School Struggles In The United States

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

As a recent analysis, America’s colleges and universities are quietly shifting the burden of their big tuition increases onto low-income students, while many higher-income families are seeing their college costs rise more slowly, or even fall” (Eskow). Though education is the basic human right, most of the people in the U.S. are not being able to gain it as because of its rising cost. Since the 1970s, tuition and fees at public institutions have increased by more than 350 percent, while pay for working- and middle-class households has stagnated. As a result, the cost of a public-college education now accounts for almost 15 percent of the average family's annual income; 40 years ago it was about 4 percent (Kenneth W. Warren and Samir Sonti). The tuition and fees are increasing in such a way that the young Americans aren’t as educated as the young citizens of many other developed countries. The U.S. ranks 14th in the world in the percentage of 25-34 year-olds with higher education (42%).” When all adults of working age are considered, the US is still one of the highest-educated countries in the world. But when this age group is considered, we are falling behind (Richard Eskow). That’s the personal loss for the young people of the U.S. Education is not a privilege of the rich and well-to-do; it is the inalienable right of every people. It is a powerful tool by which people can lift

Unfortunately, the school's lack of appropriate education results directly from poor government funding. So even with hard work, the lower-class student is still held down by his socio-economic status. Poverty-stricken parents are unable to offer their children the same attention and motivation as parents of a higher-class can, therefore never providing these children with the mindset that they are able to accomplish the American dream. According to Mantsios, 40 million Americans live in poverty, and the mental and physical affects the low standard of living has on them is undeniable (Mantsios 328). Citizens who live in poverty work long hours for little pay, yet return to a household that in no way symbolizes the hard work put forth. Within this environment, very few people have the positive outlook to mentor children successfully.

Poverty is on the rise all around the world especially across the United States. This is a problem that is affecting many aspects of life for both the victim and the people around them. Students living in poverty have to tolerate many unfortunate circumstances on a daily basis which can have a significant effect on their growth, development, and educational experience. Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds can still have the same success as the average student, but it takes a little extra effort and a leap of faith. Although it may be challenging for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds to achieve success in school and the real world, it is not impossible.

As Nelson Mandela once proclaimed, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Unfortunately, some students do not have the chance to take part in a college education. Not receiving a post-secondary education is a rising issue among those below the poverty line in the United States. In 2010, eighty-two percent of high income students continued their education into college; while in contrast, only fifty-two percent of students living in poverty had the opportunity to receive their college education. Poverty can be defined as having little to no money, goods, or means of support. Living below the line of poverty is an ongoing struggle for at least fifteen million young adults nation-wide, according to the

Lack of money, health insurance, and other poverty related issues have also led to lower academic performance among children in poverty. In David Berliner’s Letter to The President, he explains how “medical problems are harming student learning in our schools” (252). Since poor children may not have health insurance, or their families may not have the funds to see a doctor, poorer children miss more school due to illness. Also, more children in poverty come from single parent homes, which leaves numerous children on their own after school. In fact, “three fourths of all single mothers are in the labor force” which means there happens to be usually nobody at home to assist poor children with their homework, or help them study for tests

However the cost of college makes it difficult for people to get a college education. “Shelly Comer, 43, of Des Palos, California, is a divorced mother of three who also takes care of her oldest child, Michelle. She is going into debt so that Michelle can go to college(Wallechinsky 26)”. Michelle, “is concerned about the financial burden her education is placing on her family: “In order to meet our expected family contribution, my mother had to the entire amount of her share (Wallechinsky 26)”. A college education is very difficult to pay for. These quotes tell the story of the financial burden that is placed on families to send someone to college. Once the person graduates they have to get a job that will pay them enough to start repaying the cost of college. Sometimes those jobs are hard to come by. “Today, despite having a college education, Randy works for $9 an hour finding community jobs for the mentally challenged adults (Wallechinsky 26)”. We have to make getting a college education more affordable. Many times parents go into financial debt trying to help their children. This only hurts their American Dream as many of them are moving into the retirement stage of their

