The Burden of the Socio-Economic Status
Social mobility, is a key factor in our lives that some of us may often times take for granted. We may not think about it much, but when the issue involving the lack of equal opportunities and ability to move within social classes comes up, a quite predictable conversation of the glass ceiling begins. We then realize how unforgiving society can be, categorizing people to jobs and titles “appropriate” to their social and economic statuses. We find that what really shapes society and its rules is lies within our fundamental education.
Public schools in America scrape in funding from the state, the federal government, and from local property taxes. But since a large portion of funding comes from the local source of property taxes, schools in rich neighborhoods rake in more funding while schools in poor neighborhoods suffer from insufficient funds.
Less funding in schools mean bigger classroom sizes, less teachers and staff available to meet each student’s needs, and less resources and access to updated technology, all of which are essential resources. Additionally, schools run off systems of meritocracy, putting students through rigorous tests, favoring those who score highly and receive higher grade point averages, while completely ignoring the remainder of students who may have had potential, but lacked the proper resources. This system of meritocracy instead allows for society to categorize minorities and low-income students as “lazy” and “unmotivated” workers who are less deserving.
Recently, more attention has gone to the fact that there is an underrepresentation of minorities in STEM fields. We may be subject to think that they simply weren’t interested in such fields, but in actuality, African American and Latino students show as much interest in STEM fields as non-minority whites and Asians do, but only few of them pursue those fields. What sets these students back, is what some call the mismatch theory. The quality of their primary and secondary education, fails to prepare them for the intensity of STEM courses in higher education, resulting in drop outs or loss of interest in pursuing science and math related fields. But what is more shocking, is that of the percentage of those who overcome the barriers and obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher, only 13% end up in STEM fields, with 6% of those being Hispanic and the remaining 7% representing African Americans.
So where do the rest of these people go?
In the book Structured Inequality in the United States: Discussions on the Continuing Significance of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender, authors Adalberto Aguirre Jr. and David V. Baker use a term called “ghettoization,” which explains why so many minorities fill up jobs of the secondary labor market that are low-skilled, and low-waged, and are often times part-time or temporary jobs that are unstable (Adalberto and Baker 2000:214). It is this unrelenting system that continues to stereotype and categorize minorities as lower class humans unworthy of recognition, and is the very system that betrays the hopes of minorities for upward social mobility.
The government has not turned its back on minorities, but has yet to further address their needs. With the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, schools, districts, and more importantly, teachers were set to be held accountable for the performances of their students, using assessments to make sure poorly performing schools were improving, and promised more funding for schools. In 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act was set in place to ensure the inclusion of disadvantaged students and students with more needs. This act placed higher standards on students, starting students early on quality education by investing in preschools.
These reforms provided a new direction for the education system and the kids in it, but there are still some further implementations of legislations or even adjustments needed, that would directly address the growing problem of minorities and students from low-income households being left behind. We must provide a bigger support system for children, create more programs to support minorities and low-income students pursuing STEM fields, financial support systems, and most importantly, educators that are able to extend their reach to kids and go beyond what is already required of them, to educate students in a society with rapidly growing diversity. We need educators that not only have the content knowledge, but also the capacity and the ability to better address the needs of these students, and direct their classes to encourage students to have healthy self-images and academic identities, all while maintaining each’s cultural background.
The future of our society weighs on our shoulders, but this weight has already poured unto the young children who are not yet aware of the realities of this world. It's an endless cycle that begins with the flaws in our fundamental system of government that affects the quality of our education system, and ultimately bars people, especially minorities and lower income individuals from climbing up the social status ladder. But young children, who have endless dreams of what they could be and what they want to do, young children who do not yet have dreams or goals, regardless of the color of their skin, deserve a chance to climb up the social status ladder.
Bibliography
Aguirre, Adalberto Jr. and David V. Baker. 2000. “Inequality in the Economic Institution.” Pp. 213–222 in Structured Inequality in the United States: Discussions on the Continuing Significance of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Berg, Gary A. 2016. “Low-Income Students and the Perpetuation of Inequality: Higher Education in America.” New York, NY : Routledge. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
(https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/lib/sjsu/reader.action?docID=483652).
Biddle, Bruce J. and Berliner David C. 2002. “Unequal School Funding in the United States.” Educational Leadership 59(8): 48–59. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
(http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may02/vol59/num08/Unequal-School-Funding-in-the-United-States.aspx)
“Encouraging Minority Students to Pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Careers.” 2010. United States Commission on Civil Rights Retrieved November 11, 2019
(https://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo8540/EncouragingMinorityStudentsinScienceCareers.pdf).
“No Child Left Behind.” 2004. United States Department of Education Retrieved November 19, 2019
https://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml
“Every Student Succeeds Act.” United States Department of Education Retrieved November 19, 2019
https://www.ed.gov/essa
