I think a big part of solving a problem is by first understanding a problem. SES seems to be the strongest predictor of academic perfromance. In the graph below we see that at all levels income predicts academic achievment ("2012 college-bound seniors," 2012).
Table 1: SES and 2012 SAT Scores
| Family Income | Critical Reading | Mathematics |
| 0$ – $20,000 | 433 | 461 |
| $20,000 – $40,000 | 463 | 481 |
| $40,000 – $60,000 | 485 | 500 |
| $60,000 – $80,000 | 499 | 512 |
| $80,000 – $100,000 | 511 | 525 |
| $100,000 – $120,000 | 523 | 539 |
| $120,000 – $140,000 | 527 | 543 |
| $140,000 – $160,000 | 534 | 551 |
| $160,000 – $200,000 | 540 | 557 |
| More than $200,000 | 567 | 589 |
Why is SES such a strong indicator? It cannot really be just the money. There has to be other factors. What does money bring to families to increase their academic performance?
(2012). 2012 college-bound seniors total group profile report. Retrieved from CollegeBoard website: http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/TotalGroup-2012.pdf
I don't believe it is just the money. Sohr-Preston, Scaramella, Martin, Neppl, Ontai, & Conger (2013) said that parents with higher income and more education tend to "make greater interpersonal and material investments in children's development than lower SES parents forced to focus on immediate needs (p. 1047). They also say parents from higher SES families tend to have more conversations with their children as well as speak to them longer (Sohr-Preston, Scaramella, Martin, Neppl, Ontai, & Conger, 2013). These kids come to school knowing a wider variety of words. A greater amount of vocabulary will lead to kids who have an easier time reading because words are not mysterious to them. They are able to connect words they have heard to words they see in print.
ReplyDeleteSohr-Preston, S. L., Scaramella, L. V., Martin, M. J., Neppl, T. K., Ontai, L., &
Conger, R. (2013). Parental Socioeconomic Status, Communication, and
Children's Vocabulary Development: A Third-Generation Test of the
Family Investment Model. 1046-1062.
Tana, Thank you for sharing this information. The "interpersonal" factor is a big factor in child's development, his/her ability to communicate and to be able to articulate and connect thoughts and ideas. These skill transfer to become better learners. The SES students might have less of these opportunities because the "survival mode" takes priority over the nice table talks.
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