Effects of social stratification on education (essay)This clear form of inequality begins at the preschool level. By age three, most children are old enough to attend an early education program or preschool. However, many preschools charge tuition, and publicly funded ones typically have long waiting lists and are located in middle-class neighborhoods. This leaves children from the lower classes unable to access the necessary early education that can prepare them for primary school. According to research conducted by Stanford University, children who do not receive formal education until the kindergarten level start out a year behind in math and verbal skills and will likely never catch up to their preschool peers. Lack of access to preschool is also a problem for parents due to the costs of private childcare. While middle- and upper-class parents can send their children to daycare while they go to work, lower-class families must find the money to pay for child care while they work or one parent must stay home. In any case, there is a substantial cost or loss of income associated with children not being able to attend preschool, making it nearly impossible for families to save money and potentially move up the class hierarchy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The educational consequences of being in a lower social class arise from the typical K-12 system in America. In preschool, students are “tracked,” or placed in a specific type of learning program based on their perceived skills and potential. Monitoring is done based on a teacher's opinion and not necessarily on the student's actual intellectual abilities. Students perceived as having higher potential are placed in more rigorous programs while students perceived as having lower potential are placed in less demanding courses of study. This leaves low-income students at a great disadvantage because many of them were unable to attend kindergarten, leaving them with lower math and verbal skills. Furthermore, because tracking is susceptible to teacher bias, black and brown students are more likely to be “tracked” or placed on a less rigorous course than they are capable of, while white students are more likely to be “tracked down”. Finally, once placed in a track, a student is generally retained in that track for their entire K-12 career. Higher tracks offer more advanced courses that better prepare students for college while lower tracks lack these types of courses, leaving lower-class students disadvantaged and undereducated. A second educational consequence of being in a lower class comes from the quality of education one receives throughout the course. Levels K-12. While upper-class families can enroll their children in prestigious private schools, lower-class students are subjected to a poorly funded public education. In these less funded schools, students often face overcrowded classrooms which consequently allow teachers to have less time with each student to meet their specific educational needs. Additionally, due to inadequate staffing, low-income public schools often, 43(3), 1066-1109.