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SES & Academic Achievement

Jason, Danielle, Steve

“Social class may prove to be a more effective determinant of future opportunities than either race or gender.” (Tozer, 1993, p. 303)

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Movie Clip

Stand & deliver

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History

• Social scientists have recognized the importance of an individual’s socioeconomic status (SES) as an influence on the academic achievement of children since at least the mid-1960s

(Coleman, J.S., Campbell, E., Hobson, C., McPartland, J., Mood, A., Weinfield, F., & York, R., 1966)

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Social Class, SES & Academic Achievement

Defined:

The hierarchical division of society into relatively

permanent and homogeneous groups with respect to

attitudes, values, and lifestyles.

A relatively permanent and homogeneous

division in a

society in which individuals or families sharing similar

values,

lifestyles, interests, and behavior can be hierarchically

categorized.

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Does social class exist in the U.S.?

?

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Social Stratification Model for the United States

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Wealth & Poverty

U.S. median household income: $ 40,816 (U.S. Census Bureau, 1999)

Average household net worth of the top 1% of wage earners: $10,204,000Average net worth of the bottom 40% of wage earners: $1900(Edward N. Wolff, "Recent Trends in Wealth Ownership, 1983-1998," April 2000)

Definition of middle class in terms of income: $ 32,653 to $ 48,979 (Economy.Com’s The Dismal Scientist, 1999)

Percentage of U.S. children who live in poverty: 20(U.S. Census Bureau, 2000)

Percentage of U.S. adults who live in poverty: 12(U.S. Census Bureau, 2000)

Percentage of single mothers who live in poverty: 37.4%(U.S. Census Bureau, 1999)

Rank of the U.S. among the seventeen leading industrial nations with the largest percentage of their populations in poverty: 1 (United Nations Human Development Report 1998, N.Y.C.)

Portion of U.S. stock owned by the wealthiest 10 % of Americans: 9/10 (Economic Policy Institute, Washington D.C., 1999)

Median hourly wage of a former welfare recipient: $6.61(Urban Institute, 2000)

Percentage of former welfare recipients who have no access to a car: 90% (Surface Transportation Policy Project, 2001)

Bill Gates hourly wage: $650,000/hr(Bill Gates Net Worth Page, average since 1986)

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Education

In October 1996, 48.6 % of 16-24 year old high school completers in lower income families were enrolled in college, compared with 62.7 % from middle income families and 78 % from higher income families. (U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey)

Mean verbal SAT score for children in households with incomes below $10,000: 427 Mean verbal SAT score for children in households with incomes above $100,000: 559 Mean math SAT score for children in households with incomes below $10,000: 446 Mean math SAT score for children in households with incomes above $100,000: 572. (SAT Program information, 1998)

Median household income for those less than a 9th grade education: $17,261Median household income for those with a 9th - 12th grade education (no diploma): $ 21,737 Median household income for high school graduates: $ 35,744Median household income for college graduates, B.A.: $ 64,406Median household income for college graduates, M.A.: $ 74,476Median household income for professional degree holders: $ 100,000(U.S. Census Bureau, 1999)

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Class, Race, & GenderMedian net worth of a White American: $81,700Median net worth of an African-American: $10,000(Edward N. Wolff, "Recent Trends in Wealth Ownership, 1983-1998," April 2000)

Number of White people living in poverty: 21,922,000Number of Black people living in poverty: 8,360,000(U.S. Census Bureau, 1999)

Percentage of men earning poverty level hourly wage: 19.5%Percentage of women earning poverty level hourly wage: 31.1%(Economic Policy Institute, 2000)

Males:White collar: 47% (of workforce), avg hourly wage = $22.20 Service: 10.4%, avg hourly wage = $10.92Blue collar: 40.1%, avg hourly wage = $13.71

Females:White collar: 73.4%, avg hourly wage = $14.90Service: 15.2%, avg hourly wage = $8.17Blue collar: 9.6%, avg hourly wage = $9.94(The State of Working America 2000-2001, Economic Policy Institute, statistics are for 2000)

Median Income by type of household:Family households (all): $49,940Married couple families: $56,827Female householder, no husband present: $26,164Male householder, no wife present: $41,838(U.S. Census Bureau, 1999)

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Attitude36 % of those earning $15,000 a year call themselves middle class.49 % of those with incomes between $ 35,000 and $ 49,999 call themselves middle class71 % of those with incomes above $ 75,000 call themselves middle class (National Center for Opinion Research, 2000)

Percentage of 5000 American adults polled who cited "lack of effort as a reason people are poor: 43 % Percentage who cited "strong effort" as a reason some people are rich: 53% (Gallup Poll Social Audit, 1998)

Percentage of death row inmates who could not afford to hire a lawyer: 90% (ACLU, 2001)

Crime

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What Class am I?

http://www.pbs.org/peoplelikeus/talkback/index.html

                           

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Race and class are distinct and separate.

