Social Mobility Part 2

Baxter's Buzz - 2 Month's of Buzz - #52


"Climbing the economic ladder is harder in the US than most countries in Europe," says an article from Dan Froomkin. As I mentioned in part 1 of this topic, odds are, if you were poor born in America, you'll die poor. There was a study done by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that stated that 47% of the economic advantage that high earning fathers have over low earning fathers is transmitted to their sons. Compared to 19% in Canada. So even though this is the land of opportunity, the opportunity is extremely difficult to find.


The main cause, based on the report, seems to be educational opportunity. Froomkin was quoted as saying, "It turns out that America's school system rather than lifting children up, is instead holding them down".


The solution is more of a social mix within schools. Although most schools in The States are not legally segregated, they are still very much separate. It is difficult to learn from others who don't know much more than you. We learn from each other just as much as the teachers. There have been some studies that say that "more of a social mix appears to boost performance of the disadvantaged youth without any apparent negative effects on overall performance".


I was raised in the Ferndale, Michigan school district. Because of the mix, I know that I was more prepared after high school than people who attended an all black or all white school. With there being so much disparity in the educational system from city to city, we're are setting not only are children back, consequently, we're setting back our future as a country. "Lack of equal opportunity may affect the motivation, effort, and ultimately, the productivity of citizen".


Why would you train half of your military better than the other half? Doesn't make much sense, huh? As the rich make laws that keep their children rich while disregarding everyone else, the United States is being dominated by other countries when it comes to education. Children are the greatest resource of every nation. We need to start investing accordingly.


I mentioned Ferndale Schools as being an advantage for me, but they even have a lot of work to do, as do most schools outside the super wealthy districts. For those that argue the whole "survival of the fittest" thing. Just know it's not just hurting that underprivileged white kid from that rural town or that brown or black kid from the inner city. You are hurting your country's ability to compete in this global economy.