Summary One
In
the article “Minority Students ‘Shortchanged’; Schools With More Black and
Latinos Have Lowered-Paid Instructors Who Are Less Qualified” Seema Mehta
explains that teachers who work in schools with poor and minority students are
not paid as much as their counterparts at more funded or wealthier schools.
According to Mehta the lower levels of spending often indicate that less
experienced teachers are teaching the students with the greatest needs. In
addition, with African American and Latinos making up most of the students
impacted by such disparities, Mehta also notes that students are being
shortchanged when it comes to teachers’ salaries, making it difficult for these
students to reach educational success.
Summary Two
In
the article “Overburdened and Underfunded: California Public Schools Amidst the
Great Recession,” Rhoda Freelon describes how California has been greatly
impacted by the recession forcing the government to take drastic measures
limiting the funding of low-income schools, adding more barriers to educational
success. In addition, according to Freelon, students have experienced growing
social welfare needs that often affect their well-being and their performance in
schools. Freelon also explains how schools serving mostly low-income families
have been harshly hit, since they cannot raise extra funds to fill the gaps
left by the budget cuts during the recession.
Summary Three
In the article “How Much Does Income Matter In Neighborhood Choice” William A. V.
Clark focuses on how households make neighborhood choices, particularly with
respect to racial composition. Clark explains how income and education are
important reasons for the likelihood of choosing neighborhoods, but at the same
time, own race preferences clearly play a role. In addition, Clark states that
whites with more income will prefer white neighborhoods, Hispanics with more
income will prefer less Hispanic neighborhoods. Clark believes this trend is a
result of concerns of families about property values and school quality rather
than racial prejudice.
Summary Four
In
the article “Income Level Has Strong effect On Test Scores,” J.D Velasco
explains how test scores has more to do with family income rather than the
amount of students that are filled into a classroom, how much a district spends
per student, how much teachers’ income is, or what percentage of students are
still learning English. Moreover, according to Velasco students receiving lunch
assistance tended to have lower test scores. Velasco states that the
achievement gap between low-income and high-income students actually begins to
show during the student’s summer vacation, when higher-income students may have
educational experiences with their parents or receive tutoring, however,
low-income students loses a lot of ground over the summer.
Poverty:
The Nemesis of Education
Education
has historically been considered an equalizer in American society, capable of
lifting less fortunate students and improving their chances to live a more
successful life as adults. Today income levels of families and teachers play a
decisive role in determining the quality of education children receive. Decades
ago race was more determinate than family income of educational success, a
trend that has negatively shifted greatly impacting the Hispanic and African
American communities in Los Angeles. In addition, low-income families who
reside in these impacted communities will send their children to local public
schools where resources are limited, also where often funding is insufficient
compared to the wealthier schools, attended mostly by their White counterparts
who many times enjoy higher-quality education. When children live in poverty, their primary needs cannot be
met and they often don’t receive the same opportunities as children in middle
and upper socioeconomic classes creating an unequal disparity in today’s
society. Although education has traditionally been considered as an equal
opportunity to reach higher success in life, poverty affects educational
opportunities by insufficient funding to low-performing schools, income
disparity among teachers and families, and graduation rates among minorities.
Since
2008 the United States has struggled with the effects of a global recession, the
Great Recession in particular considerably impacted California. The education
system suffered deep economic cutbacks that affected public schools primarily
serving low-income families, which have been hardest hit by the recession. As a
result many public schools serving low-income families have had a difficult
time recovering mostly because they cannot raise private dollars to fill the
gap left by the public sector cuts (Freelon). The Great Recession consequently
has impaired educational quality, while also producing widening educational
inequality in California. Education has been a target for cost savings in
recent years as California legislators desperately attempt to address budget
shortfalls created by falling tax revenues (Freelon). In fact, even prior to
the recession California had consistently spent less money per student than the
national average. California ranked 43rd out of 50 states in the
nation, spending $2,371 less for each student than the national average
(Educational Week, 2011). Consequently, the underinvestment in public schools,
combined with California’s more recent fiscal problem, increases the challenges
facing students and school staff in public schools. As the population of immigrant
families and low-income students who benefit considerably from additional
educational supports continues to grow, California is at a disadvantage in
meeting the expectations of many students due to the continued fiscal challenges.