Race does not equal class, and vice versa. They cannot be interchanged as synonyms. You have lower class whites and upper class blacks, middle class Asians, etc. etc.

Race is a social construct; it is not a biological fact. One cannot scientifically determine race, thus it only exists in the minds of those that call on it for an easy method of decision making - a historically social construct.

One response to the constant confusion of the terms class and race:

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The percent of students eligible for free or reduced –price

lunch at or above the state goal increased in Science, Reading

Across the Disciplines.

The only decrease was in Math, from 13.4% at or above the

state goal to 12.5% at or above the state goal in 2002.

Test participation rates for students eligible for free or reduced-

price lunch increased by an average of 4.3% over 2001. This

was significantly higher than the increase in the average

participation rate (1.8%) among students not eligible for free or

reduced-price lunch. and special education students.

Local CMT Scores for 2002

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% of Students at or Above State Goal (2001-2002)

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East Hartford

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Manchester

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Glastonbury

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Stats

• CMT Reports– Reports for grades 4,6, and 8

• CAPT Reports– I (homepage)– II (Graphing Yearly Comparisons)– III (Comparisons- you choose ERG and

district )– IV (ERG Skills Checklist 2003)– V (Disaggregation Report by ERG 2003)– VI (School Summary 2003)– VII (District Summary 2003)

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The scores show the percentage of students in grades 4,

6 and 8 who scored at or above state goals in math (M),

reading (R) and writing (W) on the 2002 CMT.

For comparison purposes, the results are for regular

education students only. However, the statewide totals at

right reflect the scores of all students, including bilingual

and special education students.

Local CMT Scores for 2002

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Math –Grade 4 (2000-2002)

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Reading – Grade 4(2000-2002)

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Writing – Grade 4 (2000-2002)

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“they say I gotta learn’ but nobody’s here to teach me

if they can’t understand it’ how can they reach me

I guess they can’t I guess they won’t

I guess they front’

that’s why I know my life is out of luck’ fool”

Lyric from the movie Dangerous MindsBy Coolio, “Gangsta’s Paradise”

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Movie Clip

Dangerous minds

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CMT by ERG and Free/Reduced-Priced Lunch Program Eligibility

From the 2000 CMT administration to the 2002 CMT administration, the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced –price lunch who scored at or above goal increased the same amount or more than the number of those students not eligible in all grades and all content areas.

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2002 CMT Scores by ERG & Lunch Status

• ERG “B” – East Hartford area• ERG “E” – Manchester area• ERG “H” – Glastonbury area

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2002 CMT Scores by ERG B & Lunch Status

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2002 CMT Scores by ERG E & Lunch Status

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2002 CMT Scores by ERG H & Lunch Status

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Stand & Deliver Scene:

“Staff Meeting”

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Results of Teacher Survey

Video

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Student Achievement

Group brain storming:

What are the contributing factors?

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Teacher Survey Results:Factors Effecting Student Achievement

Teacher's Attitude6%

Relocation2%

Poverty2%

Student Interest17%

Student's Motivation10%

Student Ability/Homework10%

Parental Involvement/Home Life39%

Encouragement4%

Student/Staff Ratio2%

Student Behavior6%

Mutual Respect2%

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Student Achievement

What would you recommend to the Administration?

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Results of Survey:Advice to Administrators to Increase Community & Family Involvement

• Parent exposure – after school programs• Family Resource Center/family volunteers• Workshops for parents – poverty • Newsletters, etc. – including translation in to

dominant languages• Multi-cultural events/school functions• Homework services• Conduct home visits/get into the

neighborhoods• Don’t give up!

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To reinforce surveyed teachers’ opinions, research also supports these factors effecting on achievement:

• According to Gregory, 2000, p. 1, 3, 4, 302, 327– Parental expectations– Family structure– Perceptions of opportunity for success in school Self-concept of academic

ability– Perceptions of future opportunity structure– Social support from significant others (i.e. parents, teachers, peers)

• Home environment (Greenwald, Hedges, & Laine, 1996, p.383)• Cultural capital (McLaren, p. 236)

Other:

• Other studies show high academic performance is related to good parenting skills and positive parent involvement

• Some literature suggests that family structure is the critical factor determining whether children would succeed academically

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Any more?

What haven’t we mentioned?

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Another possible factor:

• When TV came into existence there was a decline in SAT scores as the years progressed.

