Fairfield County residents must acknowledge school segregation and educational inequity
Fairfield County has an equity issue. This is a reality that everyone living in the region knows, and perhaps the most evident case of inequality is in the education system.
The divisions in the public education system are racial and socioeconomic. Some of the most esteemed school districts in the county — including Westport, New Canaan and Fairfield — boast high reading and math proficiencies, college graduation rates, and college matriculations, yet most of their student bodies consist of those from white, wealthy families. And while there is nothing wrong with belonging to these demographics, these patterns do raise questions pertaining to systemic issues, especially because those who attend more under-resourced schools come from opposite backgrounds: low-income, Black or brown families.
As I mention above, these inequalities are evident to anyone living in Fairfield County. Growing up in Fairfield, I have constantly heard microaggressive remarks — both racial and classist — regarding our neighbors in Bridgeport. “The schools are awful in Bridgeport.” “Make sure to lock your doors when you drive through the city.” “Bridgeport is so dangerous.” Regardless of the validity of these claims — which are still prevalent in the city’s surrounding suburban towns — it indicates that the residents of these more privileged areas understand that their counterparts in these low-income areas are in different living situations.
I personally believe that everyone finds comfort in ignoring these realities; people want to maintain their ignorance to live in bliss. I also think people would retort to these conversations by arguing that nothing can be done about it. While solutions are difficult to formulate, the important step that Fairfield County needs to take right now is to outwardly acknowledge that these systemic issues, particularly in education, exist. The distinction between successful students and those who can acquire upward social mobility is not simply on the basis of hard work, but also having their basic needs met, a circumstance that is usually only afforded to certain demographics in the county.
In spite of certain interventions that have been made to fix the issue, including the Open Choice program — a lottery that allows students in cities to attend public schools in white, suburban areas
— Fairfield County, or Connecticut as a whole, remains one of the most segregated areas in the country. I believe the politicization of the issue is what has slowed down progress, and one of the manners in which effective, gradual change can occur is if lawmakers take the time to read the literature about the best innovations to promote equity in low-income communities. Similarly, if everyone — regardless of political affiliation — takes the time to read and consider the research on these complex social issues with an open mind, then perhaps a more productive approach could occur on a social and political level.
I do not write this to argue or promote a certain piece of legislation. I believe for any progress to occur, the performative activism on a political level and willful ignorance among more privileged communities needs to end. The way progress can occur is through self-education, and eventually, the acknowledgment that there is a systemic component when it comes to inequality in Fairfield County