How Family Income Impacts Student Success: Opportunities Over Wealth
When Eve, a mother in Colorado, received a legal settlement, she found herself suddenly flush.
She drove over to the office of Eric Dearing, who was working with her as a family advocate for Head Start, and she gave him a shirt. Even though the shirt wasn’t his style, and he never wore it, he kept it in the closet. That was one of the few times that he’d seen a family, through “pure luck,” get a spike in income.
The change in Eve, when she went from receiving help to giving gifts, was palpable. “She was so excited and proud and suddenly full of this hope,” says Dearing, who is now a professor at Boston College.
Moments like that are rare these days. Social mobility in the U.S. is stagnant, with income inequality rising. Plus, the ability of people to move up in the world seems to decline with age, as their status gets set. It can cast doubt on the idea that schools prepare students to have good lives and raise questions about whether the country is a poverty-sustaining machine.
This may be getting worse, according to one researcher, whose recent study found that what matters for student outcomes isn’t so much money itself, but the number of supportive learning chances that a person gets.
But rare or not, that experience with Eve stuck with Dearing like it was pinned somewhere in his brain. How much does it matter when families gain income if they’ve been living in poverty, Dearing wondered. And why do all the high-quality programs out there seem to make such a little dent in boosting education achievement for students from low-income backgrounds?
The Value of Opportunities
Eric Dearing, reflecting on his experience with Eve, turned his attention to understanding the broader implications of family income on students. His investigation revealed a startling truth: the sheer number of opportunities available to a child significantly impacts their educational outcomes more than income alone.
According to a new study in Educational Researcher, Dearing discovered that opportunities—or lack thereof—play a decisive role in student outcomes. The research traced 814 students across various U.S. cities, examining how early parental income affected their future.
The findings highlighted a stark “opportunity gap,” with children from affluent families experiencing significantly more learning opportunities compared to those from low-income backgrounds.
Family income indirectly influences educational attainment and career success mainly because it grants access to positive learning environments. These can be quality childcare, educational home resources, or excellent schools and extracurricular programs.
The study’s descriptive nature prevents it from conclusively proving causation. However, it supports the notion that cumulative access to quality educational environments drives higher achievement.
Challenge of Inequality
The challenge is not only about designing high-quality educational programs but ensuring they translate into meaningful and sustainable opportunities for all students.
Dearing emphasizes the need for systemic changes. Solutions like community school models or programs like City Connects offer holistic student support, addressing needs beyond classroom walls such as food security and healthcare, enhancing opportunities for students to thrive.
While essential, educators alone cannot close achievement gaps. True success depends on combined efforts from educational institutions and community support systems. Structural changes can forge pathways for historically disadvantaged students, ensuring their access to enriching experiences matches that of peers from wealthier backgrounds.
The American Dream?
Political engagement seeking to reduce inequality could herald hopeful advancements. Initiatives, like those proposed by Democratic nominee Kamala Harris to strengthen economic opportunities through measures such as expanding tax credits, might breathe fresh life into the U.S. middle class.
Yet, inequality persists, perhaps exacerbated over time, with rising disparities in income and opportunities.
Dearing acknowledges improvements like increased public preschools and the enhancement of income tax credits. However, he calls attention to further research requirements, suggesting more emphasis on cultural dynamics within communities might illuminate other forms of support that foster student success.
For instance, examining extended family roles in various cultures could provide new insights into leveraging existing community strengths to complement traditional educational models.
To explore the complete context of this reflective study on student success and family income, visit the full article on EdSurge.
