What “Counts” as Educational Policy? Notes toward a New Paradigm By Jean Anyon
Reflection:
After reading What “Counts” as Educational Policy? Notes toward a New Paradigm By Jean Anyon I was met with the idea of poverty being a major cause of having a strong education. I came from an upper class town in Rhode Island with a great school system (Ponaganset High School) which led to me never experiencing what school systems in urban areas were like. This got me thinking: What if I did not grow up in an area with a higher socioeconomic status? How would my education have been? However, many individuals do not have this luxury of getting to wonder, they are having to experience the side effects. Individuals that have a lower socioeconomic status (SES) tend to have poorer education. As a result they tend to not further their education after high school or it becomes a financial burden. In addition, coming from a low SES you don’t have as much access to additional tools such as a tutor, early childhood education(daycare),transportation, textbooks etc. This plays a huge impact on their ability for success in school. Jean Anyon also mentions that additional factors due to a low SES such as poor housing, access to food, stressed parents all also play a role on a student's ability for success in school. To put an end to these harmful factors, policy changes are needed to be made. To start discrimination of housing needs to be stopped. As I mentioned earlier, housing plays a huge role in a child's education. Not only does it affect them physically and mentally it also prohibits them from being in what is known as the “nicer” school districts. If there was no discrimination in housing there would be a better opportunity for all SES to have equal educational opportunities. Additionally, having more early childhood programs for low income households would give them a stronger head start at their education.
Questions/comments to share:
What are some other policies that would benefit the lower SES with better education?What are some ways that we can provide additional resources such as food that benefit those with lower incomes?
I really like the image you used. It makes Anyon's descriptions of disadvantages much more visually clear. Especially for those of us who came from a higher SES, those gaps are important to note to understand the challenges other face.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your questions about policies, there are some I have already seen implemented. One of my district's schools, for example, has its own food bank for families to utilize. From what I understand, in just a year it has greatly helped families. I have also seen schools, RIC included, pushing resources such as free online tutoring.
Hello Talia! Yes I thought it was great you ended your blog with some questions for the audience. It was also great to see you are thinking of future modifications. I think it is important for future teachers to be innovative and thinking towards making a difference.
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