Race and socioeconomic background have a significant impact on the educational achievement of a student. The inequalities that students are exposed to, due to their ethnic and socioeconomic background become challenges that they have to deal with while in school. A student’s race and socioeconomic background have become contextual variables that determine their educational opportunities and performance. Race and social class are significant issues that affect the academic and non-academic achievement of a student due to the inequalities that are associated to them. These two factors play a vital role in how vulnerable and minority students access and perceive their education experience. In this essay, I will be discussing the issue of race and social class and how they affected my K-12 experience.
Impact of Race and Class in my K-12 Learning Experience
As a young Asian male student from a middle class home, the issue of race and class has directly shaped my K-12 learning experience. As a child in Vietnam my family and I lived in a neighborhood that is underprivileged. For instance, our neighborhood has gangs around which affect children while growing up and one may end up joining these gangs and dropping out of school. While in middle school, I found myself in one of the gangs within my neighborhood, which made me skip school and get involved in street gang fights. Coming from a low income family and in a poor neighborhood I was exposed to dangerous activities that would make me disregard the importance of school. According to Cheng (2002) lack of adequate financial resources is one of the main reasons that some students fail to complete their high school education. Individuals that come from poor backgrounds are least likely to actively engage in school activities since they are distracted by the social issues within their societies. Similarly students from minority communities may be demotivated to enroll in school due to the social constraints within their communities.
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Socioeconomic constraints force students from poor backgrounds to choose between pursuing their academics or investing their time in activities that will generate income for them and their families. Therefore, as a minority student from a poor background, one may find themselves joining gangs as an easier way to make money and feel like they belong. While studying in Vietnam, my parents always expected that I would score high grades in my examinations and be among the best students in my class. However, during middle school I succumbed to the peer pressure within my neighborhood and found myself in a gang. Class creates both social and economic inequalities that may push a student to make the poor choices that affect their academic performance (Ainsworth, 2002). For instance, growing up in a neighborhood that is shaped by social vices such as gangs and crime ones academic achievement will be affected. Succumbing to these vices is an easy option for most young people who believe that it would be better to improve their status in the society than go to school.
Social class determines the opportunities that are available for individuals. For instance, students from poor backgrounds lack sufficient financial resources to afford the tuition, books and commuting expenses to and from school. Due to such limitations these students may end up attending schools that are cheaper and not well equipped; hence they do not have equal access to educational opportunities as their counterparts who are privileged. Ainsworth (2002) claims that poverty is a critical factor that determines whether a student will have access to learning opportunities that are influenced by technology. If a student is poor they may not have the ability to afford the technology that is needed to participate in a specific course work. In Vietnam not all students could afford computers or learning experiences that involved technology. This is because of the additional costs that were associated with accessing technologically advanced educational experiences.
Support from family members and friends play a significant role in a student’s academic and non-academic achievements. In some households, the students are tasked with the responsibilities of participating in economic activities that will contribute in supporting the family financially. As a result, such students may have to divide their time between school and work. However, in some families the parents work tirelessly to ensure that their children have all the resources that they need to succeed in their studies. This was the case with my parents. My parents have played an important role in ensuring that I succeeded in my academic – when I joined a gang in middle school my mom counseled me by encouraging me to get out of the gang and concentrate on my studies. On the other hand, seeing my dad commit himself and strive to become an engineer inspired me to work hard in my studies and become an engineer.
Educational environments are influenced by factors within the society that empower its people. Growing up in an Asian home, academic achievement was imperative, as my parents emphasized that I should get straight As. Although my family was middle class, most people around us had not completed their high school and college education. This contributed to the high numbers of gangs within the neighborhoods. According to Ainsworth (2002), students from vulnerable neighborhoods lack sufficient support or motivation that prepares them for academic success. For example, I was able to succeed in my K-12 studies due to the relentless support from both my parents. During high school, my parents ensured that I had access to learning equipment and programs; thus, I was able to put all my efforts and concentrate in school so that I would be able to join the university.
