The purpose of this project is to introduce a possible approach and solution to address inequality in the United States public education system. As such, it presents evidence to support the claim that academic outcomes improve when children participate in school-readiness programs prior to entering primary education. Moreover, the emphasis of this project is to present the process for an exploratory analysis using the constructionist approach and basic framework of the social problem process by Joel Best (2008, pp. 33-40). First, it introduces the claim that educational outcomes are dependent on socioeconomic status, advocates for compulsory early childhood education, and proposes the Initiatory Public Education Policy. This includes …show more content…
With this in mind, all children in all socioeconomic classes, between three and five years of age, qualify as the target group for this project. However, it is important to clarify the delineation of the socioeconomic status (SES) stratification within the target group. For example, children within the higher socioeconomic status category have copious amounts of resources and benefit from social and cultural capital, which provides plentiful opportunities and a greater level of access to both public and private education …show more content…
First, the goal of raising public awareness about compulsory Pre-K public education generates public reaction. Subsequently, as the public gains knowledge of Pre-K outcomes they will embrace and champion the need for change. Second, the goal of identifying key stakeholders is to create an alliance of people who are competent to advocate for change in policy, essentially building human capability. The process by which this will occur is through resource mobilization – “acquiring the things necessary to function as an organization and carry out social movement activities” (Massey, 2016, p. 160). Specifically as it relates to this project, mobilizing researchers, parents, educators and legislators build the human capital structure necessary to advocate and execute policy change. Indeed, the goal of policy implementation is to formulate the policy through amending current legislation, or creating new legislation for mandatory and compulsory Pre-K education which leads to the ultimate desired outcome of achieving results – thereupon, providing Pre-K public education accessible by all Socioeconomic Status classes and setting all students up for success from the start of their academic
Early childhood education is crucial for success in the formalized education system. Many children born into lower income communities do not obtain this advantage. According to Kozol, simply based off accident of birth a child will lead completely different educational lives (2005). For example, a white toddler in an upper middle class neighborhood might attend a prestigious educational preliminary kindergarten. These respected early education schools are often referred to as “baby ivies” (Kozol, 2005). The child participates in pre-numeracy skills along with pre-writing skills. Conversely, a child of minority descent living in an underprivileged neighborhood may not initiate school until they are five years old. In the three previous years a
Statement of Issue: Many minority children and children from low-income families enter kindergarten without the academic skills they need to succeed. Math and reading abilities at kindergarten entry are powerful predictors of later school success. Research shows kids who start school already behind are unlikely to ever get caught up to standards. Hispanic and African American children are anywhere from 7 to 12 months behind in reading and 9 to 10 months behind on math when they enter kindergarten. Access remains extremely low to high-quality early education do to a couple of problems. First, rates of access to early education vary widely as a function of children’s socioeconomic backgrounds. Secondly, the quality of most early education programs is not high enough to substantially improve academic readiness. Considering the tremendous potential for high-quality preschool to improve children’s outcomes, this policy brief will consider how a universal publicly funded pre-kindergarten program in the United States could decrease both disparities in access to early learning and achievement gaps at kindergarten entry.
Recent studies on early childhood education have shown that children who have access to quality pre-kindergarten education tend to have higher educational attainment than those who do not have the opportunity. While the literature is by no means uniform on this, the bulk of current evidence suggests that such policies will likely be helpful, especially for students in low - income and minority school districts. Only time will tell, of course, if such programs can help to make inroads into the seemly intractable achievement gaps, but based on current evidence, it is a policy worth
George Eastman once said, “The progress of the world depends almost entirely upon education.” By its public school system, the United States of America exemplifies this. Federally denied to none and paid by all, United States citizens have the opportunity to attend public school, should they choose. Over the past fifty years, America’s education system has undergone multiple changes. It began with President Lyndon B. Johnson signing into action the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) as an extension of his “War on Poverty” plan. ESEA funded primary and secondary education, encouraged equal access to schooling, established lofty standards and accountability - all done with the intention of closing the achievement gap
Parents living in poverty may have a diploma however the children are not getting the same quality education as children in wealthier areas. This also contributes the economic gap presented throughout lower rung neighborhoods. Children with lower quality educations are less likely to succeed in school. Inferior education is social injustice and the school system can improve upon this by taking government monies and investing in impoverished areas. Leveling the playing field with educational programs is a start , early intervention program must be put into place as soon as a child is born, but the intervention needs to be done before the child is three(Schippers,
The U.S. public education system contains tremendous inequality, much of which is maintained through the institution itself. We believe the system to be based on the principles of a strong work ethic and equal opportunity – key components of the dominant American ideology, which are in turn made reasonable by the schooling system. Furthermore, structural factors such as cumulative advantage, which explains how those who are successful gain additional success, offer an explanation for the inequalities in the school system that cannot be described or solved by money. Therefore, through the legitimation of the dominant American ideology and the process of cumulative advantage, the U.S. public education system perpetuates social inequality within the classroom and provides more power to those already born with greater life chances.
