The Influence Of Socioeconomic Status On Educational Attainment
There is a long history of perception that growing up in a lower income family will automatically put you at a disadvantage of obtaining higher education. The opposite goes for growing up in a higher income family. Growing up with wealth allows for an advantage when it comes to achieving a higher education. Higher education is defined as completing a college level education or higher. These advantages come from the opportunities that they are given more often to wealthier individuals over poorer individuals, not their educational ability. The three aspects of socioeconomic status that will be touched on pertaining to educational attainment of a child are: the parent’s educational attainment, parental involvement in education, and their access to educational resources.
Parent’s educational attainment
Today, we put a lot of emphasis on credentialism, or the over emphasis on credentials such as education, that provide social status. A direct impact of educational attainment is a parent’s educational achievements. If your parents completed a high level of education, they are more likely to have a higher income compared to those who have had less education. The parent’s holding higher level jobs are more likely to spread their views on education to their children, therefore emphasizing the importance of education. According to Masters (1969), “Better educated parents may provide more encouragement to their children to do well at school”. Parents who are better educated are also more likely to hold white collar jobs, which they could not have obtained without a high level of education. Furthermore, explains our emphasis on credentialism. This is one reason they put such a strong emphasis on the importance of education to their children, whereas children who have parents who have more blue color jobs may not emphasize higher education as excessively. Not only do parents with higher education emphasize the importance of education, but they model it to their children. We can take the expectancy- value theory into account when trying to explain this. The expectancy value theory is the idea that a lot of our achievement motivated choices, are influenced by what is expected of us. We are more likely to be successful, if we are expected to be successful. This can also be seen through symbolic interactionism. Which means if parents hold certain expectations or signs for their children this will guide their child’s motivations. “A child exposed to parents who model achievement- oriented behavior (e. g. , obtaining advanced degrees, reading frequently, encouraging a strong work ethic) and provide achievement-oriented opportunities (e. g. , library and museum trips, after-school enrichment programs, educational books and videos) should develop the guiding belief that achievement is to be valued, pursued, and anticipated”. This idea that achievement is valued, pursued, and anticipated stems from what children observe of their parents at a young age. If a parent didn’t attend higher education, they are less likely to hold these beliefs as strongly. In turn these highly educated parents promote children to make high expectations for themselves to pursue.
Parental involvement in education
Most parents with low income are working full time to make ends meet, giving them minimal amounts of time to attend school events, or volunteer at their children’s school. Although parents of low socioeconomic status are working full time and are unable to be at school events, they partake in more of in-home involvement. It is not that low income families do not want to participate in their child’s academics it is because they might not be able to. Making just enough to get by, working full time, and possibly having a lack of transportation are all barriers that families face every day. Most families of low income are working full time, but also tend to work long hours almost seven days a week, giving them no time to be able to attend school events. Although, to the outside world it may look like parents of low socioeconomic status don’t show engagement in their child’s academics, they do it in different ways. As stated above, some parents take a more in-home approach to academics rather than an in-school approach. Parental involvement in education can be measured by parent- teacher communication, participation in school activities, or discussions about learning objectives with the child and the teacher. On top of those mentioned above there is a lot of in-home involvement that can also help a child succeed academically. In home involvement includes tasks such as checking homework and monitoring study time. Although these both show signs of educational success, academic socialization through organizations, volunteering, or attending parent teacher conferences show higher rates of academic success for students. This relation is strongest for people of high economic status. It was found that home-based involvement was less effective in academic success. Although in home involvement is not hurting the child’s academic success, it is not maximizing it as much as in school involvement is. So, although parents of low socioeconomic status may value education and want to be involved, a more in-home approach is not as successful as being involved at the school itself.
