The Impact of Low Socioeconomic Status on the Academic Achievement of….

The Impact of Low Socioeconomic Status on the Academic Achievement of Early Learners

Felicia Pressley, Ph.D., LCPC, Assistant Professor, Counselor Education, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Washington DC Campus

Lydia Williams, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Student, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Washington, D.C. Campus

The purpose of this roundtable is to discuss how the impact of the socioeconomic status of urban parents creates a tremendous imposition on the perpetuation of student achievement regarding early learners. It is thought that parents of early learner students, between the ages of three and five years old entering Early Childhood Institutions, indirectly create a tumultuous state of being for their children because of lack of income. The problem arises within the walls of the classroom when it is determined that many of their counterparts who dwell in working class communities and households, opposite of disadvantaged children, have resources to ensure that they receive a solid foundation when entering preschool.

Escalated awareness amongst individuals who are living in poverty has become a major concern on the road to closing the achievement gap. National and State Education Officers have indicated that the families’ socioeconomic status has become a key predicator in determining academic achievement of students in this country.

Unfortunately, there is an invisible line that creates room for families who can afford the necessities and the pleasantries of adequate funding, with resources to support unstructured and quality learning time that some public schools may or may not offer. In turn this affects the academic, social, and emotional development of early learners.

This roundtable will attempt to discuss the correlation between the low socioeconomic status of parents and their children’s ability to succeed at the same rate as their counterparts which contributes to the achievement gap amongst American students. Because families are struggling daily to survive during these tough economic times, with little or no assistance from government, the current battles of low-income wages and the high cost of living has problematically entered the classroom. Regrettably, students from single families and or low-income households are struggling to meet the academic needs to prepare their students to complete on world stage as 21st century learners.

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