The parasitism relationship between intelligence and lower income students with social mobility in the United States.
** This was my final paper for my IDH class. The professor suggested I develop the piece further. This is the final result.
The word intelligence shares multiple meaning across the globe. Each country and culture use their own theory of what they consider as intelligence and how they choose to measure it. There have been numerous attempts to unify and provide a global definition of intelligence, but so far, there hasn’t been any luck. If there is no linked definition of intelligence, then, why do we try to measure and classify it?
The ongoing debate on standardized test scores has been alive for multiple decades. Many educators argue that standardized tests don’t attack every aspect of a student’s intelligence, rather, it specifically attacks the student’s ability to retain information and think like the majority (Popham, 2017). On the counter argument, many parents and educators support standardized testing. “It provides the ‘importance’ of teachers and the recognition of substantial differences across schools in the ‘qualifications’ of teachers (Boyd et al, 2008).” Many will agree that standardized testing helps parents and school board evaluate teachers’ performances, and not too much on the students. It has also been recorded that participation in AP, test preparation, and honour programs can lead to higher student achievement and college readiness for lower-income students who meet the requirements to take advantage of them (Kettler et Hurst, 2017).
Oded Zipory’s article “Intelligence” explores how intelligence has been measured in the past and the effects it has on today’s many theories of intelligence in the United States. Zipory stated “… the concept in which intelligence is rooted in the very context of inequality (Zipory, 2017).” No matter how we choose to define intelligence, there will always be inequality when measuring intelligence. There cannot be a spectrum to measure intelligence without leaving certain people out of what is considered the norm. Pierre Bourdieu describes intelligence as “an invented and arbitrary criterion for filtering, sorting, and ultimately discriminating individuals and groups (Zipory, 2017).”
Throughout time, humans have described intelligence numerous different ways. When describing how previous humans survived, archaeologists, scientists and researchers will use the word intelligence very loosely. They analyze tools, and artefacts to differentiate the “intelligence” between past tribes/group of people based on their choice of clothing and tools… This means in the world of archaeology, they view intelligence as a survival tool (Wynn). Intelligence during that time was the ability to see danger and survive, but, as time progress, so has the meaning of intelligence.
Physicist Michio Kaku believes that intelligence is biological and evolutional. “Nature has done perfectly well for non-intelligent creatures for millions of years,” said Kaku. Kaku believes that ecological relationships can differentiate between intelligent levels. For example, we see a fox as sly and smart, but a bunny as dumb. This relationship was established to put one above the other, hence making them more intelligent in scientist’s eyes. This theory is similar to Bourdieu’s statement about grouping, and sorting between groups.
Throughout the 19th century to the 20th century, craniology theory was used to determine a person’s intelligence in the United States and Europe. Craniology is the theory that a human’s intelligence can be measured based on the size and value of their skull. Craniology theory only benefits white males and put them in as the lead for the most intelligent group of people.
As time went by, some Americans moved away from craniology and went on a search for the new meaning of intelligence. On that journey, they created the Scholastic Assessment Test (formerly Scholastic Aptitude Test) in 1926.
For the past 91 years, the SAT has set a precedent for standardized testing to evaluate intelligence worldwide. The SAT has opened doors for many well-known scientists, politicians, and educators, but how many doors have they close? In Carlos Doesn’t Remember Gladwell mentioned that one of the ways that top schools recruit is to look at standardized test scores. The schools’ representatives came to a conclusion that there were no poor smart students, which was not true, and just like that, the door was closed for many smart and poor students.
The SAT also limits many poor students to their prices. Picture this scenario, if you are a parent with multiple bills due and your child comes to you asking you money for a test. You will probably be confused because all of their previous tests have never asked for payments.
“She just said that none of my previous tests has asked for payments, so I didn’t take any of those standardized tests that year.” Said Sarah
Sarah went to a notoriously bad known school in Duval County. She was an honour roll student. Always followed the rules and dream of being a Physician.
“What did you do after that?”
“Since I never took any PERT, SAT, or ACT, I couldn’t apply to my dream school, FAMU. That’s why I got a job, so I can buy a laptop, internet, study guides and online classes. I basically live in Jacksonville Library. I want to take it next year, start at FSCJ, and transfer to FAMU, then medical school”
“Do you blame your mother”? I asked
She was not happy to hear me say that. I quickly apologized.
