Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j8SCPUG29987; Wed, 28 Sep 2005 08:25:30 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2005 08:25:30 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <s33a3791.035@nmail.epcc.edu> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Andres Muro" <andresm@epcc.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:1560] Re: race and literacy X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise Internet Agent 6.5.2 Status: O Content-Length: 7502 Lines: 194 Ryan: Educational achievement of the parent and economic status are two huge predictors of educational achievement of the child. Children from poor families are at a significant disadvantage in terms of educational achievement. The disadvantage increases when there is generational poverty. In other words, children from families that have lived in poverty in the US for many generations will perform worse than those of poor recent immigrants or people who are temporarilly in poverty. Of course there are examples of rich kids who didn't learn in schools and of poor kids who succeeded. However, these examples are not statistically significant. Andres >>> ryanryanc@yahoo.com 09/28/05 05:32 AM >>> Viewing the socioeconomic status and/or the income level of our students' families as a dependable predictor of academic success in our students is one stereotype we should avoid making as educators. Over the past ten years, I have had the opportunity to be acquainted with families whose income levels range from below the poverty line to well into the upper class. From my experience, there have been just as many students from wealthy, prominent families who were not encouraged to do well in school as there have been from poorer families. Even more surprising to me are the parents who spend $10k or more a year on private schooling for each of their children, but do not instill the value of that education in their children. Instead, many of these parents allow their children to spend countless hours watching television, playing video games, chatting online, and talking on the phone- activities that many people (including right-winged conservatives who will not acknowledge their privileged upbringing) argue is the bane of the lower classes. My comments are not to make light of the high percentage of students in urban areas who have difficulty in school; rather, they are meant to make the point that one's socioeconomic status is not a dependable predictor of one's attitudes about education as such attitudes lie on a continuum for all people, no matter which socioeconomic class one belongs. Like Danielle, I, too, came from a low-income family, and had parents who had very little education. My siblings and I spent most of our childhood alone at home because our mother, who was a single parent for the majority of my life, had to work over 80 hours a week to pay the bills. Being left at home alone meant we were free to go and do as we pleased, even as young as the 2nd grade. However, in order to prevent us from getting caught up in the gangs, cliques, and other negative social groups that lived along side of us in the mobile home park, my mother kept us busy with books and other educational projects we had to complete and then discuss with her when she returned home. Her consistent emphasis on educational activities, coupled with her not allowing us to spend our time watching television and playing video games, allowed us to understand the importance of education and, more importantly, not get caught up in the gangs that ran our neighborhood. Like other families with different levels of income and/or attitudes about education, not all of my siblings attended college. As a matter of fact, I am the only one in my entire family who has had any college experience. What makes my point even more valid is that the majority of my family is at least middle-class, not living below the poverty line as we were. What I argue to be more of a threat to lower class students than their parents' lack of education is the threat of the violence that often surrounds their lives. Looking at this one issue through the lens of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, one can understand how, if safety and stability needs have to be met before other needs, these students in urban areas are cheated out of an education in part because of their lack of feeling safe. Mending this problem will facilitate the process of educating urban students as they will be able to focus on their education, instead of fighting to stay alive. It is a very complex issue that can not be mended by simply saying that one's socioeconomic status and/or income predict which students will and will not succeed in school. I believe that the educational attitudes for most parents at all income levels need to be remediated so that education is considered to be an important, relevant aspect of life, not an obligatory P-12 commitment. Ryan Hall --- Ujwala Samant <lalumineuse@yahoo.com> wrote: > Dear Danielle, > > Thank you for saying what you did. I think literacy > has always been valued by all socioeconomic groups, > across the world. I think if we as educators > continue > to perpetuate this myth, we are doing those we serve > a > disservice. In fact in my recent experiences in > helping set up educational programmes, th ealmighty > diploma has devalued artisanal skills. There is > truth > in the fact that children who come from homes where > parents/families are not literate/educated, are > likely > to have less help with their schooling; as will > those > from poorer backgrounds. > > Accessing education and finding "relevant" > education, > now those are issues that I feel are not always > addressed. > > Regards, > Ujwala Samant > > --- Danielle S Shareef <dshareef1@student.gsu.edu> > wrote: > > > There is some truth to this, but don't make the > > assumption that just because a student comes from > a > > low-income household and urban area, that > > literacy/education isn't valued in the home. > (Those > > same implications exist in rural areas as well). > I > > was born to a 20 year old mother who had to drop > out > > of college to take care of me and herself. My > > father didn't complete his B.A degree until he was > > well in his thirties. We were a low-income, > > sometimes single parent household, yet my 2 > siblings > > and I are college graduates, with 2 of us having > > graduate degrees; of those 2, one of us is > pursuing > > doctoral studies. > > > > My mother came from a household in which her > mother > > only had a sixth-grade education, and none of my > > mother's seven siblings are college-educated, > though > > many are successful & property owners. Still, > their > > mother valued education and literacy. I think for > > some of my relatives and maybe other people in > > general, there has to be a desire to improve > > yourself, even if it means temporarily working > with > > whatever means you have, even if they are not the > > best. It is not beneficial to rely on what one > does > > not have access to as an excuse for not trying to > > learn or take advantage of what is given in some > > urban environments (This does not include those > with > > no access to resources for learning disabilities > or > > deficiencies). Many indigenous people and > > low-income communities have made history by > > succeeding despite the disadvantages they faced. > > > > I know that I have been blessed with opportunities > & > > resources that many do not have access to. I also > > believe collaboration between the haves and have > > nots is essential to combating the cycle of > > illiteracy. This can only take place if we are > > honest about issues of race and poverty on a > > national and global level. > > > > Danielle Shareef > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam > protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com >
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