Class Status and Achievement: Making the Connection - Essay Example

 Class Status and Achievement: Making the Connection There has been a proven link between class status and achievement in the UK. Child poverty is a problem that is now plaguing UK society. Obviously, the gap between child poverty and achievement in the classroom must be addressed. Children have been found to do better in more middle-class school environs. How can these issues be addressed? One of the most important things is for parents in the UK to increase their incomes in order for there to be less incidence of disability in their families, and to also just have gainful employment. “Severe child poverty is defined and 1.7 million UK children are reported as living in that condition during 2007/08. Action is called for in…the link between poverty and educational achievement” (Whitham, 2010, p. 1). The poorer a student is, the less opportunities he or she is likely to be able to have. Child poverty, especially severe child poverty, is a condition that can and should not be tolerated. Apparently, according to the Save the Children web site, children from Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and black African households are most at risk for being in severe poverty as compared with white children in the UK (Whitham, 2010, p. 1). There are a number of factors that contribute to child poverty, such as parents’ age, how many children are living in the household, etc. The fact is that child poverty can be prevented. The gap between child poverty and classroom achievement must be closed. This can be achieved by ensuring that parents have adequate chances to find gainful employment. In the state of today’s economy, it is imperative that various levels of employment be accessible to parents everywhere. In order to jumpstart the UK economy, one must have job creation. In order to create jobs, there has to be a government sponsorship of various businesses and so forth in order to help foster growth within the economy. These jobs will help numerous parents maintain their lifestyle while supporting their families. Many countries around the world are struggling with the same problems the UK finds itself with. Truthfully, child poverty is an issue everywhere—but what is particularly sad about child poverty in the UK is that the UK is a very advanced nation. Child poverty can be prevented in the UK, but the fact is that parents must be supported by the government in order to ensure that these children do not slip further into poverty. The government should do whatever it can in order to give struggling parents the chance to make their childrens’ lives better. Many people, truthfully, might be concerned that such ‘welfare’ could make people dependent on the government for their well-being. However, on the contrary, people will appreciate a helping hand and may be more likely to be citizens who contribute positively to the UK overall. Helping people can only help people. In other words, helping others improve helps oneself as well. The child poverty that is being witnessed in the UK is indicative of the UK’s priorities as a nation. The nation that is most concerned with its populace truly cares about its children. The fact that children have been found to perform better in schools that are more ‘middle-class’ suggests that students need to attend a school that is middle-of-the-road. In other words, it need not be the richest school, but it isn’t too poor either—in terms of the constitution of its student body. “[One] study found that, whatever their background, children do better the more ‘middle-class’ the school they attend, and also that more than 50% of a school's performance is accounted for by the social make-up of its pupils” (Taylor, 2006, p. 1). Thus, schools should be constructed so that at least a third of the students are middle-class, if possible. This allows for the top half of the class to be wealthy and for the lower third to be socioeconomically disadavantaged. It is not always possible, obviously, for this exact arrangement to be made in a school setting. However, it is advisable that schools rethink the way they are structured, considering that a middle-class environment seems most suitable for learning, according to the research. One of the clarion calls of students achieving at high levels is having a family which is wealthy. “Wealthy families in Britain are a third less likely to have a disabled child – a statistic that reveals an alarming social gradient because those families unlucky enough to have such children are pushed further into poverty by the pressures of caring for them, according to new research” (Ramesh, 2010, p. 1). What can be done to alleviate this problem? Obviously, one of the things that would help is to ensure that both parents can be gainfully employed. “Promoting parental employment is central to any approach to [reduce] the risk of poverty for all groups of families with children” (Timms et al, 2010, p. 1). Students whose parents are gainfully employed are most likely to have less problems in school, therefore. If both parents are working, it is more likely that their children, who are students in schools, are going to be more exceptional learners in terms of being gifted, and so forth. If both parents are gainfully employed, it is more likely that their children will be able to benefit from the fruits of their labor through being able to grasp concepts that children whose parents are not both working might not have. When both parents are gainfully employed, it sends a message to children that work is valued, as well. When one or both parents are not working, it sends a subtle message that work is not valued as much—which may mean that family is valued more (if it is the woman who is staying at home to be a housewife). On the other hand, when both parents are not working, this is sending a definitive signal to children that their parents do not care about the value of work. It also sends the signal that they are not serious about funding their childrens’ futures. Obviously, the UK has a long way to go in terms of funding childrens’ futures. The childrens’ futures, however, are built on their parents’ foundations. With strong parents, nations build strong families and strong children, who will grow up to be strong parents themselves. This is a continuous cycle. That is why it is so important to make sure that our childrens’ futures are not put at stake. The UK must find ways to make education available and affordable for all children, and to end child poverty. One way that this can be done is ensuring that parents have access to employment. This is the only way, really, to eliminate poverty. The issues of the gap between socioeconomic status (or class) and achievement has been bridged. It is to be found within ourselves. REFERENCES Ramesh, R. (2010). Study shows links between poverty and disability are more pronounced. [Online Article]. The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/apr/19/poverty-disability-warwick-university-debt Taylor, M. (2006). It’s official: class matters. [Online Article]. The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/feb/28/schools.education. Timms, S., Cooper, Y., Balls, E., Primarolo, D., & Goodman, H. (2010). [Online Article]. Ending child poverty: mapping the route to 2020. HM Treasury, DCSF Web Site. http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/budget2010_childpoverty.pdf. Whitham, G. (2010). Measuring severe child poverty in the UK. Save the Children Web Site. [Online Article]. http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/docs/Measuring_child_poverty_in_the_UK.pdf Read More