How Does Socio-Economic Status Affect Student Achievement?

In Australia student achievement is significantly affected by the socio-economic composition of the school and by one’s own individual socio-economic status (SES). SES is the profile an individual or group takes on which can reflect their occupation, education, wealth and residence. In Perry and McConney’s (2010) article ‘School socio-economic composition and student outcomes in Australia: Implications for educational policy’ there is much inequity around opportunity and accessibility between low and high SES stated in the data which relates to the outcome of a student. These inequities need to be addressed by citizens and the government of Australia in order for every student to have the best opportunity to increase their academic performance. For these changes to be made the attention needs to be directed at funding for schools via the Federal Government, nationalising the curriculum and programs as well as remove the perceived barriers between schools of low and high socio-economic status. …show more content…
Funding is vital for education, however, schools are separated into the status of a high to low economic profile depending on the amount of finance received, affecting student achievement. It is seen in the article that student achievement generally decreases as the socio-economic status of their school decreases. By providing adequate funding for all schools means no student in a low socio-economic school would have different resources and facilities which are needed for quality teaching and learning compared to students in a high socio-economic school. This in hand, would increase the ability of students to see a rise in their educational