The Social Disparities Affecting American Children
Social structures and institutions define the social society. From government to childhood, these invented institutions divide members of society into roles with varied levels of authority and unequal access to resources. The resulting disparities are often enforced by law due to outdated understandings of social institutions. For example, in schools with troubled youth, policies enacted by school administration coupled with tendencies of law enforcement result in what is effectively, a school to prison pipeline. Flawed social institutions are causing severe interconnected disparities that plague American children in terms of access to quality education, poverty levels, and even health. They are preventing children from exercising agency and are thus jeopardizing America’s future prosperity. A New Sociology of Childhood approach to investigating and improving the conditions of America's troubled youth propels progress by empowering even the disadvantaged affording them the opportunity to contribute value to the society around them.
Childhood, itself, is a social institution but it is infrequently recognized as such. The meaning of childhood is dependent on the lens. For example, a historian may consider childhood to strictly be a time frame while a physician may consider childhood to be a phase unique for its physical development. The New Sociology of Childhood definition is not only contextually and historically contingent but the definition also identifies childhood as an institution with children as its members. The New Sociology of Childhood recognizes that children are much more than pre-social beings like a piece of clay still being molded, yet to fulfill a purpose as a mug. For example, the approach advocates preparing children to deal with topics like violence and sexuality rather than applying censorship to the material that children absorb. This is critical because the new approach gives children agency, recognizing that children have the ability and the authority to make decisions and execute actions on their own. Children are not robots to simply honor and obey. Children must be seen and heard. We can thus turn to children to effectively identify and reflect the horrific state of childhood in America (Woodhouse 2008).
Children in America not only deserve more attention, they require it. The Economic motivation is clear. America is losing it's competitive edge as countries around the world are advancing their educational institutions resulting in scores that often out-preform the United States. Like a heavy weight chained a frail man's leg, the social disparities are holding America back. Largely as a consequence of poverty, social problems in the United States are especially notable in the education and prison systems.
The extreme extent of childhood poverty in America is not just a result of a free market economics. Children in America are 2-6 times more likely to be impoverished than in peer nations. The child poverty rate in America is 19%, the highest of any developed nation. Of any OECD nation, the United States has the highest percentage of children in households with equivalent incomes less than 50% of the median. The implications are severe. More than 12% of children aged 15 have less than ten books in their home (UNICEF 2007). The extent of childhood poverty in America is a tragedy given the nation's resources and the amount of money flowing elsewhere such as for war on foreign soil. Instead of experiencing the fulfillment of the American dream and contributing skills and innovation to the American economy, many of these impoverished children are consuming vast amounts of government funds in the form of prison budgets.
Theoretically, even the most impoverished children should be provided with quality government funded education. But that is not the case. The quality of education provided to a portion of America's children mirrors the education provided in developing nations. In Savage Inequalities, Jonathan Kozol profiles a nine year old boy named Smokey that “cannot decide if he is in the second or third grade” (Kozol 1991:12) .He goes to East St. Louis High where the football field has no goalposts and the coach doubles as the groundskeeper and must use his personal funds to purchase footballs (Kozol 1991:25). Popular culture wants to portray students at such schools as uninterested degenerates with too much to worry about at home, but when given the opportunity to be heard, one girl explains, “I don't go to physics class, because my lab has no equipment”. Another girl adds, “the typewriters in my typing class don't work” . The book was published in 1991. In Irvington, New Jersey, 11 classes don't even have the luxury of classrooms. They share an auditorium where choir rehearsals go on while ten other classes are being taught in the same space. Education and schooling are constitutionally promised, but how are these children expected to learn and excel? Even as a whole, America ranks with Hungary and Spain in regards to educational achievement in literacy, math, and scientific literary of 15 year olds. Despite America's reputation, the United States ranks below average among OECD countries for the educational well-being of children (UNICEF 2007:18). If it is clear that some of the world's best academic institutions reside in America, why does the nation rank so low as a whole? Clearly, the educational disparities are severe.