In Robert D. Putnam’s “Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis,” he mentions “..poor kids now are in much worse shape than their counterparts then.” (p. 29) Despite the advances we’ve achieved in the technology and medical fields, I believe that our educational system is still deeply flawed. Instead of actually providing equal opportunities for every students from various economic and family backgrounds, the system instead provides limitations and discouragements for these students. Even during one of my best quarters in university, after achieving decent grades in my classes, stress and worries still plagues my mind. The reason behind these stress and worries originates from the financial difficulties. The longer I stay in school, the higher

Poverty within neighborhoods throughout the United States has increased immensely throughout the past 50 years. In 2011, nearly 46.2 million Americans were living in poverty compared to the 353,000 Americans who lived in poverty in 1959. (Dosomething 1) Poverty is hardly just defined as a lack of financial resources, it is defined as a condition that results in an absence of the freedom to choose arising from a lack of the capability to function effectively in society. (Poverty and Education 1)  For a person to be impoverished or to be living in a state of poverty is to live where they do not have the economic means to provide a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their family.  A majority of public school students across the country are considered “low-income”, according to a new study by the Southern Education Foundation.  Areas of concentrated impoverishment are often characterised by crime, unemployment, and lack of resources.  Children represent 24 percent of the population, but they comprise 34 percent of all people in poverty.  The shift to a majority-poor student population implies that a growing range of students who attend public schools are less likely to possess support at home, are less often exposed to enriching activities outside of school, and are more likely to drop out and never attend higher education.  Children living in poverty have a higher number of absenteeism or leave school altogether because they are likely to have to work or care for family

Poverty is an important issue in the United States. In fact, child poverty in the US is at its highest point in 20 years. [Flores & Lesley, 2014] The poor are at a disadvantage, because they have an unfulfilled right to a good education. A majority of children attending public schools come from low-income families. It is hypothesized that a low household income correlates with poor achievement in school. A solution to poverty is for everyone to have a good education so everyone can be equally prepared to take on a high-skill, high-paying job. It’s unfortunate, because the solution to poverty is a good education, but a good education is hardly ever available to children living in poverty.

America is in the midst of one its greatest crises. This problem is affecting all fifty states and all levels of society. This current crisis is America’s failing education system. The United States has fallen behind many other developed nations when it comes to the quality of our children’s education. A good, strong education had been a crucial part of the American dream, so then why is that this problem is being ignored and allowed to continually worsen? School districts across the county are dealing with problems like lack of funding, low teacher salary, teachers unions, increasing class sizes, and failing test scores. A solution to these problems will not be easy. It will require the cooperation of federal, state, and local

Although some children who live in poverty try to succeed, some don’t try at all. Not trying makes the gray matter lessen. The less gray matter the harder academics gets for them. Most drop out and causes them to be in the same situation for the rest of their

relatively poor families not only well past the income achieved by their parents but also past the income achieved by many of their peers with more advantaged family backgrounds who did not obtain equivalent education” (Isaacs, Sawhill, & Haskins 34). To put it in another way, obtaining a degree is the best way, perhaps the only way, to possess economic stability. Now, if we look at it from the country’s perspective, education can be part of the solution to the wealth gap, because the occurrence of poverty in the United States is directly related to educational level. A college degree is the ticket to the middle class and beyond. Today, obviously, the idea that everyone should attend to college is indisputable. But there is definitely nothing magical about its price. As higher education institutions keep on rising its tuitions and fees.

Students from all over the United States are told all through their life that they need to attend college if they ever want to be successful, however, this is far from the truth. Often schools are culprits for driving students to attend money driven colleges, in other cases it is family. While schools all too often make the push on students to continue their schooling, parents can cause the same situation, as they may not have a degree and be working a low-paying factory job. Now kids already don’t want to be like their parents when they get older, so seeing them suffer in poverty or barely above the poverty line can cause some dissatisfaction, further seeking a degree to live a life that they never got. What many

Government created financial aid to increase enrollment rates for higher education. Financial aid helps those in need to continue their education. However, financial aid does not help everyone. Society expects young adults to further their education and get good jobs, even with their limited incomes. These expectations drive increases in the price of college dramatically each year. When tuition increases, middle class families struggle to afford their child’s education, resulting in students working to pay for college if they fail to qualify for financial aid. Numerous criteria for financial aid exist, so many middle-class students find it difficult to afford college. Colleges should grant more financial aid to those students working to support themselves and their families.