Blog 7: Before a Test, a Poverty of Words

This article discusses the differences in intellect among children from different economic backgrounds in the state of New York. Children whose parents are professionals have a higher chance of receiving a better education than children from low income families. The children with a better economic background know thirty-two million more words by the age of four than a child growing up in poverty. The majority of children that attend elite public high schools are not black or Hispanic. In order to get accepted into an elite public high school, students have to take a Specialized High School Admission Test. The three sections of the test include math, reading, and critical thinking. The NAACP and other organizations argue that the test is unfair against black and Hispanic children. The organizations do not agree that a decision should be determined by a single score on a test. People are complaining because they believe the children from better economic backgrounds are more prepared for the test. New York's Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg defends the the Specialized High School Admission Test process because children from lower income families can receive free exam preparation. Children that are from families of poverty have a disadvantage compared to children from middle or high class families. The main topic of this article is to explain that a successful education begins once the child is an infant. The way to start children off in the right direction is to talk, read, and teach children.

The Specialized High School Admission Test reminds me of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). The SAT is the main factor in determining where someone gets accepted to attend college. Like the test in New York, the SAT consists of three sections. Children with free or reduced lunch can take the SAT two times and send their SAT results to colleges without paying. I did not have free or reduced from K-12. When it was time to take the SAT, my parents paid forty-nine dollars and ten dollars to send my results. It's easier to take the SAT for children with low income backgrounds, but harder for other children because they have to pay for everything. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a valid point stating that children from low income families receive free preparation. The children from low income families usually are not focused on taking an exam and receiving free preparation. It's not that the children do not want a good education, it's their environment that influences their decisions. Most kids from poverty do not see role models in their community with a education. So comparing children whose parents are professionals to children that are from low income families is not fair. Every parent has to start teaching their children minor things when they're younger in order to help them in the future.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/nyregion/for-poor-schoolchildren-a-poverty-of-words.html?ref=education
October 10, 2012
8:55PM