The disparities extend from education and are apparent in an array of social problems. With little to gain from the provided educational services, young people looking to advance their societal position are forced to turn to risky behavior. Thus, the forces of flawed social institutions where school budgets are dependent on property taxes on homes valued at less than $10,000, deprive children of skills, motivation, and insight and incentivize a high-risk lifestyle. Kids turn to drugs and violence not because they are rebellious, but because they must. When a child considers crack cocaine to be a “self-indulgence” despite the deep and long-lasting depression that the drug causes, the interconnected educational, economic, and health disparities make themselves all too clear (Kozol 1991:192).
The growing volume of children in jail is another clear and dramatic example of social problems facing children. School and law enforcement policies are matched but the best intention of the children is lost. Zero tolerance policies do not protect students. Instead, the policy places poor minorities in a position of vulnerability. Poor children without the resources to protect themselves are ending up in jail with vandalism charges for drawing on the wall. Furthermore, punishment policies sacrifice childhood development as roughly 17,132 students are suspended from school every day, most of which need more attention from school, not less. (Children's Defend Fund 1997:2)
Despite the severity of these social problems, they exist and persist. The policies in place make the situation worse. Labeling theory explains that children born into poverty, taking classes preparing them for work at McDonald's in buildings that are physically falling apart, are psychologically restricted from fulfilling a higher role and advancing their prospects. Fundamentally, the institutions that govern our society are imperfect and the incentives to improve the social conditions for the underrepresented and the weak are not in place. As Jonathan Kozol (1991) explains, “most parents want their children to have a more than equal chance of success-which means, inevitably, that they want others, not all others but some others, to have less than equal chances” (P. 199). Local property taxes are not an effective way to fund the school system, but because the wealthier are reaping the benefits of the unequal system, there is little pressure for change and few will advocate the redistribution of their own wealth. In regards to prison, politicians are getting elected for being harsh on crime and drugs because most citizens don't have the right data and information. It is easier to act out of ignorance and fear.
In order to calm the fears of America's middle class and bring America to reach a united understanding in regards to the social issues that are holding the nation back, these social problems must be further investigated with the New Sociology of Childhood approach in mind. If we embrace the new approach and listen to America's impoverished youth directly, perhaps the problems can be turned around. Power and agency must be given to the youth of this country. No one is more motivated than they are. A counselor of a deteriorating high school states it best,
If it is remarkable how much even the most disadvantaged youth see and conclude, why aren't more people listening? For the sake of understanding and progress as well as for the sake of making America a truer meritocracy with a more equal starting point for the nation's youth, social institutions must recognize children as critically thinking peers in society.. If children are typically more active and more visual, than researchers must adjust with a child-friendly approach and allow children to express themselves in any way that promotes a free and honest flow of information. This can be achieved through a neutral rather than a dominant role such as the least-adult role where authority is minimized. Hagerman (2010) suggests using methods such as sitting on the same level as the child, recognizing that the child has a smaller vocabulary and adjusting to it, establishing report with warm welcoming questions to establish trust, encouraging the child to ask questions and allowing the child to explore tangents. Fundamentally, when carrying out research about children, children must be approached and given the opportunity to express their thoughts and creativity. Just as importantly, researchers and politicians must take children at their word rather than interpreting and modifying the expressions. If a child explains that she is not going to class because the classroom has no textbooks and no equipment, why is no one listening and why is no one questioning a system that allows for such inequalities?
America, even as the land of opportunity has a reservoir of untapped potential. A reservoir of poverty stricken marginalized youth that desperately want a better life. Instead of listening, institutions with the ability to exercise change are acting on assumptions and lingering prejudices. If America wants to retain its position as a global hub for innovation and leadership, it must recognize and utilize this untapped reservoir. It is morally wrong to ignore the agency and voice of children crying for fundamental resources while social control is held tightly by those that are already in power. The social disparities and problems affecting the nation's youth must be studied effectively and directly so that these issues can be expanded on, and so that hard data can be used to pressure society's institutions, from government to local school systems, to change their ways.
Children's Defense Fund. 2007. America's Cradle to Prison Pipeline. Washington, DC: Children's Defense Fund.
Hagerman, Margaret Ann. 2010. “Kids' Perspectives on Participating in Social Research.” Pp. 61-105 in Sociological Studies of Children and Youth, vol. 13. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Kozol, Jonathan. 1991. Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. New York, NY: Crown Publishers, Inc.
UNICEF. 2007. An Overview of Child Well-Being in Rich Countries: A comprehensive assessment of the lives and well-being of children and adolescents in economically advanced nations. Florence, Italy: INICEF Innocenti Research Centre.
