Final Post!

This project was overall very fun and I learned a lot! The novel was very enjoyable and full of information regarding my subject. The second part of the novel focuses on the corporate power, class oppression, and education.  In this part of the novel, it focuses on the affects of class and race on educational outcomes in the United States.  I found this section of the novel to be very  beneficial toward my study.  As far as my survey goes- My survey was a total of ten questions and of the 30 surveys I handed out, I received fourteen back. Most of my results from my survey was in favor of my hypothesis: A person from a low class family will have a lower education level than a person who came from the upper class.  I did this project because attending college is very important in my family.  Neither of my parents attended college, so they have both stressed to my sister and I how important college is.  I wanted to therefore do some research about how social class affects what education level you can reach.  Can't wait to present my project! 

Project!

So my project is finally underway! Between reading the book and handing out my survey, I have been very busy! So first starting with the book.  When I picked up the novel at Barnes and Noble, I also came across another book which I have decided to read instead. It is called Cutting Class: Socioeconomic Status and Education.  This novel seemed to better fit the novel I had chose to read, after sampling them both.  So during the past week I have read the first four chapters of the book, and it really has opened my eyes.  Social status really does effect the level of education you achieve because your social status effects where you live and the opportunities and influences you receive in regards to your education. This was also reflected in my survey.  I handed out my surveys this week to the parents of the kids in my mom's pre-k class.  Out of 30, only 8 parents have handed the survey back to me so far, but these results are what I expected so far. 5 of these parents said that they lived in low class families and received only up to a high school education.  But these parents also said that they hope to provide their children with college educations.  I am really enjoying this project so far.  While reading the novel, I have also been recording any important facts that catch my eye.  I hope to receive more survey results from these parents so I can continue my research! 

Project Update!

My project is just beginning! I recently purchased the novel I plan to read at Barnes and Noble, and I have composed my survey.  I am excited to distribute my survey and see what results I get and how those results will compare with my predictions. My case study focuses on how social class affects your education level and standardized testing in schools. I am excited to  begin reading the novel as it pertains exactly to what my case study focuses on.  I will take notes and highlight as I read.  There is not much to update since I am just beginning my project, but I am very excited to begin my work!

Planning!

I plan to use  websites and articles, and also a novel I found when beginning my research called Socioeconomic Status and Intelligence: Why Test Scores Do Not Equal Merit.  This novel supports my idea that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds perform worse on standardized tests than other students.  This novel explores specific tests and presents results from multiple tests. For my survey I plan to use my mom's pre school class's parents as my surveyors.  Through this survey, I would like to ask the town they come from, their parents' jobs while they were growing up, and ultimately the education level they received. Through these results I would like to make a connection between the social status they grew up in and the level of education they reached.  The materials I will use are the novel and my computer to take notes on my reading.  I will also use my computer to keep track of the results of the survey. The people I will use in my survey will the parents of my mom's pre kindergarten class and I will also purchase the novel.   I plan to read 4 chapters every week from the book and highlight and take notes after each reading.  The survey will take place the first week of December and I will place a printed copy of the survey in the mailboxes of each child.  Their mailboxes are where all of their schoolwork is placed for their parents to pick up at the end of the day.   I am specifically doing this because I am interested in taking a look at social status affecting education level.  Through the novel, I am going to specifically focus on standardized test scores being affected by social status.  With the survey, I plan on focusing on the broader topic of social status affecting education level reached. 

2nd Quarter Research Project

I am so excited to continue my studying in education! For my second quarter research project, I decided to use the case study research method.  I plan focus my studies on standardized testing and the variation of scores based on a child's social class they were born into.  I would like to research the scores that are present in low income neighborhoods and school districts versus upper class neighborhoods.  I would also like to utilize a survey in my research to exhibit how money and social class standings affect the education received by our nation's youth.  In the survey, I hope to make connections between the education offered to a child and the income of a family.  I am really looking forward to this project because I think it will be interesting to look at the different standardized testing scores that come from  neighborhoods of different social classes.  

It's All About the Money

As upperclassmen in high school, college begins to become the major topic of conversation.  Where will you go? How will you "pass" the SATs? Another not so common conversation is brought up- "How will I pay for college?"  Many kids must resort to student loans in our country since most colleges are too expensive for parents to afford paying 4 years fully.  There's a problem of course- many kids are left in debt for a significant period of their life.  The average student-loan debt of borrowers in the college class of 2011 rose to about $26,500.  This is a 5% increase from the previous year.  About 2/3 of those who earned bachelor's degrees last year had loans.  The effects that student loans have on students are insane!

The fear of debt from student-loans has caused kids to avoid getting the education they need.  There were 64 colleges last year with more than 90 percent of graduates had debt.  These numbers are insane and scare many people away from going to college.  If we are lucky enough to have an ascribed status of entering into an upper class family, student loans aren't an issue. But most families' statuses are achieved through their hard work and sometimes these families aren't able to afford sending their children to college.  It is a shame that some kids are not able to attend a good college because they fear their inability to pay for it.  Not all kids got a fair shot at a good education.  Another factor to consider in analyzing the effects of student loans is location.  In previous years, the high debt states were concentrated in the Northeast and the Midwest.  Low debt states were in the West and South.  It seems that the more populated the states are the more debts it has.  Student-loans are something to fear, but I sure hope it stops holding people back from receiving the education they deserve!

3rd Grade: Make it or Break it

3rd grade: a grade I briefly remember.  But some say that a kid's whole educational career depends on third grade.  (This first seemed very silly to me too).  32 states have recently adopted policies specifically targeting reading skills.  These policies have caused many third grades to be held back from going on to fourth grade.  But does this actually prove to work well? Studies show that 1 in 6 kids who couldn't read at grade level by third grade didn't finish high school by age 19.  Therefore, everyone would conclude that it's better to hold them back while they're young to help them catch up for their future.  This all sounds good...right? 

There is a very negative sanction associated with a child being held back.  Students who are held back are often bullied by their peers and have other very detrimental effects on their overall future.  Studies have shown that children who are held back have less confidence and less attachment to school, which makes them more likely to drop out. So if holding these kids back seems to help the children who don't finish high school by 19, what about the children who drop out or suffer from bullying?  These kids have probably been in the same school with the same kids all the way up to third grade.  Now all of a sudden, they are held back and lose all of their friends.  These old friends begin to make fun of them for being stupid.  This child in third grade is not likely to respond by saying that he or she will be benefited in the long run, instead they are embarrassed and begin to hate school.  This can really counter the intention of holding the child back.  So should third grade really be the make it or break it year?