Public Higher Education Gap Analysis

Through this recent recession the gap for financial aid has become increasingly large due to the fact that colleges are basing some of their applications by their financial situation. This in turn creates widening on lower to middle class families who cannot send their children to school because the cost are too great to bear with large amounts of financial aid. The wealthy students are not only being accepted to these pricy private universities but are being given grant and aid so that they can make it through. The poorer students are not even given the chance to attend those school not because of their brain but because of their lack of funding. In today’s society were the upper class has become very distant to the middle and

America’s education system is one of the most respectable, reputable and sought after commodities in our society, but it is also the most overcrowded, discriminatory, and controversial system ever established. Most people yearn for a higher education because it 's what 's expected in this society in order to get ahead. It means a better job, more money, power, prestige and a sense of entitlement. But this system has let down the children that are supposed to benefit from it. Education discriminates against minorities, and poorer class students are not expected nor encouraged to attain a higher education. The education system is set up to ensure that every child get a basic

Recently there has been a lot of debate about the importance of college education. Students are asking if it’s worth the debt to attend a four year university or community college. Some are thinking what are the benefits of a degree is in the workforce. With college tuition increasing and state fundings lowering, low income students are struggling to attain a higher education. College institutions should have a role to provide students higher education and equal opportunity to students to increase social mobility yet intergenerational reproduction of privilege has produced inequality in education.

In the article, “Low-Income Students Seeking the Education They Need to Move Up,” Emily Yount writes about the way that poverty affects people entering higher education. In her story, a girl named Chelsea is a single mom trying to get her education, and the path is difficult for her. In this paper, I will discuss both my mother and Chelsea and show the ways that it is mainly the single moms that struggle the most in this society. Regardless if you’re rich or poor, your economic status always is important. A student’s economic status has a great impact and can affect her depending on the decisions she makes.

In the United States alone, minorities have struggled for centuries to earn the basic rights and opportunities as others. African Americans have always worked harder and been treated maliciously just because of the color of their skin. There have been numerous movements, peaceful protests, and brutal battles by black leaders against whites for equality, justice, and a fair chance at a better life. It is safe to say that in the past, blacks were not allowed to progress or have a mind of their own. In comparison to the past, the educational sector for minorities still remains as an extreme societal challenge. For many years, African Americans have been denied educational advancement opportunities. The higher education area suffers greatly for the black population but very few people will address why this matter occurs. Do black families’ socioeconomic status affect the children’s education? The socioeconomic status is easily defined as an individuals or families’ economic and social rank based on income, education level, and occupation. The socioeconomic status of black families does affect their children’s academic success, however; it does not determine their children’s success. This educational disadvantage for black students needs to be addressed because of the lack of financial and emotional support that minority students receive due to their parents lack of experience and knowledge with higher education. Many black students become a product of their environment because

In “The Dangers of Telling Poor Kids That College Is the Key to Social Mobility”, Andrew Simmons, a high school teacher who teaches in a poor area of Los Angeles, argues that higher education’s educational opportunities should be the main promotion for students to attend college. The author’s purpose is to inform and persuade his readers to accept his view on what he sees as a problem of the education system. According to Simmons, teachers focus on the economic advantages that higher education could bring instead of the actual education these institutions offer. Because of this promotion, students in poorer areas focus on their potential wealth instead of their future education while students in wealthier areas focus on their future careers

Yet despite the incentives for postsecondary degree attainment, young economically disadvantaged students fall significantly behind their middle and upper income peers in postsecondary attainment. Minority youths in particular lag behind their white counterparts in postsecondary enrollment and completion.

In a state with a greater gap in income inequality, youths of low socioeconomic status would have had a 30% lower income in their career compared to that of youths of the same status from states with less inequality. Likewise, individual in the former had a 8% chance of returning to school whereas there was a 10.6% with the latter (Kearney & Levine, 2016, pp. 347). Failing to identify role models in low socioeconomic communities can cause one to fail to identify with college. However, one could also be demotivated by living close to a household of higher socioeconomic status (Kearney & Levine, 2016, pp. 348-349). It makes the prospect on financial success seem comparatively unreachable. With lower obvious income inequality, there is a greater motivation to strive in education because one can feel more competitive with colleagues whose capabilities are not so superior to oneself. Ultimately, striving to achieve success through education was, as the researchers mentioned, “most appropriately considered a cumulative measure of ability, reflecting innate endowments, environmental influences, and the result of formal and informal human capital investment” (Kearney & Levine, 2016). If an individual cannot overcome the obstacles that are cast by

Low-income students are up to 30 percent less likely to attend college than their higher income peers (Goodman, 2010). With some states increasing the amount of merit-based aid while decreasing the amount of need-based aid, additional research is needed to determine the effects on low-income student enrollment in those states (Zhang & Ness, 2010). Effective strategies for increasing the number of college-educated individuals must improve academic preparation, access to higher education, and persistence in college among the population least likely to attain that education, i.e., low-income students (Alon, 2011).