(Austin & Garber, 1982, p. 26 & 27)

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Activity Worksheet

“Parental Input”

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CONTRAVERCY Adolescents' perceptions of their parents' academic expectations

It is well accepted that parents' expectations have a powerful effect on children's academic performance: "It is clear that high achieving children tend to come from families which have high expectations for them, and who consequently are likely to 'set standards' and to make greater demands at an earlier age" (Boocock, 1972, p. 60). Vollmer (1986) also concluded that there is a strong correlation between parental expectations and children's school performance: "Many empirical studies have found positive linear relationships between expectancy and subsequent academic achievement" (p. 15). Henderson (1988) found that this held true across all social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds. Parental expectations, however, will have little effect unless communicated to their children, and this process may reflect cultural differences.

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Teachers can create an outcome?

• Attitude ???

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What if low SES students don’t buy in to the American Dream?

• Students may have less intrinsic motivation to do well in school– “Why should I? It won’t do me any

good. I won’t get a good job.”

• Teachers need to create external motivation• Get kids hooked on learning

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•Bruce Hare said that the education system is not fair to all. Students who are underrepresented continue to be underachievers though they show some improvement. (Gregory,2000, p.3)

•John Ogbu says, “Consequently, many African American students learn that education may not lead them toward social mobility and opportunities; this in turn develops into negative attitudes toward schooling.” (Gregory, p.3)

•T. Jomisko says, “The home environment has a big role in a child’s education and if it is not supportive of the school environment, the student will not be as successful in school as the child whose home environment is supportive of the school’s learning environment will.” (Social Prejudice in Schools)

Quotes:

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Movie Clip

Finding forester

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Parents’ Expectations/Academic Performance

It is well accepted that parents' expectations have a powerful effect on children's academic performance: "It is clear that high achieving children tend to come from families which have high expectations for them, and who consequently are likely to 'set standards' and to make greater demands at an earlier age" (Boocock, 1972, p. 60). Vollmer (1986) also concluded that there is a strong correlation between parental expectations and children's school performance: "Many empirical studies have found positive linear relationships between expectancy and subsequent academic achievement" (p. 15). Henderson (1988) found that this held true across all social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds. Parental expectations, however, will have little effect unless communicated to their children, and this process may reflect cultural differences.

Huabin, C. and Lan, 1988

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Point of View: Born RichHBO: It's tough to make a blanket observation, but looking at some of the people who participated in your film: are rich people happier?

JAMIE JOHNSON: You mean, do I think being born rich is a blessing or a curse? I can't answer for other people, and some people address it in the film. But, for me, it's definitely not a curse. Some people ask me, is, what's the worst thing about being rich? I can't even respond to that, you know? There is no worst thing for me. I mean, it's a great situation to be in, where you have all these opportunities, all this access to education and all kinds of things. So really, I mean, I think it's, it's been great for me in every way. "...there are no courses in college on how to be a hard-working and productive rich person. It's something you've got to figure out for yourself." -- Jamie Johnson, heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune and "Born Rich" director.

Secrets of the wealthy-heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune reveals his "tell all" documentary.The documentary Born Rich airs on HBO.

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Open Choice ProgramThe purpose of the Open Choice Program is to improve

academic achievement, reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation, and provide a choice of educational programs for students from large urban school systems and surrounding suburban districts on a space-available basis.

The program allows urban students to attend public schools in suburban towns, and suburban students to attend public schools in urban towns.

Interdistrict magnet schools are designed to voluntarily reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation. They seek to attract students from school districts by offering a special, high-quality curriculum.

The interdistrict cooperative grant program provides funds for programs that focus on the academic improvement of students in diverse educational settings and promote an understanding of diversity.

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Challenge students to:

• Stop spreading rumors and negative talk about their classmates.

• Say hello to a student that they usually do not notice.

• Introduce themselves to adults in the building they do not know

• Take the time to thank teachers or coaches who have been heroes to them

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• Be heroes to younger students• Get to know heroes in the community (elders)• Rewrite a paper or redo an exam, even though

they don’t feel like doing it. Take the opportunity to improve the quality of your work.

• Get involved in community service projects• Complete assignments early• Develop and present fun and exciting lessons

Suggestions for Student Achievement:

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•Change their routine for the day•Ask “why” and “why not” questions in their classes and when they are with friends•Try not to take the easy way out whenever they have a choice of assignments. Accept challenging assignments.•Use photography or artwork as they undertake their next assignment•Set goals and follow through until they achieve them•Challenge themselves in all aspects of life.

Suggestions Continued:

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• Join a decision-making group so that they can voice their opinions on certain issues

• Challenge decisions made by others that they don’t agree with, even if it is a teacher

• Listen to the other side of the argument. Keep an open mind

• Take a course that, because of it’s difficulty, they usually would not take.

