Whether it is between men and women or different races, we live in a world where inequality exists in every corner. The type of inequality I will be focusing on is not between the sexes or races, but between the rich and the poor. As Plutarch once said, “An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.” Between the two essays, they provide many similarities and differences in opinion regarding the importance of economic inequality, the access of education to all Americans, the role of education in economic inequality, and the importance of the breakdown of the American family in economic inequality.
Depending on whether you ask Paul Krugman or Gary S. Becker and Keven M. Murphy why we should care about …show more content…
In Catherine Bond Hill’s piece, Income Inequality and Higher Education, she states, “these wealthy students have had a lot of resources invested in them from birth (or before) through high school, so they have lots of great skills and attributes and they can pay” (Bond Hill). This stands as evidence that because wealthy students can pay their way through school, from the very beginning they are more likely to finish school where low-income students don’t have that ability and therefore don’t end up finishing school. “Lower income students have come from weaker school systems, are often less well prepared, have had to work rather than learn how to play violin or lacrosse, and need more financial aid” (Bond Hill). This quote backs up what was said previously, because of the situation of a lower income student, it is less likely for them to finish school under the circumstances. In Becker and Murphy’s opinion, policymakers and school officials should focus on how to raise the percent of Americans that complete high school and go on to college. I believe that that is one statement that Paul Krugman could agree with. As said in Growing Income Inequality Threatens American Education, “Researchers have long known that children attending school with mostly lower income classmates have lower academic achievement and graduation rates than …show more content…
The breakdown of the American family plays an important role in educational inequality; If parents are married and have a healthy relationship, it is more likely for their children to prosper, but if parents are divorced, it creates a very tense and stressful environment for the children and does not allow them to reach their true potential. “And why has the proportion of American youth who drop out of high school, especially African American and Hispanic males, remained fairly constant?” (Becker and Murphy 587). This question in Becker and Murphy’s piece, The Upside of Income Inequality, is then followed up with, “The answer to these and related questions lie partly in the breakdown of the American family, and the resulting low skill levels acquired by many children in elementary and secondary school – particularly individuals from broken households” (Becker and Murphy 587). These two quotes are the very explanation America needs to hear in order to truly understand the effect of a broken home on American students. Paul Krugman would agree with these statements Becker and Murphy make about the important of the breakdown of an American family plays in educational inequality. With the gap between the rich and the poor widening, lower-income families have less means than the richer families do to invest in
Depending on whether you ask Paul Krugman or Gary S. Becker and Keven M. Murphy why we should care about …show more content…
In Catherine Bond Hill’s piece, Income Inequality and Higher Education, she states, “these wealthy students have had a lot of resources invested in them from birth (or before) through high school, so they have lots of great skills and attributes and they can pay” (Bond Hill). This stands as evidence that because wealthy students can pay their way through school, from the very beginning they are more likely to finish school where low-income students don’t have that ability and therefore don’t end up finishing school. “Lower income students have come from weaker school systems, are often less well prepared, have had to work rather than learn how to play violin or lacrosse, and need more financial aid” (Bond Hill). This quote backs up what was said previously, because of the situation of a lower income student, it is less likely for them to finish school under the circumstances. In Becker and Murphy’s opinion, policymakers and school officials should focus on how to raise the percent of Americans that complete high school and go on to college. I believe that that is one statement that Paul Krugman could agree with. As said in Growing Income Inequality Threatens American Education, “Researchers have long known that children attending school with mostly lower income classmates have lower academic achievement and graduation rates than …show more content…
The breakdown of the American family plays an important role in educational inequality; If parents are married and have a healthy relationship, it is more likely for their children to prosper, but if parents are divorced, it creates a very tense and stressful environment for the children and does not allow them to reach their true potential. “And why has the proportion of American youth who drop out of high school, especially African American and Hispanic males, remained fairly constant?” (Becker and Murphy 587). This question in Becker and Murphy’s piece, The Upside of Income Inequality, is then followed up with, “The answer to these and related questions lie partly in the breakdown of the American family, and the resulting low skill levels acquired by many children in elementary and secondary school – particularly individuals from broken households” (Becker and Murphy 587). These two quotes are the very explanation America needs to hear in order to truly understand the effect of a broken home on American students. Paul Krugman would agree with these statements Becker and Murphy make about the important of the breakdown of an American family plays in educational inequality. With the gap between the rich and the poor widening, lower-income families have less means than the richer families do to invest in