To begin, universities within lack the dispersion of diversity and equality amongst individuals studying from various backgrounds and financial incomes. Therefore, eliminating these towering fees would develop the diversity and equality within. In 2013, the U.S. Census Bureau surveyed Americans from the National Center for Children in Poverty, finding that 44% of the nation’s children live in low-income households (Sillers). Amongst these children are longing individuals who are in hopes to attend colleges for their futures. However, under the circumstances, almost half of the nation’s children are financially unable to afford such high tuitions due to their low-income statuses. With this, it is demoralizing for less fortunate students with the same hopes and ambition to those who are privileged and conveniently receive higher levels of education. Having the same opportunities for all would ultimately achieve fair amounts of success for students regardless of class. Needless to say, equality between social classes would create a sense of balance and fundamentally expand within universities.

Not only is the expectation of a higher education an issue, the pursuit of a degree can be a great obstacle itself. Most students that graduate from a credited high school suffer a fairly different experience reliant on their community and neighborhoods. The decision whether to attend college was solely determined by the inequalities in income and enriched parental investment, K-12 education systems, and college preparatory supports. The matter that student finance themselves through college has its particular disparities. In the text Class in America, Mantsios states, “the gap between the rich and the middle class leaves the vast majority of the American population at a distinct disadvantage.” Low income and minority students that receive appropriate direction can most of the time obtain substantial benefits within college and graduate with less debt than those that do not. As developing adults can encounter potential obstructions for instance prolonged unemployment, bad credit, health or addiction problems, criminal arrests, or

For our country to maintain economic growth, citizens must have the opportunity to have competitive, well-paying jobs. It has become increasingly evident that the best chance at achieving this goal is through higher education. Though education is necessary for a wide range of career options, its costs “tie the hands” of many low-income families in two ways: it leaves them with no option to attend higher education at all or leaves them with debt upon graduation. As previously mentioned, once demand is increased in an area, costs follow suit. With costs rising as family and student income stasy the same, payments become overwhelming (Issues for Debates in American Public Policy: Selections from CQ Researcher, 2018, pp. 257). This creates a burden on students attempting to get their degree. The price of a college education has increased faster than inflation in recent years, and inflation has caused fees to skyrocket (Kraft & Furlong, 2015, pp. 361-362). In order for universities to keep up with modern societal development, they must adjust their campuses accordingly, and it requires funds to do

It has been proven that low income students are less likely to even apply or attend a four year college. In a recent study around 54% of lower income students attended a four year college, while 84% of upper and middle class students were enrolled (“Should More College” 1). Not only did the lower class student not have the funds to attend college, but their grades were

Schools face considerable pressure to be held accountable for student success by legislators, parents and other stakeholders (Toutkoushian 2005, p. 259). Policymakers want results; they do not consider that there exist factors with respect to student performance that are outside the schools' control. Research supports the assertion that educational outcomes are largely determined by social class. Parent education and income are related strongly to student outcomes at all levels. Toutkoushian cites numerous studies of student populations across the United States where achievement on standardized tests correlates strongly with the socio-economic status of families as well as communities. The purpose of this paper is to correlate statistics on university admissions with social class. College attendance is a predictor of life success; higher education level correlates with significantly higher income for all ethnic and racial groups and for both genders. Individuals with a bachelor's degree earn an average of one million dollars more over a lifetime than those who graduate from high school only. Higher education correlates with lower unemployment, lower poverty rates, higher contributions to the nation's tax base, and less dependence on social safety-net programs. (Ballinger 2007, p. 4). Higher education directly affects the quality of life of individuals and their families; lack of a college education can keep individuals and families in the underclass for generations.

Without money, higher education only remains a dream and nothing more. Within the last ten years, the rate of increase in tuition has skyrocketed five percent. This makes college less accessible to low income students who do not qualify for merit based scholarships. This does not by any means undermine their level of intelligence or hard work. This only means they lacked the resources that come with larger, more financially stable districts. Low income communities see less success in students seeking degrees as they are less