Woodhouse, Barbara Bennett. 2008. Hidden in Plain Sight: The Tragedy of Children's Rights from Ben Franklin to Lionel Tate. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Childhood, itself, is a social institution but it is infrequently recognized as such. The meaning of childhood is dependent on the lens. For example, a historian may consider childhood to strictly be a time frame while a physician may consider childhood to be a phase unique for its physical development. The New Sociology of Childhood definition is not only contextually and historically contingent but the definition also identifies childhood as an institution with children as its members. The New Sociology of Childhood recognizes that children are much more than pre-social beings like a piece of clay still being molded, yet to fulfill a purpose as a mug. For example, the approach advocates preparing children to deal with topics like violence and sexuality rather than applying censorship to the material that children absorb. This is critical because the new approach gives children agency, recognizing that children have the ability and the authority to make decisions and execute actions on their own. Children are not robots to simply honor and obey. Children must be seen and heard. We can thus turn to children to effectively identify and reflect the horrific state of childhood in America (Woodhouse 2008).
Children in America not only deserve more attention, they require it. The Economic motivation is clear. America is losing it's competitive edge as countries around the world are advancing their educational institutions resulting in scores that often out-preform the United States. Like a heavy weight chained a frail man's leg, the social disparities are holding America back. Largely as a consequence of poverty, social problems in the United States are especially notable in the education and prison systems.
The extreme extent of childhood poverty in America is not just a result of a free market economics. Children in America are 2-6 times more likely to be impoverished than in peer nations. The child poverty rate in America is 19%, the highest of any developed nation. Of any OECD nation, the United States has the highest percentage of children in households with equivalent incomes less than 50% of the median. The implications are severe. More than 12% of children aged 15 have less than ten books in their home (UNICEF 2007). The extent of childhood poverty in America is a tragedy given the nation's resources and the amount of money flowing elsewhere such as for war on foreign soil. Instead of experiencing the fulfillment of the American dream and contributing skills and innovation to the American economy, many of these impoverished children are consuming vast amounts of government funds in the form of prison budgets.
Theoretically, even the most impoverished children should be provided with quality government funded education. But that is not the case. The quality of education provided to a portion of America's children mirrors the education provided in developing nations. In Savage Inequalities, Jonathan Kozol profiles a nine year old boy named Smokey that “cannot decide if he is in the second or third grade” (Kozol 1991:12) .He goes to East St. Louis High where the football field has no goalposts and the coach doubles as the groundskeeper and must use his personal funds to purchase footballs (Kozol 1991:25). Popular culture wants to portray students at such schools as uninterested degenerates with too much to worry about at home, but when given the opportunity to be heard, one girl explains, “I don't go to physics class, because my lab has no equipment”. Another girl adds, “the typewriters in my typing class don't work” . The book was published in 1991. In Irvington, New Jersey, 11 classes don't even have the luxury of classrooms. They share an auditorium where choir rehearsals go on while ten other classes are being taught in the same space. Education and schooling are constitutionally promised, but how are these children expected to learn and excel? Even as a whole, America ranks with Hungary and Spain in regards to educational achievement in literacy, math, and scientific literary of 15 year olds. Despite America's reputation, the United States ranks below average among OECD countries for the educational well-being of children (UNICEF 2007:18). If it is clear that some of the world's best academic institutions reside in America, why does the nation rank so low as a whole? Clearly, the educational disparities are severe.
The disparities extend from education and are apparent in an array of social problems. With little to gain from the provided educational services, young people looking to advance their societal position are forced to turn to risky behavior. Thus, the forces of flawed social institutions where school budgets are dependent on property taxes on homes valued at less than $10,000, deprive children of skills, motivation, and insight and incentivize a high-risk lifestyle. Kids turn to drugs and violence not because they are rebellious, but because they must. When a child considers crack cocaine to be a “self-indulgence” despite the deep and long-lasting depression that the drug causes, the interconnected educational, economic, and health disparities make themselves all too clear (Kozol 1991:192).
