1590ColchesterSt.

Danville,CA94506 11/10/2013

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 SeventhGrader,DiabloVistaMiddleSchool

NadineFattah Period6/7 GeniusHour

DrivingQuestion:DoesSocialClassAffectPovertyInTheUnitedStates?

Bibliography:
AGreatEducationHelpstoCreateLaddersofOpportunityforAllStudents. U.S.DepartmentofEducation.www.ed.gov/ladders. Bryant,Lee.ClassandEducation.2013.HistoryLearningSite.September25,2013. www.historylearningsite.co.uk. GreatSchoolsStaff.PrivateVersusPublic.2013.GreatSchoolsInc.October9,2013. www.greatschools.org. HowDoesRaceandSocialClassAffectYourEducation.2012.Teachnology,Inc.October9, 2013.www.teach-nology.com. Low-Income and Minority Students. U.S. Department of Education. October 9, 2013. www2.ed.gov.