Upper Class Research Paper

Are you part of the upper class? If yes, you have won already. If not, you’re going to have to work extra hard to even get a chance at real success. Despite what we would like to believe, rich children have all the advantages when it comes to education and opportunities. They typically get into the better schools more so that those from the lower class. Rich children also get to do more stimulating activities over the summer which puts them ahead of the lower class children who play outside and watch tv, which, while good for them emotionally, doesn’t help them academically. But, when given truly equal opportunities, the lower class can score as good or better than the upper class. When parents take the time to talk to their children more,
the kids hear more words which helps them learn faster. Research shows that upper class children tend to get a better education because they get in better schools and get better instructors, although children's educational success is ultimately placed on them with equal opportunity and, more involved parents the achievement gap could lessen. The upper class children get a better education throughout their whole academic careers. They can afford to go to college longer and earn higher degrees. An article published in the New York Times states, ¨In a more recent study, my graduate students and I found that 15 percent of high-income students from the high school class of 2004 enrolled in a highly selective college or university, while fewer than 5 percent of middle-income and 2 percent of low-income students did.¨(Reardon) This clearly shows that rich students get into better schools than poor children do. Parents have more money to invest in their children and in turn their children will then be in the upper class later in life. Later in the article we see that, ¨The academic gap is widening because rich students are increasingly entering kindergarten much better prepared to succeed in school than middle-class students. This difference in preparation persists through elementary and high school….As you may have heard, the incomes of the rich have grown faster over the last 30 years than the incomes of the middle class and the poor. Money helps families provide cognitively stimulating experiences for their young children because it provides more stable home environments, more time for parents to read to their children, access to higher-quality childcare and preschool...¨(Reardon) The rich kids have all the tools they will ever need to succeed right away. The upper class is preparing their children for school, stimulating their children, and putting them in the best-quality schools at a very young age and it is proving to be positively influential in their education. The upper class even has extracurricular advantages that contribute to their education. Rich children get better tutors, get on better sports teams, and get involved more activities like clubs and music. In an article published in the New York Times says that, “Wealthy parents invest more time and money than ever before into their children (in weekend sports, ballet, music lessons, math tutors, and in overall involvement in their children’s schools), while lower income families, which are now more likely than ever to be headed by a single parent, are increasingly stretched for time and resources.” (Tavernise) So while rich children are taking trumpet lessons, the poor children are having a hard time finding food. No one can deny the importance education plays in our future, especially these days. Some parent noticed this also and they invest into their children, “The income achievement gap is large when children enter kindergarten—and does not grow substantially during the school years” (Reardon) This means that before children even start school, they are learning more and they are learning it faster. If children are already well off in school that leaves more time for extracurriculars. And when your well rounded and rich, colleges love you. Parents know that if their child has better opportunities to do well in school they will look better in other aspects and they use it to their children's advantage. Even though some children start out with an advantage, some people argue that ultimately it is up to the child to succeed academically.
When given better opportunities it has been shown that lower income children can score just as high or higher than those from the upper class. Malcolm Gladwell shows in numerous studies that over the course of the school year children from all the classes improve at about the same rate and start out equal. The lower class enters first grade with an average score of 55 on state mandated tests, the middle class with an average of 69, and the upper class with an average of 60. (Gladwell) Those are pretty equal. The problem starts as soon as school is over. We know that rich kids get to do all the mentally stimulating activities over the summer while poor kids sit and watch tv. It truly does affect kids. Starting from the beginning of summer and going to the end of the 1st quarter, the lower class improves -3.67 point and the middle class improves about the same. Meanwhile, the upper class comes back to school and they have improved 15.38 points. (Gladwell) This shows us that no matter how amazing we teach the students during the school year, the upper class will always be studying over summer and getting an advantage over everyone else. How can the lower class be expected to keep up with the upper class if they simply can’t afford to get the same “education?” So yes, our schools definitely provide adequate, equal and fair teaching, but they
can not overcome the gap that gets bigger and bigger over the summer. Parenting styles also determine how fast or slow a child learns.
Research shows that the more parents talk to their kids and build on what they say, the faster the child learns new vocabulary. In a study conducted on families of all incomes, it was found that, “The average child heard thirty-two affirmations and five prohibitions (“Stop that”; “That’s the wrong way!”) per hour—a ratio of six to one. For the kids in the working-class families, the ratio was twelve affirmatives to seven prohibitions, and in the welfare families it was five affirmatives to eleven prohibitions.” (Talbot) This means that poorer children are not learning new words and are being put down which damages their self-confidence. It has been proved that the smarter children are the ones who are not just at home all day. A study which, “used survey data to show that affluent children spend 1,300 more hours than low-income children before age 6 in places other than their homes, their day care centers, or schools (anywhere from museums to shopping malls). By the time high-income children start school, they have spent about 400 hours more than poor children in literacy activities.” (Tavernise) This shows that the kids who spend time in places other than home tend to be more educated. This does not specify which class they are it just says children in general so we know this works for everyone. Children whose parents take the time to educate their children not just academically but socially tend to do better
academically. Upper class children tend to get a better education because they get in better schools and get better instructors, and although children's educational success is ultimately placed on them, with equal opportunity and more involved parents the achievement gap could lessen. Upper class children can afford to go to better schools therefore they get into the better colleges and get higher paying jobs and then start the whole cycle over again. Rich kids also get involved in more extracurriculars which makes them look better on college applications and they get into the better colleges. If students are given truly equal opportunities all year round not just during the nine month school year, then the achievement gap will lessen. Parents of all classes can help the achievement gap shrink by talking to their children more and placing a value on education. Do you really think that just because you are rich or poor that that should be the deciding factor on how successful you are?