Social Context in Education By: Cheryl Cox & Dawn Longville

Student Background Race/ethnicity Limited English proficiency Family Income Parental Education Family Structure Determinants of different educational outcomes

Early education enrollments lower Black & Hispanic twice as likely to live in poverty as whites Poverty rates much higher in the US Minorities more likely to attend high poverty schools than whites High Poverty Learning Environments

More likely to report student misbehavior interfering with teaching Higher absenteeism, tardiness Lack of parental involvement Higher verbal abuse & student disrespect of teachers High Poverty Learning Environments

More likely to report physical conflicts and weapons possession Less likely to gifted and talented programs Teachers less likely to have degree in subject Less likely to be connected to the Internet Teacher salaries lower

Single Parent Families More likely to experience early school problems Less likely to participate in literacy activities More than doubled since 1970

Race/Ethnicity Difficulty speaking English associated with dropping out of school Black & Hispanic twice as likely to live in poverty as whites Minorities more likely to attend high poverty schools than whites

Race/Ethnicity Changes Percentage change ----Race/ethnicity 1993 to to 2020 White Aged 5– Aged 14– Black Aged 5– Aged 14– Hispanic Aged 5– Aged 14– Other Aged 5– Aged 14– SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Youth Indicators 1996, Indicator 2.

Limited English Proficiency Percentage of children having difficulty speaking English increased in recent years. Difficulty speaking English associated with dropping out of school Hispanic more likely to have difficulties

Education Levels Parents educational level strongly associated with student achievement Parents’ educational levels have increased dramatically since 1970

The percentage of fathers with less than a high school education declined from 43 percent in 1970 to 19 percent in Over the same 20-year period, the percentage of fathers with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased from 13 to 23 percent. Education Levels SOURCE: RAND, Student Achievement and the Changing American Family, 1994.

The percentage of mothers with less than a high school diploma declined from 38 to 17 percent between 1970 and 1990, while the percentage with a bachelor’s degree or higher doubled. Education Levels SOURCE: RAND, Student Achievement and the Changing American Family, 1994.

Social Context in Education By: Cheryl Cox & Dawn Longville