After this past week’s lesson in regards to “Addressing Inequality in the US: Upstream Prevention,” I have a new gained awareness of government funding, educating children and making sure parents are parenting better. I agree with James Heckman’s reasoning that we must focus more on providing aid, structure and discipline towards young children long before they enter high school. Educating the young is the most effective method of addressing inequality.
So, what was socioeconomic status? What were the components that constructed socioeconomic status? Socioeconomic status was defined by multiple factors: educational attainment, income, occupational prestige, wealth, and much more. Educational attainment component of socioeconomic status had a long term prevalence on a person’s health. Research shown that children who grew up in low-socioeconomic status households and communities developed academic skills more slowly than other children. Some potential reasons was the lack of literacy in their environment, chronic stress, under resource, inadequate education provided in an area, and much more influenced an individual’s opportunity of learning at an early age (American). The lack of literacy in an environment was attributed
The effects of low Socioeconomic Status (SES) on African American children can be detrimental to their cognitive development. Some government programs such as Head Start and No Child Left Behind Act was enacted to assist with the disparities in the achievement gap that is affecting low income students. However, African American boys’ that are in a low SES are at a much greater risk than their counterparts. According to The United Way
My exploratory essay provided my proposal writing with the research that I will need in order to write final argument. The research that I did for the exploratory essay helped with writing the hypothesis for the proposal, which will then serve as the thesis in the final argument. My proposal brings to light the different reasons that child labor is prevalent in businesses throughout the world. It focuses on uncovering the reasons that child labor is considered to be a significant problem. It also focuses on if child labor should even be considered a problem. Adequate resources are demonstrated through the scholarly articles that I provided in my literature review. The audience that my proposal is written for is my peers, professor, child labor
Comparing to other journals, four articles in this volume of ATP utilize different research approaches and, they focus on interesting and distinctive research subjects. First of all, Catlaw, Rawlings, and Callen’s study theorizes that the capacity to listen can be understood by examining the relationship between forms of truth-telling and the practices of government. I, and it concludes that it is by caring for ourselves that we learn the guidelines within which we might approach participation in governing others, since at last, “the only thing that I must and can truly command is myself. And if I am deprived of the command of others, I will not be deprived of this command over myself” (214). Eagan’s article questions: “what happens when you interpret the Occupy movement by focusing on the bodily and physical nature of resistance through the lens of Foucault?” (p. #) and tries to explain why the violent reaction to the protesters from police departments happens by theusing Foucault’s theoretical perspective.
Poverty is a major issue that can vastly affect childhood development. (Horgan, 2007). Primary education is significantly important in children’s development and attainment, and is often supported through the parents and educators. However, in modern times it is not easy to raise a child and help them to reach their potential. In the early years of a child’s development they are more prone to problems which could hinder their education. Poverty is only one issue, but could be a leading factor, as it may affect the health of a child, which may have a negative impact in progressing. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds do worse than those from advantaged backgrounds by a greater amount than elsewhere. For example, only about a quarter of students receiving free school meals gain five good GCSEs or equivalent, compared to over half of the overall population (DfES 2006). Those children with parents with low skills and qualifications seem to be effected more so, as these
The development of children can depend on many factors, one of the important ones being socioeconomic status (SES). SES can be defined as a multidimensional construct, including measures of social factors such as power, prestige and hierarchical social status, and economic resources (Hackman and Farah, 2009). Child development can be studied from multiple dimensions such as physical, mental, social, and emotional development among others. For the purposes of this study, I will be focusing on how socioeconomic status affects child cognitive development.
Exploratory data analysis best describes this study. This study is trying to make a possible connection between mental illness and crime. The researchers are trying to find a possible answer to the question of “if there is a correlation between mental illness and crime.” Also, the study is being done to not predict what the outcome will be, but to actually find out the
Forty- six percent of children had a mother with less than a high school education, family use of food stamps or welfare receipts, a single parent and parents whose primary language is not English. This made their parents work longer hours and spent lesser time with the kids so as to provide roof and food for them. Children who attended full-day kindergarten had an increased school time and reduced out of school time. There were improved cognitive skills that provide the foundation for ongoing educational development. Improved children’s nutrition in so far as health meals are provided to the children, spending quality time with trained teachers who are equipped in grooming the future leaders of the next generation and increased in-school time also allows more supervised interactions with peers to develop socio-emotional skills.