Access to educational resources
With lower income comes less access to resources. Educational resources allow us to set ourselves apart from others, excel in certain areas of academics, and give us the opportunity to continue on to higher education. “According to the U. S. Department of Education (2007), 50 % of low-income students enroll in college immediately after high school, compared with 80 % of students from high income backgrounds”. One reason for this is that public low-income schools receive thousands of dollars less of funding. If students don’t have access to the same budget for education as private, wealthier schools how are they supposed to excel in the same way they do. This can be explained by the conflict theory. The conflict theory exists when inequalities exist among different groups, in this case, socioeconomic status. The idea that lower income families attend lower standing schools is unfair and ultimately is at the expense of lower income individuals. Not only does the access to money improve a student’s learning ability, having access to online technology shows to be very important as well. Today, all college applications are done on a computer, and we even are able to take some classes on the computer as well. So, it is fair to say that without the resource of a computer, students are at a disadvantage. With that being said 90% of high schoolers report having had to do homework on line or typed. Those living with low income, 1 In 3 households, qualified as making under 30,000 a year, don’t have access to the internet. This is about 35% of people being asked to turn in homework online, that do not have access to the technology. With this internet-based homework some students are unable to receive a grade for these assignments due to their lack of technological resources, which can ruin their academic achievement. Not only do your grades suffer without access to technology, but your ability to get into college suffers greatly from a lack of resources as well.
Low income students are less likely to take SAT prep classes, college admissions classes, and understand the financial aid system. These barriers student’s face, or the lack of resources, effect their ability to get admitted into a four-year college program. For example, almost every 4-year college requires either and ACT or SAT score. The more competitive schools want a higher score. These scores can be better received through practice and studying. SAT or ACT prep courses are a great way to improve your score, but if you don’t have access to this resource your score may not be as competitive as those who have access to these classes. Also, applying for student loans though FAFSA is complicated, and requires knowledge on the process. Although FAFSA helps those in low income receive loans, without knowledge on how to apply for FAFSA through educational resources, it hinders a student’s ability to qualify on time. Not only does knowledge about how FAFSA works help a student when applying to college but understanding the college search also plays an important role. Having access to a college councilor allows students to have a guide for what schools to apply to, how to apply to them, and what schools are “safe” schools and “reach” schools. The access to classes, tutors, and councilors put higher income students at more of an advantage when applying for college compared to lower income students.
Why income and education are important
A parent’s educational attainment, involvement in education, and a student’s access to educational resources pertaining to income greatly affect a student’s ability to achieve higher education. Low income parents don’t stress or model the importance of education as much as higher income parents. Low income families aren’t as involved in their student’s academics due to long work schedules. Lastly, low income parents are less likely able to afford resources that may maximize their child’s ability to get accepted into a 4-year institution. From this paper I learned that having knowledge about higher education is a huge resource in itself. Without the knowledge of what to do, where to apply, and the requirements, the college search can be near impossible.
References
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- Bubow, Eric F. , Paul Boxer, and Rowell Huesman. 2009. “Long-Term Effects of Parents’ Education on Children’s Educational and Occupational Success: Mediation by Family Interactions, Child Aggression, and Teenage Aspirations. ” Merill- Palmer Quarterly 55(3): 228.
- Malone, Debra. 2017. “Socioeconomic Status: A Potential Challenge for Parental Involvement in Schools. ” Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin 83(3): 58-62.
- Masters, Stanley H. 1969. “The Effect of Family Income on Children’s Education: Some Findings on Inequality of Opportunity”. Journal of Human Resources 4(2): 163.
- Roderick, Melissa. , Nagaoka, Jenny, and Vanessa Coca. 2009. “College Readiness for All: The Challenge for Urban High Schools. ” Future of Children 19(1): 185-210.
- Rodriguez, Leah. 2018. Tech-Based Education Holds Back Low-Income Students: Report. Retrieved May 8, 2019 (https://www. globalcitizen. org/en/content/low-income-students- technology-education/).
- Ward, Nadia L. , Strambler, Michael J. , and Lance H. Linke. 2013. “Increasing Education Attainment Among Urban Minority Youth: A Model of University, School, and Community Partnerships. ” Journal of Negro Education 82(3): 312-325.
