Modern StudiesSocial Inequalities in the USA - EDUCATION

Why is education important?

Education and Income Earned

1. Use the graph to explain the link between income earned and the amount of education they have.

2. Do some ethnic groups do better than others? Give evidence to support your answer.

Education and the American Dream

A good education is important for anyone wanting to improve their chances of having improved living standards.One of the pull factors of the US is education.What is a pull factor of immigration? – immigrants often move to the USA to give their children a better education than they would get where they came from.

The American Reality This pull factor of immigration is often not true. All Americans do not get the same chances to do well at school.

Differences between Schools

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

Rich areas Poor areas

New York State's spending on education

Spending per student in $

3.What problems do you think spending less money on some schools will cause? Answer in sentences.

Can’t buy up-to-date textbooks, lack of basic resources e.g. paper, new computers and specialist teachers e.g. music teachers to help pupils pass exams.

The NAACP on Schools

• The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in their report “Call for Action in Education” noted the following problems;

• Staffing, high number of inexperienced teachers,

• Poor quality of school facilities,• Lack of support materials e.g. good quality

textbooks, curriculum materials, science equipment,

• Lack of access to the most challenging courses.

A tale of two schools

Which school is most likely to have a higher percentage of white students? Why?

School A – 50% School B – 74%

School A• No new books• A security man in class• Armed police in the

corridor• 1,322 pupils and 90

teachers• Drop out rate of 40%

School B• High national test

scores• 1,660 pupils and 120

teachers• Student travel up to 60

miles to go there• Equipment is donated

by local businesses• Drop out rate is non-

existent

Drop out rates in US schools

Year White Black Hispanic API

2000 6.9% 13.1% 27.8%

2005 6% 10.4% 22.4% 2.8%

2012 4.3% 8.6% 12.7% 3%

Every year approximately 1.2 million school pupils do not graduate. Out of the 50 largest cities in the USA 17 have high school graduation rates of lower than 50% e.g. Detroit.

Source: Child Trends Databank

Why are drop out rates so high?

Schools in poor areas tend to be run-down, depressing and VERY dangerous! Would you want to go to a school that had boarded up windows, metal detectors and armed guards?Blacks and Hispanics are more likely to be poor so they are more likely to go to these schools. These schools are not nice to be in so they are less likely to stay on at High School/College and are more likely to drop out. 4.Using the table, create a bar chart showing the drop out rate of groups in different groups in the US for 2012. Then write a couple sentences underneath explaining why drop out rates are so high in Black and Hispanic students.

Educational Attainment

2008 School Graduates

College Graduates

White 89% 30%

Hispanic 60% 12%

Black 80% 17%

APIs 85% 49%

There are more Blacks in prison than college – for every 1 that goes to college, 3 go to prison.

Conclusion

1.Write down two conclusions about High School drop-out rates.

• You should write one conclusion with evidence about each of the following:

The drop-out rate for groups that have decreased the most between 2000 to 2012.

The drop-out rate for ethnic minorities compared to Whites.

KU Question

Some groups in the USA have more success in education than others.

Explain, in detail, why some groups in the USA have more success in education than others.

Int 2 (6 marks)Int 1 (4 marks)