Sociology of Education

Some researchers declare flatly that, as a result of prior research, it is known that parental education and income are good predictors of children's academic achievement. Thefindings of some other researchers, however, cast some doubt on this contention. Nevertheless, the string relationship between the socioeconomic status of student families, and the academic achieve (Parelius, & Parelius, 1978, pp. 285, 290291). This area of research is highly significant, because the assumed socioeconomic status/academic achievement relationship is relied upon by a significant proportion of educational administrators in the development of programs for specific groups of students and, at times, for entire schools, and as a basis for

2the assignment of either individual students or groups of students to specific programs.

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ter. Recent research results challenge the belief that children acquire attitudes and beliefs by modeling themselves after their families. Q#4,1: Proponents of schools as a vehicle of equal opportunity contend that schools can provide a societal compensation for societal inequality (Halsey, 1989, pp. 298302). Equality of opportunity is said to exist "when each person, regardless of background, religion, ethnicity, race, or gender, has the same chance of acquiring a favorable socioeconomic position" (Parelius, & Parelius, 1978, p. 283). Equality of opportunity is most often considered within the context of education, because the road to improved socioeconomic position is most often perceived to follow the educational route (Musgrave, 1965, p. 327). There are differing perceptions as to just what equality of opportunity means with respect to education. One school of thought thinks that it means all persons with the intellectual capacities to pursue an educational program should have access to that program (Parelius, & Parelius, 1978, p. 284). Conversely, others think that access to education should be equal for all, and not restricted by intellectual merit (Hurn, 1978, p. 41). Such widely diverse perceptions of equalit
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Approximate Word count = 5421
Approximate Pages = 22 (250 words per page)

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