A
study performed by the state suggested that student performance on standardized
test has more to do with family income rather than the amount of students
crammed into a classroom, how much a district spends per student, how much
teachers income is, or what percentage of students are still learning English
(Velasco). The study looked at data for the 160 school districts in Los
Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, going more in depth and
exploring the relationship between test scores and class size, teacher income,
school spending, and the number of student who are English- language learners
or receiving school lunch assistance. The most compelling correlation existed
between standardized test scores and the percentage of students receiving lunch
assistance. Districts with more percentage of these students strongly tended to
have lower test scores (Velasco). According to Education expert Fred Tempes
said, mentioned in the reading “Income Level Has Strong Effects On Test Scores”
by J.D. Velasco, the achievement gap between low-income and high-income students
begins to show during summer vacations, when higher-income students may have
educational experiences with their parents or receive tutoring. This is great
disadvantage to low-income students who do not have the same resources at their
disposal, which causes them to lose a lot of ground over the summer. The
category with the weakest correlation to standardized test scores was the
average teacher salary in a district. “Common sense would say ‘Gee, if we just
pay these people more, we’ll get more qualified people in the field,” Tempes
said. He also believes a better way to increase teacher quality is to establish
for stringent requirements in order to become one. In The Other Wes Moore, Wes’s teacher seemed like she didn’t care
about her student’s attendance. With no one to support Wes at home since his
mother was always working, school was Wes’s only place where he could receive
attention, but the school he attended lacked quality teachers and peers that
would have helped Wes make right choices.
Moreover,
schools with more Latinos and blacks have lower-paid instructors who are less
qualified low-income communities. For instance, comparing two Los Angeles high
schools: Locke, with almost 100 percent minority enrollment and 66 percent of
students eligible for free or reduced lunches – an indicator of poverty, while
higher performing Granada Hills, with about 32 percent minority enrollment and
about 27 percent eligible for free or reduced lunches. Furthermore, the average
teacher at Locke is paid $8,000 less than the average Granada Hills teacher, a
disparity that if corrected would add almost $1 million in total teacher
spending at Locke (Mehta).
Neighborhood
choice among family households varies on the income and education level. Income
and education are important explanations for the likelihood of choosing
neighborhoods (Clark). Poverty has a great effect on the academic outcomes of
children, especially during early childhood. The chronic stress associated with
living in poverty has been shown to adversely affect children’s concentration
and memory, which impacts their ability to learn (Lewis). Latino and African
American students are three to four times more likely than White students to
attend schools with low graduation rate. Their graduation rates lag behind
those of White students by 15 to 30. In The
Other Wes Moore, Wes is raised in a neighborhood populated mostly by
minorities impacted greatly by socioeconomic issues that influence the
negativity in their lives.
Income
disparity has impacted education to the point where the historic connotation of
it was gradually shifted. Race is no longer to blame for this disparity in
education, since we live in a greatly diverse city. Poverty affects educational
opportunities by insufficient funding to low-performing schools, income
disparity among teachers and families, and graduation rates among minorities.
Works Cited
Clark, William A.
V., and Valerie Ledwith. "Overburdened and Underfunded: California Public
Schools Amidst the Great Recession." JSTOR. JSTOR, 7 Mar. 2007. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Freelon, R.,
Bertrand, M. & Rogers, J. (201 2). Overburdened and Underfunded: California
Public Schools Amidst the Great Recession. Multidisciplinary
Journal of Educational Research, 2(2), 1 52-1 76. doi: 1 0.4471 /remie.201
2.0
Lewis, Keahna M.
"Poverty and the Educational Barriers Children Cross before Adulthood:
Effective Strategies in Reducing the Long-Term Effects of Poverty on the
Educational Attainment of School Aged Children: A Grant Project." Order
No. 1522586 California State University, Long Beach, 2013. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Mehta, Seema.
"Report: Minority Students 'Shortchanged'; Schools with More Blacks and
Latinos have Lower-Paid Instructors Who are Less Qualified, a Group Says its
Study of Teacher Salaries shows." Los
Angeles Times: 0. Sep 15 2005. ProQuest.Web.
10 Apr. 2014 .
Moore, Wes. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates.
New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2010. Print.
Velasco, J. D.
"Income Level has Strong Effect on School Test Scores, Analysis
shows." Whittier Daily NewsNov
26 2011.ProQuest. Web. 11 Apr.
2014 .