Minority and low-income students may lack the resources and programs to support learning compared to high-income and middle class students who have more money. As a result, the academic performance and achievement of a student is primarily determined by their ability to access basic learning resources and safe school environments that do not threaten their well-being. For instance, schools in Vietnam that had a majority of students in gangs would register low academic performance with a high number of students dropping out of high school.
Language literacy plays a significant role in student’s outcome, especially when the English language is not your first language. My K-12 learning experience was characterized by learning English as a second language. This was a significant barrier in accessing educational experiences while studying in Vietnam as I looked forward to pursuing my university degree in the United States. Nonetheless, as a student from a middle class home I was privileged to have access to the cultural capital required to succeed in my education. Quinn (2015) asserts poor students lack the cultural capital that is available for the rich and middle-class students to succeed in the educational system. For instance, in Vietnam the middle class and rich students have access to learning opportunities that provide them with the chance to learn English as a second language as well as computer literacy.
The education system has introduced public learning institutions, which are designed to meet the learning needs of the middle and lower class students. However, in most cases the public learning institutions lack enough resources that meet the needs of all the learners compared to private learning institutions. During my K-12 learning experience I noticed that most students from privileged backgrounds were sent to private learning institutions whereas those from low-income homes attended public schools. According to Kohli et al. (2017), teachers may be biased towards their students since they may expect students from low-income homes to perform poorly compared to those from high-income homes. Due to the social disparities in education, low-income students may be disposed to less challenging course work that does not prepare them well for college and university. Therefore, as a middle income student in Vietnam I had the privilege to access course work material that would challenge my intellectual ability and prepare me for university. This way I was able to have some accomplishment in middle school and high school. In middle school I participated in chess and swimming competitions whereby I was able to get second and 3 rd place in each competition respectively.
Learning inequalities in school deny students from disadvantaged ethnic and social backgrounds academic opportunities. McLaughlin et al. (2007) assert that race affects learning and development of minority students who may be experiencing discrimination; thus, may be forced to move to environments that encourage them to embrace their heritage and culture. When students lack inclusivity in school they may be forced to participate in non-academic activities that allow them to reclaim their identity and form new relationships for individual development. As a result, such students are likely to deviate from their academic commitments and invest their time and efforts in activities that make them feel as part of a culture, history or heritage. This development process may have negative impacts on students irrespective of their social class as they may find themselves interacting with the wrong groups of people or engaging in negative social vices so that they can feel as though they belong.
Race in learning institutions may result in positive outcomes by introducing learners to a developmental process that allow them to learn about their cultures, beliefs and values. Studying in Vietnam and learning about the country’s history enabled me to have an in-depth understanding of my people’s cultural values and beliefs. According to McLaughlin et al. (2007) education systems may incorporate race as part of the learning activities through the use of narratives and storytelling to enhance the learning experience of minority students. Thus my K-12 learning experience involved learning about socio-cultural beliefs and values that were relevant in the educational system. For instance, the education system equipped students with cognitive and socio-economic that emphasized the importance of interdependence, peace, and community and collective action.
In conclusion race and class play an important role in shaping the education system and learning experiences of a student. These two social factors affect the education outcomes of an individual as they determine the opportunities that are available to the students. Middle class and rich people have increased academic opportunities compared to poor students. This is because low-income students are exposed to social and academic inequalities that put a disadvantage on them as compared to high-income students.
References
Ainsworth, J. W. (2002). Why does it take a village? The mediation of neighborhood effects on educational achievement. Social Forces , 81 (1), 117-152.
Cheng, S., & Starks, B. (2002). Significant Others on. Sociology of Education , 75 (4), 306-327.
Kohli, R., Pizarro, M., & Nevárez, A. (2017). The “New Racism” of K–12 Schools: Centering Critical Research on Racism. Review of Research in Education , 41 (1), 182–202. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X16686949
McLaughlin, K. A., Hilt, L. M., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2007). Racial/ethnic differences in internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescents. Journal of abnormal child psychology , 35 (5), 801-816.
Quinn, D. M. (2015). Kindergarten Black–White test score gaps: Re-examining the roles of socioeconomic status and school quality with new data. Sociology of Education , 88 (2), 120-139.
