Inequality, Education, and Race

The purpose of this study is to compare urban education in the United States and South Africa. Specifically, it focuses on urban education in post-Civil Rights New York City, and post-Apartheid Cape Town, South Africa. The objective is to determine any forms of inequality that may still exist in the educational offerings and practices in the two cities, due to a history of social inequality on the basis of race. Despite legal victories, inequality remains a problem in the educational systems of both the United States and the Republic of South Africa, particularly in the provision of urban education. These inequalities have created large achievement gaps between white students and non-white students. Several studies on comparative education have been conducted focusing on educational inequality in these two countries. However, very little research exists that focuses specifically on the inequalities found in the education systems of the cities of New York and Cape Town. This study hopes to fill the gap left by previous research studies.