Our nation is confronted with a crisis in education, dropout rates among those students living in economically disadvantaged homes. While graduations rates themselves are slowly increasing, the matriculation rate of high school students coming from impoverished families remains substantially lower than those from middle income homes. Everyone is entitled to an equal affording of educational opportunities, but that is not consistent throughout our nation. Although there can be many reasons for a adolescent dropping out of school, this paper will examine three main areas hit by economic decline which inextricable relates to the likelihood that a child will drop out of school: economic well-being of the family unit, the financial stability of the school and the overall poverty rate of the community.
In 2009, a student whose family income ranked in the bottom fifth nationally was five times more likely to quit high school without receiving a diploma than a student whose family ranked in the top 80% income bracket. (Chapman, Laird, Ifill, & KewalRamani, 2011, Table 1). A Stanford University student showed an increase in child poverty rates from 2007 to 2012:
The official poverty rate increased from 12.5 percent in 2007 to 15.0 percent in 2012, and the child poverty rate increased from 18.0 percent in 2007 to 21.8 percent in 2012. The current poverty rates for the full population and for children rank among the very worst over the 13 years since 2000 (i.e., both are ranked 11th).
(Paulin, 5)
A child living a a home that does not have the financial means to make ends meet will not be afforded opportunities at home that require payment of funds, many times such as tutoring, extra curricular activities and the ...
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... usually inhabited by lower income families, many of the parents themselves not having a high-school diploma. Without community support, the families are left to either improve their locality themselves or live with the surroundings that the locality gives them.
In summary, impoverished areas and their population experience a higher rate of high school dropout, thus a lower rate of graduation. The factors involved in a student's withdrawing from school or failing to pass are numerous but a high percentage of these dropouts can be linked to the socioeconomic level of the student;s family, the school district and the community overall. Lack of education equates to lack of opportunity to advance and achieve. Therefore, a below poverty level student in not given the equal opportunities for success overall as a student who is economically and financially superior.
Child poverty is and has been a big problem in America, and children below the poverty line do not do well in school. David H. Arnold, a scholar and studier on the subject, said in an article, "Child poverty has reached epidemic proportions within the United States. Of the 35.6 million people living in poverty in 1997, 14.1 million were children … One third of American children spend at least one year below the poverty line, and 18% experience extreme poverty … Younger children are more likely to face poverty… and its impact may be strongest during children's earliest years ... Among poverty's effects is a devastating negative influence on academic achievement; the relation between socioeconomic status … and underachievement is most dramatic near and below the poverty line” (Arnold). Child poverty is a very real problem in America and most children with money problems are likely to fall behind in school. In addition, Parents having a bad education will most likely lead to poverty, and it is hard for their children to improve their way of life after they have based under the poverty line. In Arnold’s article, he stated; "Numerous factors contribute to the relation between [economic stance] and educational outcomes … Such factors may, for example, have repercussions on child cognitive functioning or parenting, and in turn, educational
The US Census Bureau sets an income threshold (Enwefa, Enwefa, & Jennings, 2006), if the income a family or individual brings in does not meet that threshold that individual or family is seen as being in poverty (Engle & Black, 2008). As many people know living below that threshold and being in poverty comes with many added struggles besides the obvious struggle, lack of income. Along with poverty comes chronic stress for the family as well as children (Engle & Black, 2008), health risks, health care that is seen as being inadequate (Enwefa, Enwefa, & Jennings, 2006). This paper will look at how poverty affects children and his or her functioning in school. As well as a look at other possible factors, such as the educational system, that could contribute to an influx of students being served through special education.
Students in poverty tend to obtain low grades, have little academic achievement, and often misbehave. Many often drop out before graduating high school. Students ages sixteen through twenty-four are up to seven times more likely to drop out. A study published in Nature Neuroscience discovered “a link between physical brain development and poverty level. In a study of eleven hundred children, adolescence and adults from around the US, researchers found significant differences in the brains of children from the lowest income bracket in comparison to those in the highest. Families who lived on less than twenty-five thousand dollars a year had as much as 6% less surface area in their brain in areas like language and decision making than families who made more than one hundred and fifty dollars a year.” This may support why many students in poverty tend to do worse in school over middle class students. Employers usually lean toward more educated workers, leaving the poor at a serious disadvantage when it comes to work Children growing in poverty regularly have families of their own poverty. Some workplaces, manufacturing jobs have replaced their human labor with machinery and technology, which leaves many potential jobs out of the hands of people hungry for work. Having a weak education leaves them unskilled, resulting poor and low paying occupations. This creates a long lasting loop of poverty, a loop which is hard to escape. They
The documentary “Dropout Nation” shows how difficult it is for students who live in poorer communities to receive a good education and graduate high school. Students and teachers are interviewed in this documentary to show that these students are intelligent but are not able to graduate due to their circumstances. These examples help explain the concepts learned in chapter 10 about social institutions and how it is affected by politics, education, and religion.
