Education in US – No more the great equalizer

Education was historically considered a great equalizer in American society, capable of lifting less advantaged children and improving their chances for success as adults. But a body of recently published scholarship suggests that the achievement gap between rich and poor children is widening, a development that threatens to dilute education’s leveling effects…

One reason for the growing gap in achievement, researchers say, could be that wealthy parents invest more time and money than ever before in their children in weekend sports, ballet, music lessons, math tutors, and in overall involvement in their children’s schools, while lower-income families, which are now more likely than ever to be headed by a single parent, are increasingly stretched for time and resources. This has been particularly true as more parents try to position their children for college, which has become ever more essential for success in today’s economy.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Show – NYTimes.com.