The Long Shadow By Doris R. Entwisle

Unfortunately, these children cannot complete their education because they have to travel with their family and learn to manage at a young age a life of hard labor. This however does not diminish their dreams of completing high school and some day attending a university so that they will not have to live the life of struggle their parents did to sustain the household. In cities like Detroit, MI there is a large population of low income Hispanic and African American families. The public school system unfortunately cannot potentially promote a high-quality education. The majority of these students do not receive an entrance level education simply because of living standards. Income plays an important role in education opportunities regarding the quality education each student can pertain. Since the minorities in that area are low-income they cannot afford to attend a private high school that can better prepare them for college. According to a research done at the University of Texas-Pan American, “certain racial or ethnicity factors should play a role in the admissions decision.” (Marklein)

Another problem with American society is how hard it is for poor individuals to find success because “the rich are richer and the poor are poorer,” (Goode 88). The top 1% in America hold most of the money, leaving very little for those who are considered poor. This then becomes a never-ending cycle because middle and upper class kids attend very good schools and receive educations that will allow them to find success in life, and those kids who are in working and lower classes, go to over-crowded schools with very little resources. This makes it very difficult for these kids to take their educations further and go to college. I personally struggled with the transition from high school to college due to the education I received. I went to a Denver Public School which has a reputation of being “trashy” or “ghetto”. Luckily, as a whole Colorado has a good education system, but I know I wasn’t challenged enough in high

Many wealthy people didn’t graduate from college. For example, the creator of Facebook Mark Zuckerburg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Media mogul Oprah Winfrey, and Twenty-one time Grammy winner Kanye West. All these individuals make a life of college dropout. They make their life sound enticing, we must remember that they are exceptions rather than the norm. A college degree is a common goal for families and a baseline requirement for jobs In the United States. A recent Pew Research study found that 94 percent of parents expected their children to go to college. The college attendance has not always been the case. During the 1940s, college was mostly a privilege of the wealthy. The most college students were white males; women and people of color were often barred from entry. The change began during WW2 ended, however, that began to change. The first major change involved the G.1 Bill in 1944. Students and their families make tough decisions when they think about attending college.

In the article, “For the Poor, the Graduation Gap Is Even Wider Than the Enrollment Gap” by Susan Dynarski explains how the lower and upper class enroll in college at different rates, as well as graduate. A program was started known as the Educational Longitudinal Study. A study of dividing quartiles based on their parent’s educational background showed that parents with lower incomes were more likely to contain unskilled jobs compared to the higher income family containing manager positions. However, after 13 years, studies showed that only 14 percent of the less fortunate students and 60 percent of the fortunate students achieved their bachelors. By their late 20s tests also showed that 74 percent of wealthy students achieved their four-year

According to the Department Of Education, “Members of low-income families are much less prepared for college than their higher income counterparts. For example, among high school graduates in 1992, only 21 percent of those with family incomes of less than $25,000 were highly qualified for admission at a four-year institution, and 20 percent were minimally qualified. For students with family incomes above $75,000, 56 percent were highly qualified and 12 percent minimally qualified” (Department of Education). Even though this was 26 years ago, the numbers are still rising. This is stating that the lower the family’s income, the less prepared their child is to enter college and the higher the family’s income, the more prepared their child is for college. According to the NY Times, “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” (Tavernise). This is stating that higher income families that are more involved in their child’s school, will be more prepared and get more education than

Low-income minorities face many social challenges that can have a great impact on an individual’s ability to pursue higher education. Although the rate at which American complete four year degrees has expanded, the “achievement gap” is certainly evident (Table 326.10, 2014). Minority groups for decades have been proportionally misrepresented for students entering and completing college (Cox, 2016). According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in 1996 the graduation rate for white students was 36.3% and 19.5% for African Americans, and 22.8% for Hispanics (Table 326.10, 2014). The graduation rate for African Americans has been steady between the years 1996 and 2007; in 2007, the rate for African Americans was 20.8% which

In 2011, 34 percent of whites completed a four-year college degree, compared to just 20 percent of Blacks and 13 percent of Latinos” (Demos). Sullivan’s point is that white Americans will always be a step ahead of minorities because they are given advantages. We still this, because we're, are told that a higher percentage of whites earn higher college accomplishments than African Americans and another group of minorities. White Americans who inherit their fortune are in a much better place in education than minorities. Laura also explains this by noting “One key barrier is the rapid growth in college costs, which forces households to take on significant debt in order to attend institutions of higher education— even in cases where students do not ultimately graduate” (Demos). This piece of evidence give reasoning to why white students are more fortunate than minorities; The students who are born into the one percent are able to easily earn a college degree without worrying about the amount of money their family is able to contribute to their

Children whose parents are struggling financially often live in less regulated environments, which increases their exposure to both health and safety risks and physical and intellectual development. This can result in these children attending lower-quality post-secondary schools or reduced likelihood of attending university or college. Per Forbes, 62 percent of students cannot afford their primary choice school (Lapovsky, 2014). Although these individuals are academically qualified to attend prestigious universities, many are subject to attending a school of lesser quality because of their financial capacity. This shows the severity of income inequality because it creates a barrier to equal opportunity for

Meredith Kolodner from The Hechinger Report reports that about 40 percent of low-income students never show up to the first day of college even after they have been accepted. Among one of the reasons is the lack of self-confidence that students face when realizing how expensive school is. Yet when students overcome these disadvantages an even bigger challenge awaits them. The school system is set up in such a manner that low-income students often get the short stick of things. From the standardized test that they must take at least twice, which some are unable to pay and if they are in an underfunded school they might not know there are waivers.