do with poverty.if people dropout of high school they cannot get their high school diploma so
Students who live below the poverty line have less motivation to succeed, and their parents are less inclined to participate in their child’s education, often because the parents cannot provide support for their children. Although it’s logical that school districts from poorer communities cannot collect as much funding as the richer communities, people stuck in these low-income communities often pay higher taxes, and still their school districts cannot accumulate as much money.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Throughout the nation, education inequality affects many minority students that have low-income which reinforces the disparity between the rich and the poor. The amount of children that have a socioeconomic background of poverty in the United States is estimated to be 32.4 million (National Center for Children in Poverty, 2011). Since many of these children are from
Family issues, poverty, and homelessness cause students to drop out of high school as it impacts education by placing stressful obstacles in children’s learning path. A National study found, “Overall, 22 percent of children who have lived in poverty do not graduate from high school, compared to 6 percent of those who have never been poor” (National Study). Lack of educational success can also contribute to throwing in the towel on school. Some students may not be receiving the additional supports to give them success in school. Imagine coming home on the bus after a ten hour day and having your ninth grader ask for help on their algebra. If you possessed the skills, which you likely do not, you may be too exhausted to help. In addition there is still dinner to cook and other household chores to complete. It is a daunting request that you may not be able to comply with. “Family poverty is associated with a number of adverse conditions — high mobility and homelessness; hunger and food insecurity; parents who are in jail or absent; domestic violence; drug abuse and other problem…” (Shonkoff & Garner, 2012 as quoted by Rumberger). Poverty is an obstacle to learning even for the brightest children. As a result few can overcome these stumbling
The dangerous cycle of poverty means that struggles and lifelong barriers are passed on from one generation to the next. Low incomes and unemployment create an environment where children do not have the privilege of going to school.Often times, children must work to provide an
Research prior to SEF’s 2013 findings, such as Brook-Dunn’s 1997 work, found that one in five American children were either currently living in families, or had lived in families in which cash income failed to exceed official poverty thresholds. For a small minority of children, 4....
Currently, relatively few urban poor students go past the ninth grade. The graduation rates in large comprehensive inner-city schools are abysmally low. In fourteen such New York City Schools, for example, only 10 percent to 20 percent of ninth graders in 1996 graduated four years later. Despite the fact that low-income individuals desperately need a college degree to find decent employment, only 7 percent obtain a bachelors degree by age twenty-six. So, in relation to ...
More and more people are falling into insular poverty. Insular poverty is rapidly growing, in our nation, into a huge problem today. It’s affecting student’s education causing them to work so much harder than the average American. To get a higher education in a poverty stricken home is almost impossible. Research is showing that poverty negatively impacts students during their educational
Rumberger, R. W. (n.d.). Poverty and high school dropouts. http://www.apa.org. Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/indicator/2013/05/poverty-dropouts.aspx
When an individual is born into poverty the chances of one day being “successful” are pinned against them. With lower high school graduation rates, followed by even lower college graduation
Teens today face a lot of pressure. Many students deal with difficult life situations that hinder them from focusing on their futures. This can lead to a loss of interest in school and school events, such as a sports, clubs, or after school programs. Teens start to prioritize other things over their education. Every year, over 1.2 million students will leave school without earning a high school diploma in the United States alone (“11”). That’s a student every 26 seconds – or 7,000 a day (“11”). The United States, which used to have the highest graduation rates of any country, now ranks 22nd out of 27 developed countries (“11”). Students may not realize that by dropping out of high school they are more likely to commit crimes, become parents at a young age, use and abuse alcohol and drugs, and live in poverty (“Drop”). Dropouts make up the majority of those