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Education & Social Status

When I was younger, visiting my family in Peru, I realized how different our society

is compared to the United States. Families in Peru struggle to support their family, in ways

that is not common in the U.S. Kids at the ages of around 4 are on the streets begging,

turning tricks, selling goods to people to earn the littlest amount of money.

People in Peru’s society compared to the U.S are different, yet are similar. Everyone

around the world struggles with making sure they have enough income to support their

family and have a roof to live under. When does it give them time to earn an education?

With an education they could try to make a better life for themselves and their family, yet

they are hours on the streets. This disables the children to have a future that could open

new possibilities for them.

As I was thinking I came around another question. If this is a problem in Peru’s

society then what causes Americans to struggle to have an education? Many factors do

contribute to Americans not being able to have the proper education one deserves and

receives. For my senior project, I am very intrigued as to what are the leading factors. In

America we see people struggling to support themselves, yet it is not as visible as it is in

Peru as to what can cause a lack of education. For my senior project, I will be focusing on

how does one’s economic and social status affect the education one receives in the U.S.

While doing my research on my question, I came across on a lot of information

about how one’s social class can affect someone economically and educationally. How one's
social status can induce the income that one may receives. The income that a person gets

yearly can also predict how one can afford an education or not.

Looking into my question I had my mentor, Yanira Carrasco answer a few questions

of mine about what she used to do as a job. She has a lot of experience with working with

people who are below middle class, which made me want to focus mainly on the social

status of people. Yanira Carrasco worked as a social worker down in San Francisco for

those who did not have enough income and were not doing well economically. Yanira

stated, “Some people would think that a lot of the people coming to us just wanted money,

but that is not what we do. A lot of the people that came to me, wanted help to get back

onto their feet and to use the government help and funds that was given to them to start a

new chapter in their life. ”.

While talking to her about what she saw and had to deal with, it is very easy to say

that some people would take advantage of their help. While others were seeking for a way

out of their old life and into a new beginning. I asked Yanira if she saw people trying to seek

an education as a start, and she answered yes. “Your economic status plays a huge role. It is

not just homeless people I was helping, but other people that needed help financially”.

Yanira continued by saying “ If someone has the money, getting an education is less of a

hassle compared to the people that do not have enough”. I also interviewed Melissa Ray

who used to work with Yanira. She also added to how Yanira was stating that having an

education is not required, but can be fundamentally useful in today’s society. “While an

education is not mandatory, it should be enforced and acknowledge that everyone from any

social class should have the chance to earn one an education and learn”. I asked Melissa to

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go in further detail, she went on by saying “ There are definitely for advantages for people

who come from a higher social class to get a proper education, while people from a lower

class can have more troubles. Families with less income can tend to run into hardship to get

an education; nevertheless they’re pros and cons to each social class that come up.”

Talking to Yanira and Melissa had me narrow down my question, How does one’s

social status give them an advantage and disadvantage in education? The term social class

can be referred to categories of wealth or income among groups of people. Other factors

used as measures of social class may include education, occupation, social status and

power, and cultural norms. In general, class status is often described as upper, middle, or

lower class, although there are many subgroups and a variety of terms used to identify

social classes. For example, “upper-middle class,” “poor,” “white collar,” “blue collar,” and

“working class” ( Social Class). I wanted to mainly focus on the upper class, middle class,

and the working lower class as to how each social class is different in receiving an

education. The gap between different social classes that occur and what other factors may

contribute to the social classes in our society.

Focusing on the upper class, there comes many privileges that they have. The upper

class have more income financially, meaning they are able to provide their children with

private schools. According to two authors, Figlio and Joe “Private-school students routinely

perform at a higher level of standardized test and are more likely to graduate from high

school and attend college than their public-school counterparts, even with may other

observed differences, such as family income, parental education level, and school inputs,

held constant”. Parents hope that placing their kids in a private-school system will enable

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greater possibilities for their education in the future. Some parents think that Private

schools have better education and better teachers because it is not just funded by the

government funds. The adults with high levels of education are likely to raise children who

end up towards the top of the educational distribution. Almost half (46 percent) of children

with parents in the top education percentile end up in the top education percentile

themselves. Three in four (76 percent) stayed in one of the top two education percentiles

(Reeves). Parents are able to provide their children with extra help from tutors, if they are

struggling. Having the option of a tutor benefits the students by making sure that the

material that is being taught is actually learned.

