Poorer Students That Do Everything Right

Data From Richard Reeves and Isabel Sawhill

Some students try and try and never succeed. Poorer students that do everything right are behind rich kids that do everything wrong. An article from Matt O’Brien writer and reporter for the Washington Post explains exactly why this is.

“Economists Greg Duncan and Richard Murnane calculate that, between 1972 and 2006, high-income parents increased their spending on "enrichment activities" for their children by 151 percent in inflation-adjusted terms, compared to 57 percent for low-income parents”(O'Brien) In other words, richer kids are receiving more academic attention from their parents because their moms and dads can take the time off work to help them. Poorer students have parents that work all the time and see their kids almost four hours less than richer kids. This automatically puts the poor kids at a disadvantage because they have to try one hundred times hard and barely break even with richer kids. This will affect them even into college and getting a job in the future.

 “Rich high school dropouts remain in the top about as much as poor college grads stay stuck in the bottom — 14 versus 16 percent, respectively.” So, the wealthier students that drop out of college earlier are still ahead of the poorer students that stay in school. Since the wealthier are still an inch ahead, they will get the better job and more opportunities. How can the poorer students even get to the middle class? How much harder do they need to work?  “It's an extreme example of what economists call "opportunity hoarding." That includes everything from legacy college admissions to unpaid internships that let affluent parents rig the game a little more in their children's favor.”