I feel like schools should hire more counselors to help students prepare for college and understand how it works. Many students, struggle with the transition and lack guidance. For example, I assumed college would be the same as high school, but it’s much harder and very different. The counselors could help the students with applications, financial aid, and scholarships, making applying to college alot less intimidating and it could encourage more students to apply.

Chantelle is more likely to fall behind in school due to her reliance on retaking the same class multiple times to master the material. This idea of retaking the same class will cause her to fall behind and can have a huge effect on her academic performance. Comparing this to Jennifer, she is more likely to get ahead of her peers because she receives private tutoring and benefits from the extra support. Jennifer is likely from a higher-income background, which could provide her with additional advantages, such as access to resources, guidance, and a better understanding of how to get through college. This may increase her chances of being admitted to a more competitive UC, while Chantelle may face more challenges, since she doesn't have the extra help

I agree, Chantelle's method of retaking a class multiple times is not the most effective way to master the material. I think Chantelle would benefit more from seeking help from others, like other students who are taking the same class, since they might be able to explain the concepts in a more simple way. Or she could ask her teacher for extra help to improve on math. But Jennifer, shows a better understanding of how to approach academic struggles. She hires a qualified tutor to help her with math. This just shows how much privilege and better understanding of how schoolwork from the student's income differences.

There is such a big difference in how Chantelle and Jennifer response in the interview. Chantelle struggles with prealgebra but doesn't hire a private tutor. Instead, she relies on retaking the class multiple times until she gets the material done. While, Jennifer hires a qualified tutor that wants to be a math teacher in the future. This just shows how the SAT prep works too, lower income students usually don't have the outside resources to prep them weel enough for the test while the higher income students does.

I totally agree with this, a parent's education can play a huge role in a student's success in school. Parents who have attended college usually know what it takes for their child to get into a top school and have the knowledge to help them with their schoolwork.

Higher income families can usually afford so many more resources for their children, which can play a huge role to their education and mental health. Students from higher income background usually don’t have to worry about basic necessities, like having enough food to eat or their safety. Many small factors can play a huge role in a child’s mental health and their education, such as how well they study

It’s interesting to see how income and environment play such a big role in a student’s skills and behavior at school. But it make sense though, students from higher-income families often have more access to better education and outside resources compared to students from a lower income family. The lower-income students usually have other challenges outside of school and often doesn't have the same level of family support as the higher income students

Wow, this is so interesting! I never thought about it this way. I used to think teachers just wanted to hear about what students did over the breaks, but I didn’t realize they were trying to show how some experiences can be shared or common among students. It’s a good idea to encourage sharing so that students from different cultures can talk about their experiences and let others learn more about other cultures

I find class more interesting when we discuss social topics related to the subject. Like the passage said, there are many ways to incorporate social issues into the class just like how we can include feminism into the class. Also, I think students would benefit more when the class includes global issues, as it can teach students about the issues we face, and we can discuss some solution we can do to fix it. I think it is common to complain about a class at first and then enjoy it once understand what it is about because I always complain about my class but find it interesting later on.

Although I don’t enjoy speaking in class or with strangers, I still find it important to engage with others in a classroom. It helps building a community and help with the exchange of ideas. Additionally, it allows students to get to know one another and see if there is any shared interests.

This is so true. Growing up, I was always told that as long as you go to college, you’ll get a good job that pays a lot of money. But recently, I’ve seen many people with college degrees struggling to find jobs. Some can’t even get basic jobs, which is really scary to think about. Because many have spent so many years in college, thinking that a degree will lead to a well-paying job, only to end up in debt and unable to find work because of the job market being sucky.

This is so interesting because it’s become so normalized to take out big loans just to attend school. And if we don't pursue the higher education, it’s harder to get "good jobs” that pay a livable wage. When I was researching colleges, I had no idea how expensive they were until I started looking at the tuition costs. It was even more shocking when I saw the prices for graduate school.

I had never heard of legacy admissions before, and I find this interesting and really unfair. I heard that a student with a parent who is a USC alum has a higher chance of getting into the school compared to a student who has worked hard throughout their academic career but still have a lower chance. I think this admission process is really unfair to first-generation or lower-income students. And just further reinforce the idea of "why do lower income communities not attending college"

This is interesting because many middle schools in lower-income communities have limited resources, and students usually have to travel to other schools just to take the PSAT. Additionally, some middle schools don’t prioritize preparing students for the PSAT simply because they lack the necessary resources to do so. And the teachers aren't able to prepare you well with the limited time and sources.

This is interesting. Because during middle school, I didn’t think about colleges at all. It’s interesting to see how some students are already preparing for college or have an idea of where they want to go so early on.

I totally agree with this. Many wealthy children have access to resources that low-income students don't have. They often have parents who can help them with school and guide them through college. While the government has made programs to help lower-income children through programs like Head Start, I feel that wealthier children still have far more resources and privileges when it comes to education. So I don't think there is really going to a equal ground when it comes to educations between lower income and higher income students.

There are many factor affecting why these students are doing so poorly in school. For example, some students have to work outside of school, take care of their families, or lack access outside resources that allow them to study effectively. I believe schools should provide more after-school resources to support these students. Having a quiet space to study and opportunities to talk with teachers about how they can improve would help them perform better during school.

I think it’s great that people are given the opportunity to improve their lives through the free education given, but there are many other factors that affect someone’s ability to escape poverty. Public schools do offer 12 years of free schooling, but they usually have limited resources compared to higher funding schools. Moreover, lower funding public schools located usually lack the more resources to help students in overcoming poverty. I think this passage is very one sided and they should look at more sides that affects poverty.

It seems that financial and political are the main issues when it comes to good and equal education. I believe there are many solutions to these problems, but there aren’t enough resources to actually enforce them. I think one solution could be raising teachers pay. I think this would motivate teachers and provide them with more resources to support their students, which could improve the students education.

I think this passage is interesting because it says that everyone has the same chance to succeed, but only some people will actually "win", and that is based on their hard work and dedication. But I don’t think that’s how it really works in real life. Yes, hard work can lead to success, but people are born with different resources and opportunities. So some people have more advantages in life than others, so I don’t believe it’s truly an equal chance for everyone.

I think these issues are very important to both America and its schools because the area you live have a big impacts school funding and the quality of education. Schools in lower-income communities often receive less funding, which can set the students back and have an effect their future opportunities. Moreover, lower fundings in school can mean less sports and resources for the students to use.

This is interesting because I think schools can only do so much to help students flourish and become good citizens. In my opinion, many public schools are making a strong effort to make sure students reach their full potential. But, there are still significant areas where schools and teachers fall short in supporting students effectively. Also, there is other influences that can affect the student.