A Matter of Class
Educational Achievement Reflects Family Background More Than Ethnicity or
Immigration
http://www.rand.org/publications/randreview/issues/fall2004/class.html
By Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo, Anne R. Pebley, Mary E. Vaiana, Elizabeth Maggio,
Mark Berends, and Samuel R. Lucas
We at the RAND Corporation have found that the most important factors
associated with the educational achievement of children are not race,
ethnicity, or
immigrant status. Instead, the most critical factors appear to be socioeconomic
ones. These factors include parental education levels, neighborhood poverty,
parental occupational status, and family income.
Our findings cannot apply to the entire population of U.S. students engaged
in all courses of study at all grade levels. The data do not exist to allow
for such a comprehensive analysis. However, we have reached similar conclusions
by studying two separate samples of U.S. students: a local, early childhood
sample and a national, high school sample.
In a study of children in 65 Los Angeles neighborhoods, we found that the
two factors associated most strongly with school readiness are (1) the
educational attainment of mothers and (2) neighborhood poverty. For this
reason,
school-readiness programs should target children whose mothers are poorly
educated
and children who live in poor neighborhoods.
â
In a study of mathematics achievement among a national sample of high school
students, we found that improved socioeconomic conditions among blacks and
Latinos correspond strongly to decreases in the mathematics test score gaps â
both between blacks and whites and between Latinos and whites. For this reason,
socioeconomic policies that benefit lower-income families and communities
should be recognized also as educational policies on behalf of the children in
these families and communities.
In both cases, we found that education policy for disadvantaged families and
communities should not be limited to conventional education policy alone.
Current national policy is a case in point. One of the mandates of the federal
No
Child Left Behind Act is to reduce the educational achievement gaps among
students of different races and ethnicities. ( snip)
Do we want the best for our youth? When it comes to educational achievement,
socioeconomic forces weigh in more than ethnicity, race, or immigrant status
say the authors of recent research from RAND Corporation, a nonprofit
institution headquartered in Santa Monica, California.
Comparing two studies-one a random sample of 3,010 childhood households in 65
Los Angeles neighborhoods, the other a national sample of high school
students-researchers at RAND have concluded that the four most decisive
socioeconomic
factors that affect educational achievement for all students are: parental
educational levels, neighborhood economic status, parental occupational status,
and family income.
In one example, students whose parents had been born outside of the US
actually performed better in basic skills tests than students who had US-born
parents but were deficient in some way in the listed factors.
The idea that environmental conditions are critical in determining youth
performance in school may not come as a surprise. Recent developments in
genetic
studies like the Human Genome Project have proven that surroundings, including
economic ones, play the major role in determining behavior, temperament, and
intelligence. But not long ago researchers in a book titled The Bell Curve
(1994) claimed that race was the final determinant of cognitive intelligence,
with
African Americans and Latinos occupying a genetically inferior position in
intelligence abilities and capability. Although the data was never published in
scientific peer-reviewed journals, and the research there was critically
dismissed by many in the academic community, the book received much attention
in
the mainstream media. One of its authors even claims the controversy probably
led to the book's success. It spent fifteen weeks on The New York Time's
bestseller list.
Getting back to the idea of what makes for educational success, the
conclusions drawn by RAND have us asking different questions then. Is it just
an
improvement in socioeconomic status (SES) that leads to educational
achievement? If
so, why do some youth, not all in extreme poverty, not do well in school?
Seriously, what's the magic solution?
Comment
There is âno mysteryâ or âmagicâ says Phillip Jackson, current managing
director of The Black Star Project, a Chicago-based organization whose mission
is
to establish and reinforce the connection between education, culture, and the
welfare of children. Mr. Jackson, former CEO of both the Chicago Housing
Authority and Boys and Girls Club of Chicago, says there is a foundational
element
that needs to be addressed at home and is essential to educational
achievement and âopening a person to a world of dreams.â
âMoney alone does not guarantee educational success,â Jackson says,
although
it can provide a climate where, as he describes it, a âHome Education
Systemâ
can be nurtured and lead to success. For Jackson, a loose Home Education
System consists of 1) creating strong educational work ethics, 2) connecting
children to important educational enhancers, and 3) immersing children in a
pro-learning environment in the home. âWithout instilling these elements, you
can't go from A to B to C,â he says.
