This essay presents the topic of educational equity, with a specific focus on the problems of youths in differing social class environment. An introduction to educational equity is followed by a discussion of: social class and youth problems, social class and education, and conclusions.
Achieving equity and excellence in education is the goal of educational policy (Ansalone, 2004). Americans value education since it allows for upward mobility, yet scores of disadvantaged youth are lower and these individuals fail to complete their schooling. These differences in academic outcomes between economically advantaged and disadvantaged youth remain a problem. Education promises economic stability and equality and schools support this belief. The number of American schools is growing, as is the high level of education completed by the general public. However, disadvantaged youth are twice as likely to repeat classes or fail to complete their education. Minority children differ only slightly in their skills, compared to middle-class students, when they begin school, but by the time middle class students reach college age, they are at a four to one advantage compared to poor students. These statistics imply that students from different social classes differ in their academic performance and school has an impact on this process. Research regarding factors related to equity for all students is therefore needed.
Two important current issues in education are demands to improve academic performance with increased test scores and to close the achievement gaps between poor and middle-class students and minority and non-minority students (Gould & Gould, 2003). Efforts to reach the goals of providing equity and opportunity for all students have included staff development with regard to learning new instructional methods and test-taking strategies. However, the problem that poverty affects student-learning and educational equity, remai...