Equal Opportunity

Educational attainment in the USA is greatly affected by various factors, which illustrate some level of inequality at household level as well as at the state and national level. Some of the socioeconomic factors that determine the educational attainment of a community include occupation, income, and education attainment of the parents among many others. The balance of these factors determines how well equipped a community is to counter illiteracy, since advancement in one aspect would hamper the gains attained in another. Advancements in education systems are targeted towards elimination of the influence of socioeconomic factors on the educational attainment among the diverse population groups. However, an efficient system is nearly impossible to attain due to factors beyond education management control (Cogan, McKnight, and Schmidt, 2010).

The income level of the parents determines the level of resources that the students access both at school and at home for personal studies. Whereas financially stable parents can easily provide extra resources to their children based on the amount of disposable income at the household level, lower income classes may find it difficult to offer competitive learning resources to their children. Outcomes of national analysis across survey districts conducted in 2010 reveal characteristic performance in mathematics standards among students (Cogan, McKnight, and Schmidt, 2010). Brown (2012) makes similar observations, with projections of how the impacts of relatively lower development affect learning and spread of information. In view of access to internet services for learning purposes, future policies will require recognition of connectivity as a basic right for all Americans.

References

Brown, J. (2012). “Equality? All Kids have a Right to Internet Access!” Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.gcnlive.com/wp/2012/06/01/jim-brown-equality-all-kids-have-a-right-to-internet-access/comment-page-1/” l “comment-80580” http://www.gcnlive.com/wp/2012/06/01/jim-brown-equality-all-kids-have-a-right-to-internet-access/comment-page-1/#comment-80580

Cogan, L., McKnight, C., & Schmidt, W. (2010). “Equality of Educational Opportunity: Myth or Reality in US Schooling?” American Educator, Winter 2010-2011