Socioeconomic Status and Education
Socioeconomic Status and Access to Postsecondary Education
Joshua J. Trader
Delta College
A person’s education is closely linked to their life chances, income and wellbeing (Battle and Lewis 2002). In a world that is continuously changing, access to postsecondary education plays an important role into where and how we find a career and where we want to end up. I know that higher education has put me in a position to do things that I never would have thought I could or would ever do. The United States has millions of people enrolled in colleges and universities and is the world leader in providing a college education to its people. The United States also enrolls more students from abroad than any other. This is a very large number and we really want as a nation to be a leader in education. When we lead the world with the highest proportion of college graduates, the United States finds itself thriving with an abundance of growth in all areas. Community colleges offer a number of specific benefits. Affordability and location are very large reasons as to why community colleges like Delta College are playing a very significant role in the lives of thousands of people. Socioeconomic status (SES), family size, and parental involvement will all influence the amount of resources available to an individual. As SES increases access to higher education will also increase.
Higher education in America can put you a step ahead of others as Walters notes. “Higher Education in America has become increasingly stratified, with some institutions enrolling large numbers of students from low-income families. Because education is so central to upward mobility, it is important for researchers, policy makers, and the public to keep a close eye on this trend” (Walters, 2006). I think we need to really need to concentrate on this, even as students, we can do this and make other students more aware of the importance of education no matter what the student’s background or socioeconomic
Joshua J. Trader
Delta College
A person’s education is closely linked to their life chances, income and wellbeing (Battle and Lewis 2002). In a world that is continuously changing, access to postsecondary education plays an important role into where and how we find a career and where we want to end up. I know that higher education has put me in a position to do things that I never would have thought I could or would ever do. The United States has millions of people enrolled in colleges and universities and is the world leader in providing a college education to its people. The United States also enrolls more students from abroad than any other. This is a very large number and we really want as a nation to be a leader in education. When we lead the world with the highest proportion of college graduates, the United States finds itself thriving with an abundance of growth in all areas. Community colleges offer a number of specific benefits. Affordability and location are very large reasons as to why community colleges like Delta College are playing a very significant role in the lives of thousands of people. Socioeconomic status (SES), family size, and parental involvement will all influence the amount of resources available to an individual. As SES increases access to higher education will also increase.
Higher education in America can put you a step ahead of others as Walters notes. “Higher Education in America has become increasingly stratified, with some institutions enrolling large numbers of students from low-income families. Because education is so central to upward mobility, it is important for researchers, policy makers, and the public to keep a close eye on this trend” (Walters, 2006). I think we need to really need to concentrate on this, even as students, we can do this and make other students more aware of the importance of education no matter what the student’s background or socioeconomic
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