Effects of InCome On Children

The effect of a family's income on an elementary school child's educational achievement has been controversial for many years. Researchers have argued the correlation between the variables, increasing the need for further testing in recent years. While studies are still ongoing, the new research has shown that there is in fact a significant link between economic disadvantage and an elementary child's educational achievement.

Past research has argued that a family's income could not play a sole factor in a child's academic outcome. The research attributed the academic outcome to a variation of important life outcomes such as employment, income, health, longevity, and civic participation. Studies have shown that students in less affluent families tend to be exposed to a greater degree of socioeconomic and environmental risks that result in lower grades and a greater number of absences. They showed that it is not only income or family affluence, but a number of other socioeconomic factors as well that contribute to a child's educational trajectory. For instance, one study that "conceptualized SES in terms of neither income nor parental occupation, but rather education-related possessions and participation in social-cultural activities, sustained the link between high SES and more positive educational outcomes." In addition, researchers speculated that adolescents who experience persistent financial hardship throughout their childhood might be more at risk of poor academic performance by virtue of their limited exposure to environmental stimulation (i.e. books, cultural, scientific, and verbal activities).

In more recent studies, researchers have provided several explanations for why family income affects child development. First, poverty is associated with increased levels of parental stress, depressions, and poor health-conditions which might adversely affect parents' ability to nurture their children. In one study, "low income parents reported a higher level of frustration and aggravation with their children, and these children are more likely to have poor verbal development and exhibit higher levels of distractibility and hostility in the classroom."

In a study conducted by the California Education Committee they showed that children from low-income families "attain less education in elementary school than children from advantaged families." That in fact family income has a profound influence on the educational opportunities available to adolescents and on their chances of educational success. Further studies showed that due to "residential stratification and segregation" , low-income students attend schools with lower funding levels, which result in reduced availability of text books and other instructional materials, laboratory equipment, library books, and other educational resources; low level curriculum; and less-qualified teachers and administrators.

Low income adolescents have reduced achievement motivation and much higher risk at educational failure. Compared with more "affluent counterparts" , low-income adolescents receive lower grades, earn lower scores on standardized tests, and are much more likely to drop out of high school. This affects the child because the family's income influences the support and interest in education which, in turn, influences the child's interest in school and willingness to study hard. This is shown to be a major problem in the United States.

It has also been well-established in research literature that "the strongest single predictor of educational achievement and academic outcomes is the socio-economic status of the student's family." Parental social class has also been reported as strongly associated with educational attainment such that those whose parents are socioculturally and economically advantaged experience greater success at school and thus greater occupational opportunity. Moreover, there exists wide variation in levels of disadvantage between schools, and those schools with a higher number of disadvantaged families achieve lower testing scores than schools where a small proportion of their pupils come from disadvantaged homes.

It is critical to note that the effects on children of socioeconomic disadvantage are not only significant at the same time as with those conditions of poverty, but in the future as well. Due to the fact that many of these children fail to acquire the early basic skills needed for future academic success, they often fall further and further behind in terms of achievement. In other words, the academic trajectory of the student is impacted in a cumulative fashion.

An experiment that was conducted on, "The Impact of Family Income on Child Achievement" by the Institute for Research on Poverty, was able to show that "income has significant effects on a child's math and reading test scores" . The research suggested that family economic conditions matter because they enhance the material and social resources available to children and may improve family psychological processes. This appears to be far more important in early childhood because of shaping ability and achievement than it is in later years.

Family income matters for children's development. A large and expanding body of research documents the associations between too few financial resources and a host of negative results for children. Low family income can impede children's cognitive development and their ability to learn. It can contribute to behavioral, social, and emotional problems. And it can contribute to poor child health as well.

The children that are at the greatest risk are those