My College Senior Thesis:
Public Education, Class, and the COVID-19 Response – A Critical Analysis
Introduction: As a Pomona College senior, I dedicated my research to understanding the powerful connections between social structures, education, and inequality. My senior thesis, presented here, dives deep into the United States COVID-19 response, examining it through the critical lens of class-based disparities in education. The pandemic didn’t just create new problems; it exposed deep-seated inequalities already present in our society. This analysis explores how these pre-existing inequalities, especially within the education system, significantly weakened the nation’s ability to combat the crisis effectively. This work is driven by my passion for social justice and a commitment to using rigorous research to understand and address critical societal challenges.
Executive Summary: Key Findings
- The Core Problem – Inequality Undermined Pandemic Response: The US COVID-19 response was significantly weakened from the start by deep-rooted inequalities, especially within public education.
- Root Causes – Systemic Educational Inequality: Deep-rooted educational disparities, driven by unjust school funding models favoring wealthy districts, created a system where privilege became pandemic preparedness. This unequal system fundamentally shaped the crisis response by determining who held positions of power to make decisions and control resource allocation.
- Class Conflict – Wealth Vs. Worker Needs: This research reveals a critical “class conflict” – the interests of the wealthy elite (bourgeoisie) often clashed directly with the urgent needs of the working class (proletariat) during the pandemic. This conflict continuously amplified the pandemic and its devastating impact.
- The Solution – Invest in Equitable Education: Investing in a truly equitable public education system is not just a matter of social justice; it’s essential for building a more resilient and prepared society capable of effectively handling future crises.
- Key Skills Demonstrated: This thesis demonstrates my analytical skills in dissecting complex social issues, critical thinking in challenging conventional understandings, research abilities in conducting rigorous and insightful research, and a deep understanding of social inequality, particularly the impact of class disparities.