Mr. Jackson cites as example a case in Maryland where a predominantly African
American county scored 24th lowest in out of 25 counties despite the relative
affluence there. âMoney,â he reminds us, âonly gives you the luxury of
focusing on the solution. But not having money does not prevent your child from
doing well in school! By controlling your child's nutrition, cognitive
development, social development, habits, work ethic, peer and learning
environments, you
greatly control how well your child will learn in school and in life. That
and teacher expectations are crucial.â
âMany low-income Asian families, and more recently some low income Latino
families,â Jackson continues, âhave created these home education systems,
without having much money, to improve their children's academic performance in
school, and correspondingly their opportunities for success in life.â
Many other educators feel it isn't just about money or test scores either.
Education philosopher, Nel Noddings, once wrote: âFirst, anyone who supposes
that the current drive for uniformity in standards, curriculum, and testing
represents an intellectual agenda needs to reflect on the matter. Indeed, many
thoughtful educators insist that such moves are truly anti-intellectual,
discouraging critical thinking, creativity, and novelty. Further, in their
emphasis on
equality, they may lead to even grosser levels of mediocrity. Second, and more
importantâa curriculum centered on themes of care can be as richly
intellectual as we and our students want to make it.â
So, money can assist but does not guarantee success and test scores don't
tell the whole story of our youth's abilities and capacities-parental
encouragement and involvement in the joy of learning goes much further say
these leaders.
>From there on comes some constructive work.
Here are some tips that RAND and fellow contributors to this article offered
for obtaining educational success:
Tips to Parents and Family Community:
+ Promote school readiness by participating in early childhood intervention
and enrichment programs (like Head Start) and public library reading programs.
School readiness, according to RAND, âmeans that children have acquired the
social, mental, and physical skills that prepare them for classroom learning
before they start school.
+ Show greater parental warmth and encouragement in the joys of learning that
will improve school readiness.
+ Provide a home literacy environment that includes having books at home,
spend time reading to children each day, encourage visits to the library to
students of all ages, show genuine interest and enthusiasm for school work,
promote
a healthy diet that lacks âjunkâ food, and reduce significantly the amount
of television time and video game play.
+ Become actively involved in your child's or teenager's school affairs.
Advice to Policymakers and Educators:
+ Focus more on socioeconomic factors rather than racial or ethnic ones.
For example: School readiness programs should target children whose mothers are
poorly educated and children who live in poor neighborhoods. Rand has found
that that the two factors associated most strongly with school readiness are
(1)
the educational attainment of mothers and (2) neighborhood poverty.
+ Among parents of African American and Latino students, promotion of
educational attainment, occupational advancement, and wage increases, goes hand
in
hand with reducing the test score gap between each respective group and their
white counterparts.
+ Education policies should be coordinated with family and welfare policies.
+ View entrance age policies and child care policies as a package. In a
related article from RAND, it was shown that a one-year delay in kindergarten
entrance raises math and reading scores significantly in the long-run and the
benefits are better for children from poor families, although child care costs
will
undoubtedly place an extra burden on parents.
So what's the secret? As Mr. Jackson notes, part of it is âfamilies willing
to make certain sacrifices.â This reporter certainly remembers tender Spanish
words coming from a âbookâ before falling into a quiet dream.
For More Information Contact: The Black Star Project 312.842.3527
Chicago Board of Education 773.553.1000
To download RAND's A Matter of Class and Are L.A's Children Ready For School?
visit www.rand.org
Educational use and dissemination of this work is encouraged on the web site.
Bonnie Bracey
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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