TED Residency
Anindya Kundu: The "opportunity gap" in US public education -- and how to close it
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How can we tap into the potential of all students, especially those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds? Sociologist Anindya Kundu invites us to take a deeper look at the personal, social and institutional challenges that keep students from thriving in the United States -- and shows how closing this "opportunity gap" means valuing public education for what it really is: the greatest investment in our collective future.
Anindya Kundu - Sociologist, educator, writer
TED Resident Anindya Kundu is reframing our notions of achievement and ability through his sociological research, which suggests all students can succeed if provided the right support systems. Full bio
TED Resident Anindya Kundu is reframing our notions of achievement and ability through his sociological research, which suggests all students can succeed if provided the right support systems. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
My first job out of college
was as an academic researcher
was as an academic researcher
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at one of the largest juvenile
detention centers in the country.
detention centers in the country.
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And every day I would drive
to this building
to this building
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on the West Side of Chicago,
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go through the security checkpoint
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and walk down these brown, brick hallways
as I made my way down to the basement
as I made my way down to the basement
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to observe the intake process.
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The kids coming in
were about 10 to 16 years old,
were about 10 to 16 years old,
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usually always black and brown,
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most likely from the same impoverished
South and West Sides of Chicago.
South and West Sides of Chicago.
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They should've been
in fifth to tenth grade,
in fifth to tenth grade,
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but instead they were here
for weeks on end
for weeks on end
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awaiting trial for various crimes.
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Some of them came back to the facility
14 times before their 15th birthday.
14 times before their 15th birthday.
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And as I sat there on the other side
of the glass from them,
of the glass from them,
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idealistic with a college degree,
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I wondered to myself:
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Why didn't schools do something more
to prevent this from happening?
to prevent this from happening?
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It's been about 10 years since then,
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and I still think about how some kids
get tracked towards college
get tracked towards college
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and others towards detention,
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but I no longer think about schools'
abilities to solve these things.
abilities to solve these things.
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You see, I've learned that so much
of this problem is systemic
of this problem is systemic
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that often our school system
perpetuates the social divide.
perpetuates the social divide.
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It makes worse what it's supposed to fix.
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That's as crazy or controversial
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as saying that our health care system
isn't preventative
isn't preventative
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but somehow profits
off of keeping us sick ...
off of keeping us sick ...
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oops.
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(Laughter)
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I truly do believe though
that kids can achieve great things
that kids can achieve great things
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despite the odds against them,
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and in fact, my own research shows that.
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But if we're serious about helping
more kids from across the board
more kids from across the board
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to achieve and make it in this world,
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we're going to have to realize
that our gaps in student outcomes
that our gaps in student outcomes
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are not so much about achievement
as much as they are about opportunity.
as much as they are about opportunity.
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A 2019 EdBuild report showed
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that majority-white districts
receive about 23 billion dollars more
receive about 23 billion dollars more
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in annual funding than nonwhite districts,
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even though they serve
about the same number of students.
about the same number of students.
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Lower resource schools are dealing
with lower quality equipment,
with lower quality equipment,
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obsolete technology
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and paying teachers way less.
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Here in New York,
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those are also the schools
most likely to serve
most likely to serve
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the one in 10 elementary school students
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who will most likely have to sleep
in a homeless shelter tonight.
in a homeless shelter tonight.
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The student, parent and teacher
are dealing with a lot.
are dealing with a lot.
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Sometimes places are misplacing
the blame back on them.
the blame back on them.
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In Atlanta, we saw that teachers
felt desperate enough
felt desperate enough
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to have to help their students
cheat on standardized tests
cheat on standardized tests
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that would impact their funding.
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Eight of them went
to jail for that in 2015
to jail for that in 2015
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with some sentences as high as 20 years,
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which is more than what many states
give for second-degree murder.
give for second-degree murder.
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The thing is though, in places like Tulsa,
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teachers' pay has been so bad
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that these people have had
to go to food pantries
to go to food pantries
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or soup kitchens just to feed themselves.
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The same system will criminalize a parent
who will use a relative's address
who will use a relative's address
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to send their child to a better school,
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but for who knows how long
authorities have turned a blind eye
authorities have turned a blind eye
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to those who can bribe their way
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onto the most elite and beautiful
college campuses.
college campuses.
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And a lot of this feels
pretty heavy to be saying --
pretty heavy to be saying --
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and maybe to be hearing --
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and since there's nothing quite like
economics talk to lighten the mood --
economics talk to lighten the mood --
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that's right, right?
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Let me tell you about some of the costs
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when we fail to tap
into our students' potential.
into our students' potential.
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A McKinsey study showed that if in 1998
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we could've closed our long-standing
student achievement gaps
student achievement gaps
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between students
of different ethnic backgrounds
of different ethnic backgrounds
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or students of different income levels,
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by 2008, our GDP --
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our untapped economic gains --
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could have gone up
by more than 500 billion dollars.
by more than 500 billion dollars.
