Patricia Shields credits Dewey and Peirce for insight into the process of inquiry that takes place when writing a large research paper. Dewey and Peirce note that a transformation happens during this process, due to doubt associated from questioning the existing system. As student researcher, we begin with a topic and in a state of equilibrium. The process of reviewing the literature leads to doubt and a challenging of the original belief or understanding ("disequilibrium"). Eventually (it is the hope), we reach a new understanding further up the "learning curve".
I find myself in the muddy state of "disequilibrium" where my previous understanding has been challenged. Even as little as a week ago, I thought I had a general understand of the problems of our education system. Any major city such as Austin or San Antonio (my hometown) reveals a wide gap in performance levels, funding, etc. between the top schools and the "bottom" schools. This gap reflects the systematic structural inequality that is evident in multiple areas of society. Based on David Labaree's social mobility approach, this inequality within the educational institution provides the upper middle class with the capital to stay ahead of the lower classes, furthering the inequality found in society. How can those who start out with less capital get ahead when the education system is a stratified hierarchy? I find myself doubting my previous understanding of such a complex situation, because I realize that the answer is not clear cut. The answer is not just redistributing tax revenues or increasing budgets, because the problem is more fundamental than that. I cannot say that I have found an answer to the problem of inequality between and within schools, but I can say I believe that we should aim to solve issues of equality through schools.
