Segregation and urban poverty contribute to the effects of education on poorer students in racial groups throughout the country, especially as it relates to educational achievement and success. Students who attend schools in economically disadvantaged areas do not see the type of funding that students who live in wealthier neighborhoods receive, which leads to a disproportionate amount of funding. This affects a school's ability to purchase updated textbooks, computers and keep educational facilities new. It also affects a school's ability to attract and keep quality teachers.
Those who develop a school systems's curriculum may unconsciously put together a racist curriculum simply because they do not know the needs or wants of the children they serve. They might also be unaware and uniformed of the students' socio and economic backgrounds. School systems need to develop curriculums that teach all aspects of truth and history in a critical manner rather than just skimming the surface with facts. There is also a need for multiracial curriculums to meet students' needs.
Racism affects the learning environment when name calling, inappropriate jokes, demeaning remarks, verbal abuse and bullying take precedence over the educational process. Instead of a learning and nurturing environment, a child's education becomes stifled by hurtful and inappropriate language and actions. Students also observe and learn this type of behavior from a very young age causing destructive behavior on many different fronts. This creates a negative environment and causes a diversion from the learning process.
On many levels in the educational system, the ratio between minority teachers and minority students, and vice versa, does not match the students' needs. Less than 2 percent of black males are school teachers and more than 35 percent of students are black or Latino with fewer than 15 percent of teachers being black or Latino. With a low number of teachers, minority children have few role models to take after. In addition, fewer minority teachers means a lack of their perspective on students' educational needs.