Why students from rich families do better in school?
Research shows why students with wealthy parents do better in school:
- The obvious one: they have more financial resources. The family can hire tutors if necessary.
- Higher human capital: the parents are better educated.
- Family is wealthy in social capital
(socially connected to similar people (rich in financial, human and social capital).
Compare that to a student from a poor family.
The family has limited resources.
The situation is further exacerbated by the stress factor.
(Poverty, living in high-crime neighborhoods, and more — all leading to chronic stress.)
There is no surprise the gap between rich and poor gets wider.
How do we close the gap?
Good teachers
Thomas Kane of Harvard University says that if students from low-income families would be taught by the top 25% of teachers the gap would close within eight years.
It’s essential to repeat: he referred to teachers in the top 25%
Why?
David Steiner of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, describes some of our teacher-training institutions as “sclerotic”.
Sometime, in the future, will further elaborate on Mr. Steiner’s point.
For now let’s remember this:
Regardless of one’s economic class IT IS POSSIBLE to get a good education.
Good teachers make it possible.
Thanks for visiting.
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