The performance of students is influenced not only by intellectual capability but by socio-economic factors as well. These factors include the kind of neighbourhood or community they are living with. The neighbourhood can be classified based on the income group classification of the families living in a particular neighbourhood. Families under the same income group tend to live in similar neighbourhoods. Thus, a neighbourhood can be majorly comprised of low-income earning families or otherwise. Considering the income classification of the families living in a particular neighbourhood is important because it is a major characterization of the neighbourhood as a whole. Knowing this, it can be determined how this affects the performance of the students. The income classification is one of the determinants of the kind of opportunities that a student could get. Students from families with high status can have access to the best opportunities such as good services, health care, and education. The middle class can also enjoy the same opportunity but can encounter difficulties in accessing them. Meanwhile, those in the lower class are not privileged enough to access those opportunities (Loewen 321). However, a neighbourhood may not be homogenous as there may be some families whose characteristic in terms of income status is different from the majority in the neighbourhood. Thus, this implies that the effects on the student’s performance are not due to the influence of the neighbourhood alone but by the interaction of other factors as well. Other factors may include the income group classification of an individual family, how the characteristics of a particular family differ from the majority and the length of the stay in a neighbourhood. While it is important to consider the interactions of these factors, it can be seen that the kind of neighbourhood based on socio-economic factors greatly influences the performance of the students because it is the determinant of the kind of opportunities they can access to improve their performance. It is important for people to know this information so solutions can be created to provide equal opportunities to every student and help them perform better.
Considering the effects of neighbourhood on the performance of the students is important because the neighbourhoods can influence the educational values, norms, and resources within the community. This influence also affects the student’s adaptation to their social environment as well as their performance in school (Sanbonmatsu et al. 2).
If we consider neighbourhood as a whole and classified it based on the income group of the majority of people living in it then, there can be two classifications: the high-income neighbourhood, and the low-income neighbourhood. Most likely, students from high-income neighbourhoods perform better than those in the low-income neighbourhoods, especially those with higher poverty rate. High-poverty neighbourhoods tend to influence the student’s performance negatively because they have limited access to high-performing schools (Deluca & Rosenblatt 1445).
Another implication of the socio-economic difference on the performance of the students can be seen by looking into the case of conducting a standardized test to assess the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) of every public school in each state. AYP is a benchmark for schools to assess the progress of achieving the desired national proficiency (Smyth 133). In this situation, those students from lower-income generating families are at a disadvantage because these students have lesser opportunities to access services that can further improve their proficiency. Those students from high-income generating families could afford professional services such as tutorials while the others cannot (Smyth 135). Aside from the availability of opportunities, the socio-economic classification of the family also determines the extent of the duration of their child’s education. Students from low-income families are less likely to finish high school or to attend college while those from rich families can continue to study at good universities. This opportunity helps privilege students to attain better examination scores and inspire them to continue higher education (Tomul & Polat).
The location of the neighbourhood also plays an important role on the student’s performance. An example that shows the effect of the location of the neighbourhood is the rural school. Children of poverty usually attend rural schools near their neighbourhood. However, these schools are lacking equipment and facilities. This situation can be a hindrance for students to perform better (Smyth 135). This limit the access of students for better education and limits the activities that can help them perform well.
Although the influence of the income classification is evident, other factors should be considered. Another factor is student’s development in the neighbourhood. The student’s development is influenced by the combination of several factors such as the environment, individual attributes and family characteristics. Other people believe that the student’s development may be negatively affected when the neighbourhood could not provide positive peer influences and when there are no adults who could be their role models. Also, the presence of violence in the neighbourhood also gives adverse effects (Sanbonmatsu et al. 3).
Another factor is the difference of the characteristic of the family from the majority of people in the neighbourhood. This difference may lead to discrimination. It is most likely that the student in this kind of environment will be exposed to conditions that would lead to poor educational performance and behavioural problems (Sanbonmatsu et al. 3-4).
The educational attainment can also affect the student’s performance. Some studies show that children of parents with higher educational level tend to perform better and be successful. This is because these parents are more likely to assist their children in studying. Also, they provide an environment that can be conducive for their children to study. Parents can also influence their children’s educational preference (Tomul & Polat).
It is important for people to know the about the factors that influence the student’s performance in order to create appropriate solutions and to solve the possible negative effects. The actions can be made at the federal level or by communities and families. One of the programmes made that address the effects of the neighbourhood is the Move to Opportunity programme. In this programme, families are given the opportunity to be relocated on neighbourhoods with lower poverty condition. This can also provide them with the chance to give their children better education since these neighbourhoods are more accessible to schools with more resources. Living in this kind of neighbourhood also allows families to meet another parent who can give them information and guide them on the educational matters for their children (Deluca & Rosenblatt 1445).
Another federal policy that seeks to eliminate the effect of poverty on the academic performance is the No Child Left Behind law. This law seeks to achieve higher national academic proficiency by increasing the accountability of teachers and their students. This law encourages improve the teacher’s qualifications. This law also contributed in reducing the class size that improves the class environment (Lacour, & Tissington 526).
Actions to improve the student’s performance and reduce the achievement gap are also made by the school administrations. Such actions include assessing the abilities of the students and encourage holistic development. Some schools also focus on the improvement of their curriculum to provide students better opportunity. Additionally, the family and the community should assist and guide the students. They can inspire the students if they assert the importance of formal education (Lacour, & Tissington 526).
Looking into the factors that affect the student’s performance, the kind of neighbourhood based on the income group classification of the families living in it plays an important role in the development of the student’s performance. Better neighbourhood implies access to more opportunities to achieve good quality education. Although the major characteristic that describes the neighbourhood plays an important factor, other factors within the neighbourhood should be considered as well. It can be concluded that the effects on student’s performance do not solely attributed to the kind of neighbourhood. Knowing this, the impacts of other factors may be realised and appropriate solutions can be made to help students perform better. These solutions can be created thru federal and states policies and with family and community efforts. While the federal and states policies provide better opportunities through programmes that help the less privilege, the family can also help by guiding and inspiring their children. Although financial capability is important, the lack of it shouldn’t be a hindrance to performing well and achieve better quality education.
Works Cited:
Deluca, S., and P. Rosenblatt. “Does Moving to Better Neighborhoods Lead to Better Schooling Opportunities? Parental School Choice in an Experimental Housing Voucher Program.” Teachers College Record 112.5(2010): 1443-1491. PDF file.
Lacour, M., and L.D. Tissington. “The effects of poverty on academic achievement.” Educational Research and Reviews 6.7(2011): 522-527. PDF file.
Loewen, James. “The Land of Opportunity.” Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. The New Press 2007. Print.
Sanbonmatsu, Lisa, Jeffrey R. Kling, Greg J. Duncan, and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn. “Neighborhoods and Academic Achievement: Results from the Moving to Opportunity Experiment.” Journal of Human Resources (2008): 1-70. PDF file.
Smyth, Theoni Soublis. “Who Is No Child Left Behind Leaving Behind?” Clearing House 81.3(2008): 133-137. PDF file.
Tomul, Ekber, and Gökhan Polat. "The Effects of Socioeconomic Characteristics of Students on Their Academic Achievement in Higher Education." American Journal of Educational Research 1.10 (2013): 449-455. PDF file.
