination, and consequently efforts have been directed toward the former goal. Thus, the relationship between education and income was of prime concern because once members of certain minority groups are able to get as much out of schooling as members of wealthier groups, the difference in incomes of the groups will narrow or—if discrimination is left out of account—even vanish.