Socioeconomic
“It has been more profitable for us to bind together in the wrong direction than to be alone in the right one.”
-Nasim Nicholas Taleb
-Nasim Nicholas Taleb
By: Alexander Magaña
The socioeconomic status of students at CPS high schools reflects the type of education they receive. The Chicago Postsecondary Transition Project shows that selective enrollment schools have less low income students than neighborhood schools and have the highest percentage of students that graduate. It also shows that more low income students are seeing college is attainable, specifically a four year college. Over the past years more students from low income families are attending college despite their socioeconomic status. While this an improvement, some CPS schools are focused upon getting higher income students into college with the use of selective enrollment schools. The Chicago Catalyst shows that the expectation at selective enrollment schools is for all students to graduate while at neighborhood schools it is an option.
The graduation rate of the two types of schools have an estimated 20 percent gap of achievement. The socioeconomic status of students plays a significant role in student achievement based upon the research from the Chicago Postsecondary Project. This research has shown that from 1980 to 2002 the mindset of low income 10th graders who are expecting to attain post secondary education has risen 51 percent in the past 22 years. Despite the increase,the gap in achievement of selective and local high schools has remained the same for over 10 years. CPS is better preparing higher income students by placing them in selective enrollment schools which receive more challenging work. This leaves the low income students in neighborhood schools where the expectations are lowered to the expectation of low achievement.The splintering of students in these two types of schools prepares low income students for working class jobs and takes away their opportunity to even be eligible for post-secondary education.
The economic status of CPS students bares limitations on what they will and are expected to achieve. These limitations are restricting students from surpassing their economic status and supports the idea of social superiority for those with higher socioeconomic status. However, the achievement gap remains the same between the two types of schools when students of all socioeconomic statuses should have equal graduation rates, this would allow more students to surpass the lower class status with a college education.
The graduation rate of the two types of schools have an estimated 20 percent gap of achievement. The socioeconomic status of students plays a significant role in student achievement based upon the research from the Chicago Postsecondary Project. This research has shown that from 1980 to 2002 the mindset of low income 10th graders who are expecting to attain post secondary education has risen 51 percent in the past 22 years. Despite the increase,the gap in achievement of selective and local high schools has remained the same for over 10 years. CPS is better preparing higher income students by placing them in selective enrollment schools which receive more challenging work. This leaves the low income students in neighborhood schools where the expectations are lowered to the expectation of low achievement.The splintering of students in these two types of schools prepares low income students for working class jobs and takes away their opportunity to even be eligible for post-secondary education.
The economic status of CPS students bares limitations on what they will and are expected to achieve. These limitations are restricting students from surpassing their economic status and supports the idea of social superiority for those with higher socioeconomic status. However, the achievement gap remains the same between the two types of schools when students of all socioeconomic statuses should have equal graduation rates, this would allow more students to surpass the lower class status with a college education.
"Find a School." Chicago Public Schools. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. <http://cps.edu/Schools/Find_a_school/Pages/findaschool.aspx>.
Karp, Sarah. "Top CPS Grads Often Land at Less Rigorous Colleges." Chicago Catalyst. 23 Apr. 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. <http://www.catalyst- chicago.org/notebook/2009/04/23/top-cps-grads-often-land-less-rigorous-colleges>.
Roderick, Melissa, Jenny Nagaoka, and Elaine Allensworth. "From High School to the Future." UCHICAGOCCSR. The University of Chicago, Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/publications/Postsecondary.pdf>.
Karp, Sarah. "Top CPS Grads Often Land at Less Rigorous Colleges." Chicago Catalyst. 23 Apr. 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. <http://www.catalyst- chicago.org/notebook/2009/04/23/top-cps-grads-often-land-less-rigorous-colleges>.
Roderick, Melissa, Jenny Nagaoka, and Elaine Allensworth. "From High School to the Future." UCHICAGOCCSR. The University of Chicago, Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/publications/Postsecondary.pdf>.