Achievement Gap Between Rich and Poor Wider Than Ever

Photo: Tony Hall/Creative Commons

I've always considered myself somewhat of an unrepentant social democrat, and as such have been reluctant to consider sending my kid to private school, homeschooling, or any of the other most blatant ways that the relatively affluent and educated segregate their kids from the rest of the world these days.

But then, like any good hypocrite, school zones are factoring heavily in my current search for a new home. Like Amy, I am discovering that many supposedly "bad school" areas are nowhere near as bad as the rumors would have us believe, but I am also noticing that it is again the relatively wealthy and educated who have the time and resources to find these schools, and buy up the homes in that neighborhood. So I guess I am participating in the segregation process in my own way too.

That's why I was interested to note a report in the Atlantic that the achievement gap between rich and poor is getting wider and wider, and while the specific reasons are as complex as they are hard to pin down, it seems all the effort and resources some of us are pouring into our kids makes it hard for others to keep up:

Well-off parents today are more able and likely to invest in their child's early education. Like I mentioned, studies show wealthy parents are spending more on their young children and paying more attention to their academic development. One paper found that by the time an upper-income kid starts school, they've spent 400 more hours on "literacy activities" than their less fortunate peers. We can also look at the way America now segregates itself by education. The greatest predictor of a child's academic success, even more than economic class, is still their parents' education level. But among adults, education and income are becoming more and more intertwined. College graduates couple off and use their resources to raise children who will also go on to succeed academically.

Now just what we are supposed to do with this information is a complex equation in itself. My child is not a tool for social change - she is my child. So I am glad we are sending her to preschool and I am proud that we are checking out the schools she will attend. My primary responsibility and goal will be to make sure she is educated, informed and a moral human being.

But I will also work to ensure that she grows up with a good understanding of the world in which she lives, including the socioeconomic realities of our community. And I will raise my voice and place my vote in a way that supports strong education, economic opportunity, decent health care and the other basic building blocks that help everybody, regardless of the income or education level of their parents, to have a decent chance of living the life they want to lead.