Missael
Campa
Professor
Bieber
English
113B
April
14, 2014
Poverty:
The Nemesis of Education
Education
has historically been considered an equalizer in American society, capable of
lifting less fortunate students and improving their chances to live a more
successful life as adults. Today income levels of families and teachers play a
decisive role in determining the quality of education children receive. Decades
ago race was more determinate than family income of educational success, a
trend that has negatively shifted greatly impacting the Hispanic and African
American communities in Los Angeles. In addition, low-income families who
reside in these impacted communities will send their children to local public
schools where resources are limited, and funding is insufficient compared to
the wealthier schools, attended mostly by their White counterparts who many times
enjoy higher-quality education. When
children live in poverty, their primary needs cannot be met and they often
don’t receive the same educational opportunities as children in middle and
upper socioeconomic classes creating an unequal disparity in today’s society.
Although education has traditionally been considered as an equal opportunity to
reach higher success in life, poverty affects educational opportunities by
insufficient funding to low-performing schools, income disparity among
teachers, and graduation rates among minorities.
Since
2008 the United States has struggled with the effects of a global recession, which
considerably impacted California. The education system suffered deep economic
cutbacks that affected public schools primarily serving low-income families,
which have been hardest hit by the recession. As a result many public schools
serving low-income families have had a difficult time recovering mostly because
they cannot raise private dollars to fill the gap left by the public sector cuts
(Freelon 152). The recession has impaired educational quality, while also
producing widening educational inequality in California, impacting particularly
minorities. Education has been a target for cost savings in recent years as
California legislators desperately attempt to address budget shortfalls created
by falling tax revenues (Freelon 154). In fact, even prior to the recession
California had consistently spent less money per student than the national
average. California ranked 43rd out of 50 states in the nation,
spending $2,371 less for each student than the national average (Educational
Week). Consequently, the underinvestment in public schools, combined with
California’s more recent fiscal problem, increases the challenges facing
students and school staff in public schools. As the population of immigrant
families and low-income students who benefit considerably from additional
educational support continues to grow, California is at a disadvantage in
meeting the expectations of many students.
An
analysis of data collected by the state suggested that student performance on
standardized test has more to do with family income rather than the amount of
students per a class, how much a district spends per student, teachers’
salaries, or what percentage of students are still learning English (Velasco).
The study looked at data for the 160 school districts in Los Angeles, Orange,
Riverside and San Bernardino counties, going more in depth and exploring the
relationship between test scores and class size, teacher income, school
spending, and the number of student who are English- language learners or
receiving school lunch assistance. The most compelling correlation existed
between standardized test scores and the percentage of students receiving lunch
assistance. To qualify to receive lunch assistance, a family of four has to
have an income of less than $29,055 (Velasco). Districts with higher percentage
of these students tended to have lower test scores (Velasco). Low-income
parents are often busy trying to make a living for their families, and
therefore spend less time educating or tutoring their kids and giving that
extra push that many kids need in order to be able do better on their
academics.
Moreover, according to Education expert Fred Tempes, the
achievement gap between low-income and high-income students begins to appear
during summer vacations, when higher-income students may have educational
experiences with their parents or receive tutoring (Velasco). This is great
disadvantage to low-income students who do not have the same resources at their
disposal, which causes them to lose ground over the summer. The category with
the weakest correlation to standardized test scores was the average teacher
salary in a district. Tempes is also convinced that if teachers made a higher
salary, there would be more qualified teachers in the field. He also believes a
better way to increase teacher quality is to establish more stringent
requirements in order to become a teacher. In The Other Wes Moore, Wes’s teacher seemed like she didn’t care
about her student’s attendance. With no one to support Wes at home since his
mother was always working, school was Wes’s only place where he could receive
attention, but the school he attended lacked quality teachers and peers that
would have helped Wes make the right choices (Moore).
Additionally,
schools with more low-income Latinos and blacks have teachers who are less experienced
in low-income communities. For instance, comparing two Los Angeles high
schools: Locke, with almost 100 percent minority enrollment and 66 percent of
students eligible for free or reduced lunches – an indicator of poverty, while
higher performing Granada Hills has about 32 percent minority enrollment and
about 27 percent eligible for free or reduced lunches. Furthermore, the average
teacher at Locke is paid $8,000 less than the average Granada Hills teacher, a
disparity that if corrected would add almost $1 million in total teacher
spending at Locke (Mehta). Both of the schools are located within the same
county, the disparity is obvious, low-income students will have a more
difficulty time getting a quality education when they are being taught by a
teacher that lacks the experience. Whereas the more affluent schools possess
the more qualified teachers and therefore the students have a higher chance in
being more academically successful than their counterparts in poorer schools.