The upper class has benefits that the lower class tends to not have sometimes. After-

school programs also help children one on one, who are struggling in school. The rich take

advantage of these after school programs. The students with low-income struggle with

their reading and writing, they can’t afford to go to after-school programs (Education and

Inequality Between Rich and Poor). Parents that are economically good can have more of a

stability for their children, unlike those who are economically struggling. Students who

come from affluent families perform higher in school compared to lower income families.

About 82 percent of high school graduates who come from high-income families attend

colleges, in comparison to 52 percent of graduates from low-income families. A study

shown by Martha Bailey and Susan Dyhorski showed that over the last 20 years the percent

of children from higher income who completed college increased by 21 percent, while low

income increased by only 4 percent ( Education and Inequality Between Rich and Poor).

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 The upper class definitely has a lot of privileges not much disadvantages. A few

disadvantages could be that parents can fortunately help their children with getting an

education and not having to deal with most struggles; however the children can get used to

having it all be given to them and may come to think that earning an education comes easy.

As long as they are aware that they are privileged and fortunate, to not take it for granted it

should not be an issue.

The middle class is defined as the social group that is between the upper class and the

working class. While the middle class does not have the same amount of advantages as the

upper class does, it certainly has a few that are the same. Upper class families are known to

have be “wealthy” or “rich”, while the middle class families are economically stable.

Depending on the family and their living situation, they can have the same advantage as

being able to afford a private school, tutors and to be able to afford for college. Now this

does not mean all middle class families can do this, but it is definitely doable for some. The

working/lower class has more of a contrast between the upper and middle class. The

working class is known to struggle economically or barely making it. In our society there is

a gap between the upper/middle class and the working class.

“It is a well-known fact that children from affluent families tend to do better in school.

Yet the income divide has received far less attention from policy makers and government

officials than gaps in student accomplishment by race”, Tavernise from the New York Times

article stated. It was mentioned that the gap over the years between the “rich” kids and the

“poor” kids has grown over the years. Not only is there an gap for education in general but

also in college too. In another study, by researchers from the University of Michigan, the

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imbalance between rich and poor children in college completion — the single most

important predictor of success in the workforce — has grown by about 50 percent since

the late 1980s (Tavernise).

Tavernise goes on by saying the reason as to why their is a gap in the education between

the social class, “One reason for the growing gap in achievement, researchers say, could be

that wealthy parents invest more time and money than ever before in their children (in

weekend sports, ballet, music lessons, math tutors, and in overall involvement in their

children’s schools), while lower-income families, which are now more likely than ever to be

headed by a single parent, are increasingly stretched for time and resources. This has been

particularly true as more parents try to position their children for college, which has

become ever more essential for success in today’s economy”.

Even though students that come from lower class families still have the chance of

getting an education, some of those students do not make it all the way due to problems

that surface and be in the way. There was a study that was made comparing upper class

families with the lower class families, to see how far the students from the lower class

would get in the education department. The study looked at what happened to these

15,000 sophomores in 2015. Ms. Dynarski reports that “among participants from the most

disadvantaged families, just 14 percent had earned a bachelor’s degree” (Mitchell).

It is repeatedly proven that the upper/middle class has more resources that are

available to insure a better education then the working class.

Another reason that follows with the gap between the social classes is the environment

that the children grow up in. Extensive research has conclusively demonstrated that

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children’s social class is one of the most significant predictors—if not the single most

significant predictor—of their educational success. Moreover, it is increasingly apparent

that performance gaps by social class take root in the earliest years of children’s lives and

fail to narrow in the years that follow (Education Inequalities at the School Starting Gate:

Gaps, Trends, and Strategies to Address Them). As much as their is a gap between the

social class economically for education it also leads to a lack of the parents being involved

in their child's education, which can also lead to different outcomes along the line. A parent

being able to be more present and attentive while their child is starting kindergarten can

set the tone for the child that learning is important. As long as the education is enforced

upon the student, there is an increase in learning. Some parents might not be able to be

present due to working too much. A parent working too much could either be because the

job they have allows their kids to have advantages that the upper/middle class can have or

it can be because the family needs the money for their living situation. While parents

expectations and roles in a child's life based on education can be controversial, there is

evidence to back it up., in 2010 their parents reported having a somewhat larger number of

books at home for the children, and there was also an increase in both indices of activities

(literacy/reading activities and other educational and engagement activities) (Education

Inequalities at the School Starting Gate: Gaps, Trends, and Strategies to Address Them). It is

also shown that families that are part of the low social class have more expectation for their

child to pursue.

