Ses & Student Achievement

Ses & Student Achievement

RUNNING HEAD: Socio-economic Status and Student Achievement

Socio-economic Status and Student Achievement
Misty Parris
University of Phoenix
Socio-economic Status and Student Achievement
In 1965, the United States government enacted the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which has been one of the single largest sources of federal support for K-12 education. The ESEA “has been sending federal assistance to poor schools, communities, and children” in order that all children get the same chance to learn regardless of their socio-economic background. Since then, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 has re-endorsed the ESEA by mandating that “schools and school districts to work to improve student achievement on standardized examinations so that all students reach academic proficiency by 2014.” (McKlin, 2008). There has been a long debate of whether or not family background and socio-economic status have an effect on a student’s academic achievement. There is a strong connection between low student achievement and areas of concentrated poverty. (Carnes, 2009). According to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) students from high socio-economic status families typically score higher on standardized tests of academics than students from low socio-economic backgrounds. (2005).
The purpose of this research is to study the factors involved in determining socio-economic status (SES). Socio-economic status is basically a formula that is comprised of different factors such as income, wealth, and education. However, some researchers use other factors that can change the way SES is measured and could have an effect on where one falls in the SES spectrum. This research will look closely at the factors involved in socio-economic status and why those specific variables have an affect on student achievement. This paper will also explore possible solutions for the negative affect low socio economic status has on student...

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