Social Class And Family Background

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America has always taken pride in being the land of opportunity, a country in which hard work and sacrifice sits in a better life for one’s children. Economic growth has made that dream a reality for generations of Americans, including many people who started out poor. Too many of America’s most disadvantaged children grow up without the skills needed to thrive in the twenty-first century. Low levels of performance among the most disadvantaged create long-term problems, particularly in an economy in which higher skill levels are more and more valued and the wages available to less-skilled workers are deteriorating.
Some researchers claim that educational inequality is due to social class and family background. On the other hand, Latinos constitute one of the fastest growing populations in the United States, due to high rates of immigration as well as high comparative rates. This growth has led Latinos to become the largest racial and ethnic minority in the country: 44 million strong, as estimated by the U.S Bureau of the census in 2006. Associated with this population increase is also a rise in the school age population. In 2005, about half of all students in the California public school system, were Latinos.
There are no theories explaining behavior differences among children. Behavioral genetics commonly claim that DNA accounts for about 30-50% of our behaviors. The rest would be considered environment. Many children who are emotionally unstable, typically develop this as a child. Weak or anxious children and infants, result in full blown insecurity during the early childhood years. Caretakers below the poverty line are more likely to teach a child more at their home environment rather than school. Caretakers above the pover...

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...e of mind that they are being congratulated on how much effort they put into their work. The student then strives to keep putting effort into their work, while those with fixed mindsets, believe hard work won’t matter in the future.
As a Latina child, I have experienced racist remarks and I have been told that I wouldn’t succeed because my parents didn’t go to college. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter what color of skin you are and where you come from. All of this shouldn’t matter when it comes to education. Education is a privilege that everybody should take advantage of. Whether you’re Hispanic, Black, White, or Asian, we all learn the same way. Some may learn more than others but it’s all personal when it comes down to education. Economic Inequality is a huge problem today in the United States, and it really shouldn’t be. In my eyes, we’re all equal.

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