In the book, Income Inequality in America by Paul Ryscavage he talked about the

issues that can cause income inequality. He states that, “Household and family income

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determination is not only a function of ones present life circumstances, but also the past

decisions made with respect to education, living arrangements, and, more generally, one’s

view of their role in society” (Ryscavage 186). While ready what the author had to say

about income inequality made it very clear that such a broad question can be viewed in so

many different ways. That not only does the social classes pursue to get education

differently, but so much more goes behind it.

I came to the realization that social classes and their status can be very “black” and

“white”. The upper class has the upper hand to being for in a economically good position,

which enables them to try and seek advantages for their children's education if they can.

Unlike the lower class that struggles economically, which can cause challenges along the

way of getting an education. If one goes deeper in the matter like I did, I realized that it is

not only if the parents have money or not. Factors like how much the parents engages in

their child's education could make a difference, or how the author Ryscavage mentioned

that it can be due to past decision that can affect a child education in the future.

While I may have not exactly answered my question, I have increased my knowledge

on the differences between the social class and how it does affect their education in many

ways. It has also made me feel more grateful that I have been fortunate enough to get a

good education and knowing that my parents are able to provide for me. The best we can

do is take advantage of it, so that the efforts of our parents and our self do not go to waste,

regardless what social class we are in society.

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 Work Cited

Carrasco, Yanira. Social worker. Personal Interview. 1 March 2019

“Education Inequalities at the School Starting Gate: Gaps, Trends, and Strategies to Address

Them.” Economic Policy Institute, www.epi.org/publication/education-inequalities-at-the-

school-starting-gate/. Accessed 5 Mar. 2019.

“Education and Inequality Between Rich and Poor.” HASTAC,

www.hastac.org/blogs/rodneyrosario/2015/05/05/education-and-inequality-between-

rich-and-poor. Accessed 8 Mar. 2019.

Figlio, David N., and Joe A. Stone. School Choice and Student Performance: Are Private Schools Really

Better. Institute for Research on Poverty, 1997.

Mitchell, Brian C. “Rich vs. Poor: The Growing 'Class' Gap in Higher Education.” The Huffington

Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 8 June 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-brian-c-

mitchell/rich-vs-poor-the-growing_b_7534056.html.

Ray, Melissa. Social worker. Personal Interview. 3 March 2019.

Reeves, Richard V. “How Advantages Cluster for America's Upper Middle Class.” Brookings.edu,

The Brookings Institution, 28 July 2016, www.brookings.edu/opinions/how-advantages-

cluster-for-americas-upper-middle-class/. Accessed 5 Mar. 2019.

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 Ryscavage, Paul. Income Inequality in America: an Analysis of Trends. Sharpe, 1999.

"Social Class." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History, edited by Thomas Riggs, 2nd ed., vol. 3,

Gale, 2015, p. 1220. Student Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3611000829/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=1

235f941. Accessed 8 Mar. 2019.

Tavernise, Sabrina. “Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Say.” The New York

Times, The New York Times, 10 Feb. 2012, Accessed 8 Mar. 2019.b

www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/education/education-gap-grows-between-rich-and-poor-

studies-show.html. Accessed 5 March. 2019.

Work Consulted

“About.” Harvard Graduate School of Education, hepg.org/her-home/issues/harvard-educational-

review-volume-88,-issue-3/herbooknote/negotiating-opportunities. Accessed 5 Mar. 2019.

Bledstein, and Burton. “The Culture of Professionalism. The Middle Class and the Development of

Higher Education in America.” Journal of Research in Education, Eastern Educational

Research Association. George Watson, Marshall University, One John Marshall Drive,

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 College of Education and Professional Development, Huntington, WV 25755. e-Mail:

Eerajournal@Gmail.com; Web Site: Http://Www.eeraorganization.org, 30 Nov. 1975,

eric.ed.gov/?id=ED163888. Accessed 9 Mar. 2019.

"Education, Role in U.S. Economic Growth." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History, edited by

Thomas Riggs, 2nd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2015, pp. 364-367. Student Resources In

Context,http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3611000267/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUI

C&xid=cb976527. Accessed 7 Mar. 2019.

“Mend the Gap Between Rich and Poor in School Achievement.” Psychology Today, Sussex

Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201709/mend-the-gap-

between-rich-and-poor-in-school-achievement. Accessed 5 Mar. 2019

“Social Class and College Costs.” Taylor and Francis Online,

www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00221546.2002.11777141?journalCode=uhej20.

Accessed 10 Mar. 2019.

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