The growing volume of children in jail is another clear and dramatic example of social problems facing children. School and law enforcement policies are matched but the best intention of the children is lost. Zero tolerance policies do not protect students. Instead, the policy places poor minorities in a position of vulnerability. Poor children without the resources to protect themselves are ending up in jail with vandalism charges for drawing on the wall. Furthermore, punishment policies sacrifice childhood development as roughly 17,132 students are suspended from school every day, most of which need more attention from school, not less. (Children's Defend Fund 1997:2)
Despite the severity of these social problems, they exist and persist. The policies in place make the situation worse. Labeling theory explains that children born into poverty, taking classes preparing them for work at McDonald's in buildings that are physically falling apart, are psychologically restricted from fulfilling a higher role and advancing their prospects. Fundamentally, the institutions that govern our society are imperfect and the incentives to improve the social conditions for the underrepresented and the weak are not in place. As Jonathan Kozol (1991) explains, “most parents want their children to have a more than equal chance of success-which means, inevitably, that they want others, not all others but some others, to have less than equal chances” (P. 199). Local property taxes are not an effective way to fund the school system, but because the wealthier are reaping the benefits of the unequal system, there is little pressure for change and few will advocate the redistribution of their own wealth. In regards to prison, politicians are getting elected for being harsh on crime and drugs because most citizens don't have the right data and information. It is easier to act out of ignorance and fear.
In order to calm the fears of America's middle class and bring America to reach a united understanding in regards to the social issues that are holding the nation back, these social problems must be further investigated with the New Sociology of Childhood approach in mind. If we embrace the new approach and listen to America's impoverished youth directly, perhaps the problems can be turned around. Power and agency must be given to the youth of this country. No one is more motivated than they are. A counselor of a deteriorating high school states it best,
It's quiet remarkable how much these children see. You wouldn't know it from their
academic work. Most of them write poorly. There is a tremendous gulf between their skills and capabilities....it says so much about the squandering of human worth. (Kozol 1991:105)
If it is remarkable how much even the most disadvantaged youth see and conclude, why aren't more people listening? For the sake of understanding and progress as well as for the sake of making America a truer meritocracy with a more equal starting point for the nation's youth, social institutions must recognize children as critically thinking peers in society.. If children are typically more active and more visual, than researchers must adjust with a child-friendly approach and allow children to express themselves in any way that promotes a free and honest flow of information. This can be achieved through a neutral rather than a dominant role such as the least-adult role where authority is minimized. Hagerman (2010) suggests using methods such as sitting on the same level as the child, recognizing that the child has a smaller vocabulary and adjusting to it, establishing report with warm welcoming questions to establish trust, encouraging the child to ask questions and allowing the child to explore tangents. Fundamentally, when carrying out research about children, children must be approached and given the opportunity to express their thoughts and creativity. Just as importantly, researchers and politicians must take children at their word rather than interpreting and modifying the expressions. If a child explains that she is not going to class because the classroom has no textbooks and no equipment, why is no one listening and why is no one questioning a system that allows for such inequalities?
America, even as the land of opportunity has a reservoir of untapped potential. A reservoir of poverty stricken marginalized youth that desperately want a better life. Instead of listening, institutions with the ability to exercise change are acting on assumptions and lingering prejudices. If America wants to retain its position as a global hub for innovation and leadership, it must recognize and utilize this untapped reservoir. It is morally wrong to ignore the agency and voice of children crying for fundamental resources while social control is held tightly by those that are already in power. The social disparities and problems affecting the nation's youth must be studied effectively and directly so that these issues can be expanded on, and so that hard data can be used to pressure society's institutions, from government to local school systems, to change their ways.
Children's Defense Fund. 2007. America's Cradle to Prison Pipeline. Washington, DC: Children's Defense Fund.
Hagerman, Margaret Ann. 2010. “Kids' Perspectives on Participating in Social Research.” Pp. 61-105 in Sociological Studies of Children and Youth, vol. 13. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Kozol, Jonathan. 1991. Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. New York, NY: Crown Publishers, Inc.
UNICEF. 2007. An Overview of Child Well-Being in Rich Countries: A comprehensive assessment of the lives and well-being of children and adolescents in economically advanced nations. Florence, Italy: INICEF Innocenti Research Centre.
Woodhouse, Barbara Bennett. 2008. Hidden in Plain Sight: The Tragedy of Children's Rights from Ben Franklin to Lionel Tate. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
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