Poverty
has a great effect on the academic outcomes of children, especially during
early childhood. The chronic stress associated with living in poverty has been
shown to adversely affect children’s concentration and memory, which impacts
their ability to learn and also heighten the chances of not graduating school
in the future (Lewis). Hispanic and African American students are three to four
times more likely than White students to attend schools with low graduation
rate. In addition, their graduation rates fall behind those of White students
by 15 to 30. In The Other Wes Moore, Wes
is raised in Baltimore City, a neighborhood, populated mostly by minorities
impacted greatly by socioeconomic issues that influence the negativity in their
lives, which translated to poor academic performances in the city schools,
making it difficult for students to graduate. When Wes attends a more affluent
school in Baltimore County, he notices a huge disparity in the two different
sets of environments where people were looking for better opportunities, that
involved education, and the county seemed to provide more resources to it’s
people to help them reach their academic goals, something the city environment
lacked (Moore).
Income disparity has impacted education
to the point where the historic connotation of it has gradually shifted. Many
have perceived education as opportunity to lift the less fortunate on their
feet and provide a better future, but how can this cultural ethic really be
correct when there is a vast disparity in many of today’s societies where the
quality of education is not equal? One must blame the economic factors that
negatively affect one’s educational opportunities. If people do not have the proper
resources to attend college or even finish high school, then how will they
sustain a comfortable and academic life? The government should focus on making
the historic definition of education a reality again, and not let other social
issues unrelated to education disrupt one’s dreams and goals.
Works Cited
Freelon, R., Bertrand, M. & Rogers, J.
“Overburdened and Underfunded: California Public Schools Amidst the Great
Recession.” Multidisciplinary Journal of
Educational Research 2.2 (2012) : 152-176. Web. 11 April 2014. describes
how California has been greatly impacted by the recession forcing the
government to take drastic measures limiting the funding of low-income schools,
adding more barriers to educational success. In addition, according to Freelon,
students have experienced growing social welfare needs that often form their
well-being and their performance in schools. Freelon also explains how schools
serving mostly low-income families have been harshly hit, since they cannot
raise extra funds to fill the gaps left by the budget cuts during the
recession.
Lewis, Keahna M.
"Poverty and the Educational Barriers Children Cross before Adulthood:
Effective Strategies in Reducing the Long-Term Effects of Poverty on the
Educational Attainment of School Aged Children: A Grant Project." Order
No. 1522586 California State University, Long Beach, 2013. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Discuses
the impoverished neighborhoods who are facing educational losses and barriers
due to their socioeconomic class. Lewis focuses on the variety of social issues
impacting the quality of education in Los Angeles County, specifically the
South Central area. According to Lewis the limited educational resources
increases the dropout rates of these impoverished children. She also explains
that poverty results in poor educational paths for children from low-income
families.
Mehta, Seema.
"Report: Minority Students 'Shortchanged'; Schools With More Blacks and
Latinos Have Lower-Paid Instructors Who are Less Qualified, a Group Says its
Study of Teacher Salaries shows." Los
Angeles Times: 0. Sep 15 2005. ProQuest.Web.
10 Apr. 2014 . Explains that teachers who work in schools with poor and
minority students are not paid as much as their counterparts at more funded or
wealthier schools. According to Mehta the lower levels of spending often
indicate that less experienced teachers are teaching the students with the
greatest needs. In addition, with African American and Latinos making up most
of the students impacted by such disparities, Mehta also notes that students
are being shortchanged when it comes to teachers’ salaries, making it difficult
for these students to reach educational success
Moore, Wes. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates.
New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2010. Print. Describes the story of two kids with
identical names, living in the same city, but each with different stories. Both
Wes’s encountered many similar experiences, growing up around many negative
influences. One Wes decided to do well for himself and become a Scholar. While
the other Wes followed the negative influences which consequently condemned him
for life in Prison.
Velasco, J. D. "Income Level Has
Strong Effect On School Test Scores, Analysis Shows." Whittier Daily NewsNov 26 2011.ProQuest. Web. 11 Apr. 2014 .
Discuses how test scores has more to do with family income rather than the
amount of students that are packed into a classroom, how much a district spends
per student, how much teachers’ income is, or what percentage of students are
still learning English. Moreover, according to Velasco students receiving lunch
assistance tended to have lower test scores. Velasco states that the
achievement gap between low-income and high-income students actually begins to
show during the student’s summer vacation, when higher-income students may have
educational experiences with their parents or receive tutoring, however,
low-income students loses a lot of ground over the summer.
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