Culture of Success

Introduction

In the article “Culture of Success,” Brink Lindsey, Vice President for research at the conservative Cato Institute, depicts different matters, for instance, the financial burden, which is placed upon students and the success rate of various culture groups in any college. Lindsey supplies us with adequate background data in his paragraphs, depicting the dissimilarity between the standard wages of college and high school grads. Additionally, the author anticipates and acknowledges various opinions. He investigates all possible matters, which may have an influence on the person’s academic success, for instance parental education, shortage of skills, family socioeconomic status, sufficient practice, and the impact of the social order.

A Disadvantage of Low-income Children

Lindsey talks about low-income kids having a huge disadvantage in s sphere of education. The notion that a human being’s ethnic background and how he or she was raised determines person’s conduct emotional, and academic levels is the foundation of the author’s statement concerning a crucial disproportion in percentage of white American citizens with a college degree, contrasted to African Americans and Hispanics. The author provides conformations for this argument by asserting, “In 2006, 34 percent of white Americans aged 25-29 held college degrees, compared to 19 percent of African Americans and only 10 percent of Hispanics” (453). This wide topic leads into more structured, concentrated points of how finances matter, and the educational gap between people more likely going to a college than those not. Lindsey utilizes the sample of the “white stigma” to support his own argument. Specially, the author utilizes a research by Roland Fryer that tested this stigma and discovered that “White children were more popular the higher their GPA, blacks and Hispanics whose average exceeded a certain level were increasingly unpopular” (455). We all know people who have difficulties during their education years. We know people of color, whostart school with freshmen year and do not make it through to the sophomore year. That is why we totally agree with the author’s argument concerning disadvantage in s sphere of education experiences by low-income kids.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton’s Suggestions

Money is a big part of getting into college. Many high school students who wish to go to college have to worry about this non-stop. Wondering how to pay for college takes a lot to think about.  According to Lindsey, the lack of money is the most common reason why lower income children don’t go to college. Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama made proposals to increase tuition subsidies in order to give an equal chance to everyone who wishes to take that road to college. However, James Heckman, the Nobel Peace Prize winner from the University of Chicago, believes that this is no good (453). The administration should provide more federal assistance to the low income college students to lessen social disparity. They say that US politicians and the society must first recognize that there is a trouble but as of right now they don’t (485). Thinking in that way, many college chances are not provided to so many lower income people and the ones who do get them strive to keep and save every single penny they’ve got. It’s difficult to succeed when you do not possess the money to do it. Money is a big matter and a discussion when it comes to college education. Lindsey asserts how only some minorities could make it into college and actually make it. He adds that administration should help students, however the proper preparation for the higher education is every important as well. I believe that acknowledging how society works with human beings to assist them succeed is a must. Many individuals sense as if they’re administration has failed them but it’s up to people to make the initial move to moving onto a better future.

Various Classes Background

Lindsey describes the main educational gaps between various minority groups who attend college, the wages of college graduates and high school graduates, and a success rate percentage of minorities receiving a degree from a 4-year university. The shortage of finances is the most common clarification of why kids from low-income families don’t attend any college. Lindsey asserts that as of 2003, 80% of high school graduates who came from wealthy families enrolled in college and 49% of children from the less fortunate families enrolled in college (453). The average wages for college grads versus high school grads are 85% higher, while the gap between high school grads and college grads only grew 2% per year between 1980-2005 (453). Lindsey says that prosperous individuals may hire tutors, put children in college-bound peer groups or some preschool enrichment programs, and can also afford to send the offspring to college. Lindsey adds that when people have more money they are more likely to be involved in their kids’ life and education. In other words, these parents will have much more time to put towards the child’s homework and supplementary activities. Lindsey admits that all this is true; however, money is not necessarily all what children require. Having inborn talent is a positive thing, but there is no replacement for long hours of preparing yourself for hard work. Lindsey says a very important thing, “talking to your children is free; what does matter is the parents’ inclination to nurture child’s development and the resulting verbal practice that the child gets” (455). We agree that no matter how much money people have, nothing can replace simple talks to own kids. It is highly recommended to discuss various topics, to involve children in the debates to help them to express their thoughts. Whether the relatives are college graduates or not has an influence on how they react when it comes to academics with the kids. Some families may find it more significant to stress the need for academics to succeed, whilst other families may not enforce the thought as much. The role the families play in the kid’s life can make a huge dissimilarity on the outcome of success for the children.

The Importance of Encouragement

Many people relate one’s profits to the higher education one receives. At the same time they forget about encouragement, which might help children to achieve higher education. Lindsey here demonstrates us that no matter one’s profit is, the parent’s participation and desire to assist in developing the youngster’s growth is what counts. Culture has the huge influence on a human being, more than one’s income. This is the encouragement that children require to succeed in our society. Children who hear words of encouragement from successful college graduate relatives would be more likely to succeed in the current social order since they have heard nothing but positive support from the parents. Kids of lower income people would hear more discouraging words other than encouraging ones (455). Encouragement is a part of the positive reinforcement that would make a person who wishes to strive to be the best he can be. The renowned psychiatrist Rudolf Dreikurs asserted: “The most crucial skill for raising a kid in a democracy is the capability to encourage that kid” (15). He considered encouragement to be the most significant quality in getting along with other people – so important that the shortage of it could be considered the fundamental impact for misconduct. Dinkmeyer and Losoncy added that the encouragement was the main component in all positive personal and professional relations (58). We agree that if parents stop encourage their children they will not probably go onto college and will not succeed at getting college degrees. And if encouragement is actually the most crucial part of a youngster’s social evolvement, extremely few teachers, counselors, and, in particular, parents fully acknowledge this fact. Encouragement is greatly needed nowadays. Learning the tools of encouragement is basic to enhancing relations and creating cooperation in the home and in schools.

Conclusion

Acknowledging the cultural determinism, financial matters, and educational gap helps put together all of the big matters in the “Culture of Success.” We agree that when dealing with statistics, there is a widened gap between various ethnic groups. Yes, the backgrounds that individuals are raised from play a huge role in the educational experience. Educational and behavioral levels are very much influenced by ethnic background changing from culture to culture. Lindsey’s work actually supplies us with lots of statistics relating to the notion of how students rise to success when dealing with dissimilar cultural differences. There is no precise scale to determine how successful various ethnic groups will be, but there is one factor that definitely augments the children’s chances for obtaining the higher education. And that factor is encouragement.

The article is quite ambiguous in that it has affectionate and adequate confirmation to prove the significance of cultural background in the academic development, but lacks individual opinion and some definite conclusion. Probably, the author wished to leave it like to that to demonstrate that the problem is not solved yet. In “Culture of Success,” the author effectively compares how ethnic and economic background may impact academic development due to the various factors, for instance, financial aspects, social class and parental support. Through the contrasting statistics, studies, and samples, he makes an undisputed claim concerning cultural evolvement being outraced by an economic growth. Considered aspects that may change the personal evolvement and hold back lower-income Americans from going to college are certainly suitable, satisfactory and adequate.

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