1590ColchesterSt.

Danville,CA94506 10/30/2013

ArneDuncan,U.S.SecretaryofEducation 400MarylandAve. SW,Washington,D.C.,DC

DearSecretaryDuncan,

IwouldliketodiscusstheseriousmatterofeducationintheUnitedStateswithyou. EducationintheUnitedStateshassignificantlydividedournationbysocialclassand performanceinschool.Researchintotheperformanceofchildrenattheearlieststartof educationhasshownthatstudentsfromhighincomefamiliesprepareandperformbetterin schoolcomparedtolowerincomefamilystudents.Theiroverallvocabularyisfiftypercent greaterthanthosewhocomefrompoorerfamilies.Theselargedifferencesineducationas aresultofsocialclasshasbecomeamajorissueinAmerica,andhasgreatlyaffectedthe emotionalaspectofeducationforlowerincomestudents. Oneaspectofsocialclasseducationisthebehaviorofthechildduringschoolaswellas theinteractionusingmaterials.Researchshowsthathyperactiveanddisruptivechildrenin theclassroomsettingcomemostlyfrompoorfamilies,whiletheleastdisruptivecomefrom higherclassfamilies.Studentsalsobehavedifferentlyasaresultoftheirfamiliesbecause ofmaterialfactors.Higherincomefamiliesprovidemorematerialsfortheirchildren,and PierreBourdieustatedin1971thatthesestudents,whoareabletohavesomany materials,performbetterinschool. Culturalreproductionhasputtheviewsofmiddleclassfamiliesinabetteraspectinterms ofeducationalperformance.Culturalreproductioniswhenmiddleclassfamiliespasson culturalcapital,whichreferstononfinancialsocialassetsthatpromotesocialmobility,and expectationsfromparentstochildren.PierreBourdieu,afamoussociologistand philosopher,statedthatmiddleclassstudentshavethebestkindofculturalcapital, language,skills,knowledge,andattitudestodobetterinlifecomparedtotheothersocial classes.

Summarizingtheconsistentresearchdonebysociologists,thehigherthesocialclass,the higherthelevelofeducation.Theyarealsomorelikelytostayinpostcompulsory(further) education,andmorelikelytogainuniversityentrance.Likepreviouslystated,highersocial classstudentsshowedthattheyweremorelikelytoperformbetteronexams,comparedto thefollowingclasses. OneaspectofchildeducationintheUnitedStatesisthedifferencesbetweenpublicand privateschooleducation.Privateschoolsreceivemorefundsbecauseofexpensivetuition andaccumulateddonationswhichallowsthemtoofferamoreadvancedcurriculumand moreindepthandspecifictopicstudies.Theircurriculumcanalsobecustomized, meaningthatteachersarecapableofteachinganysubjectinanyway,givingthemthe freedomtodesigntheirowneducationsystemwhichcanresultinhigherstandardsfor students.Theobjectiveofprivateschoolanditsexpensivetuitionisthatitoffersastronger curriculumandsmallerclassroomsize,whichallowsteacherstospendmoreoneonone timewiththestudents.Theseaspectscontributetothestudiesthatshowthatprivateschool studentstypicallyperformbetteronstandardizedteststhanstudentswhoaretaughtin publicschools.However,studiesin2006showedthatpublicschoolstudentsinfourthand eighthgradescoredclosetothoseinprivateschools,orevenbetter,inreading.This showsthatinsomesituations,privateschoolhasbetterbenefitstothelearningexperience ofstudents,whileothersituationsdonotrelatetothestudentseducationenvironment,but ratherontheindividualstudentsperformance. Theeconomicalaswellaseducationalhistoryofthefamilycanalsohavealargeimpacton childperformanceinschool.Forexample,oftenpeoplefromlowerincomefamiliesdonot haveafamilyhistoryofhighereducation.Iftheparentsandgrandparentsofthestudenthad nothadaccesstoapropereducation,itcouldminimizetheamountofaccessto educationalresources(i.e.books).Ontheotherhand,researchshowsthatstudentsfrom stable,higherclassfamiliesbetterexcelintheirstudiesbecausetheformergenerationhas hadaccesstoeducationalresourcesandaremorehighlymotivated.Accordingtoa documentpublishedbytheU.S.DepartmentofEducation,studentswhodonotattend collegeorwhodropoutquicklyarepredominantlypersonsfromlowincomefamilies,living inunderdevelopedareaswithinmajorcitiesorinsparselypopulatedruralareas,andwho haveattendedineffectiveelementaryandsecondaryschools.Thisshowshowthefamily environmentathomeandtheirpreviouseducationalexperiencecanaffecttheperformance oftheirchildren.Thishasbecomeafactorineducationthathasgreatlyaffectedmany students. ManyfactorsrelatingtosocialclasshaveaffectededucationintheUnitedStates.This hurtsthestudents,theirfamilies,theircommunities,anddamagesAmericasstrengthand

internationalcompetitiveness.Toensurethatallstudentsofallsocialclasseshavethe opportunitytosucceedinschool,thenationmustaddresstheneedsoflowincome students,homelessstudents,childrenfrommigrantworkers,andlowperformingschools.I amhappytohearthattheU.S.DepartmentofEducationhasbegunmakingprogresson thismatter.Forexample,theyhavebegunformingpracticesthatensurethatstruggling studentsaresuccessfulinschool.Whileimplementingtheseideasintoeducationtoday,I alsobelievethattheUnitedStatesshouldlowercollegetuitioncostsbecausethisafactor inmanyfamiliesthatispreventingthemfromachievingtheireducationaldreams.By loweringcosts,allstudentsofallsocialclasseswillbeabletosucceedinschool.

Sincerely, NadineFattah

NadineFattah

Bibliography:
GreatSchoolsStaff.PrivateVersusPublic.2013.GreatSchoolsInc.9Oct.2013. http://www.greatschools.org/findaschool/definingyourideal/59privatevspublicschool s.gs?page=2. HowDoesRaceandSocialClassAffectYourEducation.2012.TeachnologyInc.9Oct.2013.
http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends/equity_excellence/race_and_social_class/.

Low- Income and Miniority Students. U.S. Department of Education. 9 Oct. 2013. http://www2.ed.gov/offices/OPE/AgenProj/report/theme1a.html. AGreatEducationHelpstoCreateLaddersofOpportunityforAllStudents. U.S.DepartmentofEducation.http://www.ed.gov/ladders. ClassandEducation.2013.HistoryLearningSite.25Sept.2013. www.historylearningsite.co.uk/class_education.html.