The data presented consistently shows that educational ability has very little to do with the background that one comes from, and yet, people that grow up in poverty are still much less likely to complete college, even if they chose to initially attend college (Duncan 101). The research presented suggests that the number one indicator in their data for one’s college success is the income of their family. Though the data in this book provides valuable background information regarding the realities of those who grow up poor and their educational outcomes, it does not provide information on the incomes of college graduates who grew up in poverty. The book, From Parents to Children: The Intergenerational Transmission of Advantage by John Ermisch, Markus Jantti, and Timothy Smeeding concludes that youth in the United States whose families fall in the bottom quintile income distribution are 28% less likely to attend college than those in the top three quintiles (Ermisch 40). This book also illustrates that youth whose parents attended college are much more likely to attend college themselves. This trend can be widely seen in research regarding this topic. Both of these books show the importance of the income of one’s family in their education attainment and achievement. The

These are all things people in America struggle with. In Donald Trump's speech he gave in North Carolina he stated that “Nearly four in ten African-American children live in poverty.” In the speech Hillary gave at the DNC she said “Too many people haven't had a pay raise since the crash.” Most middle class people can’t get ahead financially anymore. For the people that are in the higher class this isn’t a big deal but for the majority of Americans who are in the middle class it is. Those in the middle class that want to advance themselves and get ahead would go to college. College is a great thing it opens more doors and brings in more opportunities. Another thing college brings is debt. The costs of college has gone up 500 percent since 1985. The tuition at a private college costs around $130,000, and the tuition price of a public college like UC Berkeley costs around $32,000. Middle class American don’t have this type of money, according to studentloanhero.com 1.3 million students graduate with

Of the many negative factors of increased federal education funding on low income families, the increasing prices for secondary education is on the top of the list. The education funding cuts are causing the cost of college to get higher and higher, pushing the dream of college out of the reach of students in low income families. Just as a postsecondary education has become essential for getting a decent job and entering the middle class, it has become financially out of reach for many of America’s young people. State support for higher education has decreased considerably over the past twenty years, while financial aid policies have increasingly abandoned students with the greatest financial need. As a result students and their families now

It has long been known that success in today’s world requires more than just a high school diploma. In 2009, President Obama made this a goal of education reform and challenged Americans to pursue post-secondary or career education in an effort to grow a competitive workforce and to restore America’s position as a leader in the global economy. For individuals, increased degree attainment leads to higher wage earnings (Baum, Kurose, & Ma, 2013 as cited in Karp, 2015), and decreased unemployment (Baum et al, 2013). Despite the data on the value of higher education for individuals, there has been limited growth in college enrollment rate of those from low income families. (Baum et al, 2013) The postsecondary reform agenda addressed college readiness

In the beginning of the book Moon Shadow was questioning his mother about his father. Moon Shadow’s mother doesn’t like talking about it a whole lot.Moon Shadow’s mother finally tells Moon Shadow about his father went to the Golden Mountain to find gold.Moon Shadow asked his relative’s about the Golden Mountain. His relative’s told him that the demons kill any tang men who come to the Golden Mountain. If the tang men work for the demons then the demons won’t fill the tang men. Moon Shadow goes to the Golden Mountain with Hand Clap. So Moon Shadow and Hand Clap get on a demon boat to the Golden Mountain. Once they arrived at the the mountain the demons made Moon Shadow and Hand Clap take off their cloths and dance with no cloths on their bodies.

In the same study conducted by the National Center for Children in Poverty they found that in families whose income falls below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line children score far below average on reading, math, and general knowledge tests (Jordan, 2015). Young children from low-income score significantly lower on math and literacy tests before starting kindergarten. The gap continues as students continue to go through school and in some cases it even grows. The average scores of children from a much wealthier background are sixty percent above those from a much lower background. How involved your family is in your school life also has an effect on how well you do in the classroom. While this may not be in true in all cases, it has been proven that most parents who have a low income are usually not as involved in their child’s school work as parents who have a higher income. An example of this is shown in chapter four of Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers. Chris Langdon was extremely smart and had a bright future ahead of him but he came from a poor background. Because of this his mother had to submit paperwork for financial aid but she missed the deadline so he got kicked out of school. This was a matter of his mom not being as involved in his academic career and his low-income background affecting his ability to succeed in the classroom. So while coming from a poor background does not affect everyone’s quality