Merton Strain Theory

In America, the government spends a lot of money on the education system. Yet some schools or universities may have an advantage in funding which can provide

The increase in enrollment in high schools resulted in more individuals making the decision to further their education. As a result of the increase in attendance, the commission found that the amount of students attending school did not match with the current needs. This could be attributed to factors such economic backgrounds, individual student finances, and the amount of money that was invested in higher education, as a result, the commission revealed that there was a lack of funding that was invested towards education.

Schools lacking social utilities that are needed to promote the academic status of its students is an issue. Whether these utilities should be kept opened or closed is widely debated in most communities. The condition of such schools is an important issue because it determines the future of its students academically. Some issues facing schools include social, public and economical issues; this essay will consider arguments concerning the social, public and economical causes of this problem through the use of Jonathan Kozol's "TITLE OF ARTICLE", as well as the discussion of the reasons why some schools do not receive sufficient funds to care for public schools.

Today, Susan Hansen, Admissions Director of East Liberal Arts College, wishes to increase tuition and reduce financial aid available to students (Brickley, Smith and Zimmerman, 2009, p. 110). Moreover, she has expressed that “increasing tuition and reducing the amount of financial aid will solve the schools financial problems” (Brickley, Smith and Zimmerman, 2009, p. 110). This will be done by “increasing an effective tuition from $15,000 to $25,000” (Brickley et al., 2009). She also projects that the tuition increase enrollment from 400 to 600 students (Brickley, Smith and Zimmerman,

The resources available to an urban, lower income school are to be equal to those available to a suburban, higher income school. Two schools in New York, one from a wealthy school district and one from a poor district, were given computers. The State provided the same number of computers to each school, therefore claiming to evenly supporting each school. However, the school with the poorer children had a larger number of students; the nicer school had twice the number of computers in proportion to the number of their students (Kozol 84). It seems that the biggest factor keeping the children of lower income homes behind is the school funding available. The poorer school district does not have the money to spend on the things a wealthier district may, but there is no real evidence that spending money makes much difference in the outcome of a child's education. In many cases, family and background have a greater influence on how well a child does in school (Kozol 176-77). Richard Kahlenberg, a member of the Century Foundation, says, "Research findings and common sense tell us that the people who make up a school—the students, parents, and teachers—matter more (Lewis 648)

Research indicates a steep upward trend in the cost of higher education throughout the 20th century. In recent decades, America has witnessed a widening gap between inflation and tuition. An incoming freshman at a typical college incurs charges for tuition, university fees, books, room and board,

If a researcher wants to determine if a student who participated in extra-curricular activities in high school will have higher grades in college than a student who didn’t, they could see the cause and effect that extra-curricular activities has on a student’s college studies.

Exploring the role of negative emotions among murderers in a population of federal offenders: the General Strain Theory

Education is the foundation of a person’s success and way of life. Graduating from school is important not only for an individual, but it helps the local and national economy. A study by the Alliance for Excellent Education shows that with higher graduation rates among high school students, the economies of cities, states, and of the country would increase (Rollins). Compared to the rest of the world, the United States spends a large amount of money on education (U.S. Education). While many may think this sufficient, Professor Bruce Baker discusses the correlation between supporting schools with federal funding and the success of students, “When schools have more money, they have greater opportunity to spend productively. When they don’t, they can’t” (ii, Baker). If students are to graduate and contribute to the boost of economies, education must be the forefront of federal funding.

Many students entering college may discover that they are not prepared for college curriculum courses. These students enter college courses facing a major issue. They find that high school has not adequately prepared them for the difficulty of college level courses. These students lacked the sufficient basis in being well equipped for advanced careers and college entry. These students have suffered a great inequality prevalent throughout high schools since several high schools do not receive equivalent aid. The unequal funding in high schools prevents students from attaining the same education that other students in different areas may receive. Unequal school funding in secondary schools

Many Americans seem to share the view that government spending more money on education will improve academic success. According to

Robert Merton developed strain theory in the 1940s; this theory explained the rising crime rate that was experienced in the United States during the year of 1940s. Also, strain theory has become popular among the contemporary sociologists. In Merton’s theory, he argued that the America system of cultural was built on the American Dream which created a set of meritocratic principles that assured that America citizens have equality of opportunity that is available to everyone; irrespective of social class, gender, or ethnicity. According to Robert, he stated that “the American Dream encouraged individuals to pursue a goal of success which was largely measured regarding the acquisition of wealth and material possessions. People were expected to pursue this goal through legitimate means such as education and work” (Mason, & Smithey, 2012). He also included that

In Merton’s (1938) strain theory social structures account for the criminal tendencies found in offenders. Individuals adjust to societal pressures in five distinct ways. Adaptation I, which entails conforming to both culture norms and means, is the most common. The popularity of this adaptation allows a society to function effectively. In contrast, adaptation IV is the least common and gives rise to the rejection of both cultural goals and means. Those that adopt this culture pattern are societal misfits and usually include some such persons as psychotics, psychoneurotics, chronic autists, vagrants, and chronic drunkards or drug addicts.

The recent Great Recession has caused many lower and middle income families to have problems with their children graduating and having academic achievement. More funding is going towards academic achievement in lower income schools rather than dividing it up among extracurricular activities like clubs, art programs, and all athletic programs. With more and more pressure going towards test scores and graduation rates, athletic funding is dwindling at rates higher than ever seen before as the funding is going towards improvement in the classroom (“Elliot”). Extracurriculars are beneficial to the student as they keep them out of trouble and students are able to form new friendships while demonstrating their passion or ability (“Smith”).

between the various financial data and eleventh grade students ' achievement. A comparison of four groups of school districts designated by ad valorem wealth and SES also was conducted to identify difference in student achievement. The findings of the study reveals, total per student expenditure and direct average teacher salary had a direct relationship with the achievement in mathematics but not in languages and art, no significant direct relationship with the student achievement was shown for instructional-operation expenditure and per-student expenditure on support services, differences between high and low ad Valerom wealth and student achievement were found between high SES and low SES groups. This means that SES is a dominant factor