• Get involved in clubs or projects that their friends might not think are cool

• Take the time to be nice to someone who they think could use a friend

Suggestions Continued:

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Suggestions for Teachers:

• Take the time to talk to your students in places other than the classroom

• Visit another teacher’s classroom• Say hello to students as they enter the building

in the morning• Attend some of their students’ after-school

events• Mentor a new teacher

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•Recognize your students’ effort and perseverance, even if their grades do not improve

•Volunteer to help out at a school dance or function

•Put forth a little extra effort and create new and exciting lesson plans each week

•Take time to share a joke with their students

•Be spontaneous with their students. Keep them off guard and wondering why you are changing the routine

•Bring some excitement into your staff meetings

•Create multiple assessment opportunities for students

•Multiple intelligences

•Authentic assessment

Suggestions for Teachers Continued:

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•Take time to understand your own comfort, challenge, and panic zones. Challenge yourself professionally.•Get involved with your school’s goals and vision of the future•Change your routines for a week. Eat lunch with colleagues or kids, etc…•Allow students to make more classroom decisions•Be part of a decision-making group at school. Make sure that your voice is heard•Attend school board and PTA meetings•Share your skills at a staff meeting•Compliment students and write notes on their written work•Get to know teachers in a different department. Try to co-teach a lesson(Quaglia and Fox, 2003)

Suggestions for Teachers Continued:

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ReferencesTozer, S., Violas, P., & Sense, G. (2002). School and society: historical and contemporary perspectives (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

U.S. Department of Education, & National Center for Education Statistics. (2003, June). The Condition of Education 2003 in Brief. Livingston, A., & Wirt, J. Washington, DC:2003

Greenwald, R., Hedges, L., & Laine, R. (1996). The effect of school resources on student achievement. Review of Educational Research, 66(3), 361-396.

Abbott, M., Joireman, J., & Stroh, H. (2002, November). The influence of district size, school size and socioeconomic status on student achievement in Washington. Lynnwood, WA: The Washington School research Center (WSRC). U.S. Department of Commerce. (2003). Poverty in the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Clark, R. (2002, November). In-school and out-of-school factors that build student achievement: Research-based implications for school instructional policy. Retrieved April 2, 2004 from http://www.ncrel.org/gap/clark/index.html. Cunningham, C. (2002, April). Engaging the community to support student success. Retrieved April 5, 2004 from http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest157.html.

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Austin, Gilbert R., Herbert Garber (1982). The Rise and Fall of National Test Scores. New York: Academic Press.

Gregory, Sheila T. (2000) The Academic Achievement of Minority Students. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America.

Jencks, Christopher

McLaren, Peter (2003). Life In Schools- An Introduction to Critical Pedagogy in the Foundations of Education. Pearson Education Inc., New York.

Meir, Kenneth J., Joseph Stewart, Jr., Robert E. England (1989). Race, Class, and Education- The Politics of Second- Generation Discrimination. Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press.

Orfield, Gary (1981). Toward aStrategy for Urban Integration : Lessons in School and Housing Policy from Twelve Cities : a Report to the Ford Foundation. New York, N.Y. : Ford Foundation, [1981]

Quaglia, Russell J., Kristine M. Fox (2003). Raising Student Aspirations- Classroom Activities for Grades K-5. Champaign, Ilinois: Research Press.

Quaglia, Russell J., Kristine M. Fox (2003). Raising Student Aspirations- Classroom Activities for Grades 6-8. Champaign, Illinois :Research Press.

Quaglia, Russell J., Kristine M. Fox (2003). Raising Student Aspirations- Classroom Activities for Grades 9-12. Champaign, Illinois: Research Press.

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References ContinuedRodriguez, Nelson M. and Leila E. Villaverde (2000). Dismantling white privilege : Pedagogy,Politics, and Whiteness. New York : Peter Lang.

Tozer, Steven E., Paul C. Violas, Guy B. Senese (1993). School and Society. New York:McGraw-Hill Inc..

Johnson, J. an heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune and director/producer of documentary, Born Rich, airs on HBO.

http://www.blockbuster.com/bb/movie/details/0,7286,VID-V+++280304,00.html

Huabin, C. and Lan, W., Adolescents' perceptions of their parents' academic expectations: comparison of American, Chinese-American, and Chinese high school students. Adolescence, Summer, 1998, http://www.findarticles.com/m2248/n130_v33/21072040/p1/article.jhtml

Vollmer, F. (1986). The relationship between expectancy and academic achievement - How can it be explained? British Journal of Educational Psychology, 56, 64-74.

Henderson, A. (October, 1988). Parents are school's best friends. Phi Delta Kappan, pp. 149-153.

Boocock, S. P. (1972). An introduction to the sociology of learning. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

2001 CT MASTERY TEST, accessed 4/7/04, http://www.ctnow.com/news/education/

People Like Us Statistics, http://www.pbs.org/peoplelikeus/resources/index.html, printed April 8, 2004.