College Education in the United States
While the social-economic challenges contribute to the class segregations in American society, they factor as inherent contributors towards the domestic strife in African American families; this has significant impacts on a child’s education. Hout’s study “Social and Economic Returns to College Education in the United States” depicts education as the means in which individuals aspire to bridge the social-economic gaps existing towards better social dispensation (Hout, 2011). However, he fails to demonstrate the significance of race and ethnic factors in the individual’s attempts to close respective gaps in the American social classes. Unlike Kao and Thomson, Hout illustrates education attainment as a factor of individual choices, aspirations, and class structures. However, as it is demonstrated in Hout’s article, the persistent gaps in the class structures are influenced by significant racial, ethnic, cultural, social, and economic factors.
Journalism is critical in highlighting the social, economic and political factors that affect society; hence, acting as an indicator of social discrepancies affecting society which have been ignored by the respective responsible parties. In light of these, the aspects of race and ethnicity inherent in social structures critically influence educational attainment in American schools. Therefore, parity is realizable in an equitable social environment in public schools, where class abilities and capabilities are regarded as the basic determinants of education attainment. Hence, the implementation of critical educational policies that provide for marginalized students on the basis of their racial or ethnic affiliation is critical. However, public and private policies should be encouraged to improve the social-economic dispensation of African Americans and immigrant ethnic minorities. These initiatives will significantly improve the educational attainment levels of the lower social groups.