Does living in a low-income area affect a child's ability to succeed?
Students who do not attend college or drop out quickly are predominantly persons from low-income families, according to the U.S Department of Education.
These students tend to live in underdeveloped areas within major cities who have attended ineffective elementary and secondary schools.
But there shines a beacon of hope for students living in South Los Angeles.
Located in Vermont Harbor, the 52nd Street Elementary school parents and teachers aim to provide support and help students accomplish their dreams.
But how detrimental is growing up in a bad neighborhood to a student’s success in life?
Growing up in a poor neighborhood significantly reduces the chances that a child will graduate from high school, according to a study done by The American Sociological Review.
But no matter how heavy these statistics weigh on the students of 52nd Street, it does not stop parents, teachers and advisors from pushing them out of these determined stereotypes.
The Push for Students to Succeed
A look into USC Student, Marc Ruelas and his path to education.
Marc Ruelas, a former 52nd Street Student, said his mother Erika was the reason education and college were always such important goals for him to achieve.
Despite growing up in a low-income area in a single parent home, Ruelas said his mother was the push he needed to get out of his neighborhood and pursue higher education.
Single-parent families are almost twice as likely to have low incomes compared to all families with children, and almost three times as likely to have low incomes compared to married-couple families with children.
First-generation low income students are four times as likely to drop out of college in their first year, according to USA Today. But with a second year of college under his belt, Ruelas refuses to let these statistics affect his success.
“I was the first person from my high school to go to USC and I want to make sure I’m not the last,” Ruelas said. “I make sure any kids from my neighborhood know I am here to help with anything from college applications to essays, I want them to succeed.”
Marc Ruelas, 52nd Street Elementary Graduate
Marc Ruelas is currently a Sophomore studying Business Administration at USC. He attended 52nd Street Elementary School from kindergarten to 6th grade and talks about his journey with education. (Photos by Tara Ruff)
Ruelas’ mother’s support was the push he needed to be confident in leaving his home, while some students stay stuck because of their parents, according to teacher and parent at 52nd Street Elementary school, Ronda Spotulle.
In an interview in November, Spotulle talked about a student she had who was “intellectually gifted.”
This student ended up not going to college because his mom did not want him to.
“I told his mom to let him go and take community college classes. Her response to me was, ‘I don’t want him to grow up too fast,'" Spotulle recalled.
“I went to his graduation but now he isn’t doing anything. Because [his mom] was scared of what was out there because she didn’t know what was out there. And in my mind I’m thinking, you have a genius. This is your way out of the ‘hood. But she was afraid of the unknown.”
"I went to his graduation but now, he isn’t doing
anything. Because [his mom] was scared of what was out there because she didn’t know what was out there."
–- Ronda Spotulle, Teacher at 52nd Street Elementary School
Interview from November of teacher at 52nd Street, Ronda Spotulle.
Ruelas agreed, talking about how important family is in his life and how many of the friends he grew up with never left because their families did not know what else was out there.
“There’s financial aid. Scholarships. There’s so much support for students like us if their families would just go out there and look for it. But they don’t so they remain stuck,” Ruelas said.
The sun sets as students play after school. (Photo by Tara Ruff)
Ruelas is not the only student from 52nd Street with a strong idea about education. Taj Malik, a current 3rd-grader believes education is important as well.
Growing up with his mother, Julia Guillory being a teacher and an older sister at a University, going to college was never an option for him, but an extension of high school.
The playground starts to clear out as the day ends and students start leaving for home.
Malik was right about education giving you the opportunity to make more money. More education leads to greater earnings and less unemployment, according to The Heritage Foundation. Getting an education and equipping yourself with the necessary skills to earn a higher wage has been proven affective to lift Americans out of poverty.
The “mean kids” Malik was referring to are also not uncommon occurrences in low-income areas such as Vermont Harbor.
Low-income children have 40 percent more classroom behavior problems if their mom is out of work for a prolonged period of time, according to Heather Hill, assistant professor at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration.
It has also been proven that parents from lower-income areas tend to have less education, usually stopping their studies after high school. This creates a disconnect in teaching their children which later on results in the parents not wanting them to leave after high school because that is all they have ever known.
As a result, parental involvement among low-income families is extremely important to the children’s development and maturity in life.
Map of 52nd Street Elementary School in South Los Angeles.
It is because of the help and support of mothers like Julie and Erika that children struggling to learn in low-income environments are able to search for and find equality of opportunity and peace of mind.
