Socio economic status or SES significantly influences educational opportunities as well as future academic achievement. Children belonging to those families with larger income and education level have the possibility to go to better schools, hire tutors, and attend extraordinary programs. Different from that, students from poor backgrounds attend school, where the resources are scarce and the quality of education is low, which reflects in the results.
Schools in the affluent areas are provided with more funds from property taxes leading to; small class sizes, technology and professionalism of teachers. On the other hand, schools in the low income areas are characterized by large class sizes, lack of resources, and inadequate number of teachers. This lack of quality schools further exacerbates inequality and has a quite considerable negative impact on students’ and education in general.
Students with low SES also experience other barriers outside the class, so promoting equity and cultural diversity and ensuring all students can succeed assumes greater importance. Apart from that, they may not have a permanent home, proper and healthy meals or a clean place to concentrate on their books. These factors affect concentration, attendance and participation in school hence they are already disadvantaged than their counterparts from affluent homes.
Moreover, there is potential to attend parental involvement and expectations based on the level of SES. It is also rational that parents with higher income levels have more time, education and other resources to invest considerable efforts in their child's academic process. On the other hand, low SES parents can also care for their children but may be working or may not have too much knowledge in the education system hence cannot fully support school success.
Socioeconomic status was identified as a clear predictor of access and success in education. If timely interference and changes in policies are not made, students from such backgrounds will continue to be in poverty and perform dismally. There is a long way to go to make such equal opportunities for all children to access education and to demonstrate their talents and potential; that is why public education should be financially supported and families should be encouraged; barriers, based on race, gender, and socio-economic status, should be abolished.
Conclusion
Education has long been influenced by socioeconomic status, and this requires a systemic solution. We must address these inequalities through funding the underdeveloped schools, increasing support facilities and making certain all students are given equal chances to learn or be educated properly. It cannot be that Academic achievements should be dependent on the family's ability to pay or the zip code in which they live; every child deserves the same chance as the other when it comes to education.
