Socio-Economic Status and Education

Our visits to Holmes Elementary, Riverfront Farms, Global Neighborhood and the Refugee Parents Panel made me realize how strong the effect of the socio-economic status on education is. In the US education is almost dependent from your socio-economic status.

Living in poverty influences students´ success, at least it decreases their education opportunities and their energy to learn. Coming hungry to school, the students cannot focus on being successful at school. Some students have problems at home in their families. Their parents might be divorced; some might have parents with alcohol or even drug addictions. The concern about socio-economic status is a though demand for children.

Otherwise, school like the Holmes Elementary or communities like the Riverfront Farms, the Global Neighborhood, or the Refugee Parents Panel provide these children and also their families with socio-economic challenges a safe home. Different from their own homes, here people care about them, students feel loved, accepted, and useful. Being part of communities gives them hope for their futures and ideally the necessary encouragement leading to success.

Discovering this truth of the US society made me believe in the American Nightmare which seemed unrealistic and far when I was in Germany. There is almost nothing comparable about Germans´ socio-economic status and education with this American challenge. Every family with economic problems is supported by the government and people do not need to be concerned about financing their daily needs and especially not about their education. Education is for free in Germany. The social status may affect to which school a student goes. For students coming from upper class families it is easier to attend an elite school than for students having a lower social status. However, generally every student´s success depends on his effort and grades at school and not on his socio-economic status.

As an educator, I have to be supportive and encouraging to my students with various socio-economic statuses. I have to know them, their families and their backgrounds in order to understand their feelings and thoughts since these influence their learning attitudes and I have to find methods to make my students feel comfortable in my class.