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Those same gaps in 2008,
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between our students here in the US
and those across the world,
and those across the world,
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may have deprived our economy
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of up to 2.3 trillion dollars
of economic output.
of economic output.
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But beyond economics, numbers and figures,
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I think there's a simpler reason
that this matters,
that this matters,
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a simpler reason for fixing our system.
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It's that in a true democracy,
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like the one we pride
ourselves on having --
ourselves on having --
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and sometimes rightfully so --
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a child's future
should not be predetermined
should not be predetermined
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by the circumstances of their birth.
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A public education system should not
create a wider bottom and more narrow top.
create a wider bottom and more narrow top.
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Some of us can sometimes think
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that these things
aren't that close to home,
aren't that close to home,
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but they are if we broaden our view,
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because a leaky faucet in our kitchen,
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broken radiator in our hallway,
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those parts of the house that we always
say we're going to get to next week,
say we're going to get to next week,
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they're devaluing our whole property.
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Instead of constantly looking away
to solutions like privatization
to solutions like privatization
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or the charter school movement
to solve our problems,
to solve our problems,
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why don't we take a deeper look
at public education,
at public education,
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try to take more pride in it
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and maybe use it to solve
some of our social problems.
some of our social problems.
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Why don't we try to reclaim
the promise of public education
the promise of public education
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and remember that it's
our greatest collective responsibility?
our greatest collective responsibility?
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Luckily some of our communities
are doing just that.
are doing just that.
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The huge teacher strikes
in the spring of 2019 in Denver and LA --
in the spring of 2019 in Denver and LA --
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they were successful
because of community support
because of community support
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for things like smaller class sizes
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and getting things into schools
like more counselors
like more counselors
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in addition to teacher pay.
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And sometimes for the student,
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innovation is just daring
to implement common sense.
to implement common sense.
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In Baltimore a few years ago,
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they enacted a free breakfast
and lunch program,
and lunch program,
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taking away the stigma
of poverty and hunger
of poverty and hunger
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for some students
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but increasing achievement
in attendance for many others.
in attendance for many others.
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And in Memphis,
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the university is recruiting
local, passionate high school students
local, passionate high school students
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and giving them scholarships
to go teach in the inner city
to go teach in the inner city
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without the burden of college debt.
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And north of here in The Bronx,
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I recently researched
these partnerships being built
these partnerships being built
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between high schools,
community colleges and local businesses
community colleges and local businesses
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who are creating internships
in finance, health care and technology
in finance, health care and technology
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for students without
"silver spoon" connections
"silver spoon" connections
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to gain important skills
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and contribute to the communities
that they come from.
that they come from.
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So today I don't necessarily have
the same questions about education
the same questions about education
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that I did when I was an idealistic,
perhaps naïve college grad
perhaps naïve college grad
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working in a detention center basement.
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It's not: Can schools
save more of our students?
save more of our students?
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Because I think
we have the answer to that --
we have the answer to that --
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and it's yes they can,
if we save our schools first.
if we save our schools first.
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We can start by caring about the education
of other people's children ...
of other people's children ...
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And I'm saying that
as someone who doesn't have kids yet
as someone who doesn't have kids yet
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but wants to worry a little bit less
about the future when I do.
about the future when I do.
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Cultivating as much talent as possible,
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getting as many girls
as we can from all over
as we can from all over
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into science and engineering,
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as many boys as we can
into teaching --
into teaching --
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those are investments for our future.
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Our students are like
our most valuable resource,
our most valuable resource,
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and when you put it that way,
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our teachers are like our modern-day
diamond and gold miners,
diamond and gold miners,
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hoping to help make them shine.
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Let's contribute our voices,
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our votes and our support
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to giving them the resources
that they will need
that they will need
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not just to survive
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but hopefully thrive,
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allowing all of us to do so as well.
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Thank you.
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(Applause and cheers)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Anindya Kundu - Sociologist, educator, writerTED Resident Anindya Kundu is reframing our notions of achievement and ability through his sociological research, which suggests all students can succeed if provided the right support systems.
Why you should listen
Anindya Kundu studies the potential of human agency to help people create positive change in their lives. His research involves learning how students can navigate around personal, social and institutional challenges to succeed. Kundu's book Achieving Agency is forthcoming.
At NYU, Kundu has taught the course, "American Dilemmas: Race, Inequality, and the Unfulfilled Promise of Public Education," originally designed by achievement gap scholar, Dr. Pedro Noguera. Kundu was the 2017 recipient of the NYU "Outstanding Doctoral Student Teaching Award." He also teaches high school students storytelling through The Moth in New York City.
Kundu frequently contributes to public discourse on education. His work has appeared in NPR Education, MSNBC and Huffington Post. Kundu says, "There is intellectual talent going uncultivated and unnoticed in our communities. If we remember education is our greatest public responsibility, we can better tackle the social problems that lie ahead, together."
Anindya Kundu | Speaker | TED.com