“She didn’t know. She never went to college. “She said looking at her fingernails “I couldn’t explain to her the benefits or anything, I just knew it was a test we paid to take”
Sounds familiar? The opportunity was there, but due to lack of knowledge and resources, she could not take advantage of it. A child born into a high-income family is six times more likely to earn a college degree than one who is poor (Dynarski, 2015).That is the scenario that has happed to a close friend of mine, to protect her identity, we will call her Sandra. It was never explained exactly what the primary goal for the SAT was by the counsellors. In the end, she could not explain the “importance” of the test to her mother.
The same way the SAT open doors for opportunities, the same way it can close them. But exactly how does the SAT measures intelligence?
Social mobility is promised to students who want to pursue a higher education degree. Social mobility is the upward movement between social classes through “hard work and intelligence”. Social mobility is never guaranteed for lower-income students, especially with the price of higher education. If hardworking and “intelligent (through standardized testing)” students like Carlos are not receiving, then there is a flaw in either social mobility or the new/hidden definition of intelligent.
What is at stake is the false hope for better future that lower-income students are promised. The false ideals that many adults (teachers, parents, etc.) has brainwashed into the youngsters ‘heads without understanding that education is a business before a need. Students are studying to achieve high scores on exams to prove their intelligence to succeed with social mobility. But, social mobility is not always guaranteed. Gladwell mentioned there are numerous smart poor students but not enough resources and opportunities to help them exceed and attend better schoolings. Without Eric Eisner, Carlos would not have the platform to prove himself to be just as good, if not better than his higher income counterparts.
Many people fail to realize that higher education is a business, not a need. The façade that Americans religiously repeat to themselves and their youths is very toxic and can result in students ended up in huge financial debt. The mindset that colleges run with is a very simple guideline if you can afford it go if you can’t and you don’t have any special skills, tough luck. Only a small percentage of lower income high school student actually have the scores and funds to do well in college (Films Media Group, 2011). The ethical consequences is that the price of living is increasing, the price of education is increasing, and wages for students without a college degree is declining. That means that lower-income students have to make the decision between working low-end jobs or applying for loans that might take them decades to pay off. The idea that it doesn’t matter where you come from, everyone has the same opportunity to move up in life, is highly false. Many lower-income students have to acquire major debts due to lack of financial aid for lower-income students (Gladwell). Students like Carlos do not have the luxury to fallback. In contrast, a higher income student can afford to do as they please and still have the monetary and parental connections to bounce back. Students like Carlos, many in this country have to work twice or more as hard just to be acknowledged and stay in tack.
The best way to change this is to acknowledge that there is a classist and unfair system that is at the foundation of the higher education system. The idea that everyone has the same and equal opportunities is false and needs to be addressed. For many lower-income students, no matter how hard they work to be classified as intelligent and smart, the road to their success is not always guaranteed. They are chasing validation from exams that don’t always guaranteed success like they were brainwashed to believe. For many of these students, they don’t always have a second plan to fall back on.
[expand title=”Work Cited”]
Big Think. “Michio Kaku on the Evolution of Intelligence.” YouTube, uploaded by Big Think, March 25, 2014, www.https://youtube.com/watch?v=bu7VulZUUdE,Accesed Dec 8, 2017.
Boyd, D., Lankford, H., Loeb, S., Rock off, J., Wyckoff, J. (2008).” The narrowing gap in New York City teacher qualifications and its implications for student achievement in high-poverty schools.” Journal of Policy and Management, 27, 793–818.2008. Accessed Dec 5, 2017.
Dynarski Susan. “Simple Way to Make Low- income Students: Make everyone Take SAT or ACT. New York Times. 2017. Accessed Dec 7, 2017.
Hassler, John and José V. Rodríguez Mora. “Intelligence, Social Mobility, and Growth.” American Economic Review, vol. 90, no. 4, Sept. 2000, pp. 888-908. EBSCOhost, db08.linccweb.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=3590870&site=ehost-live. 2000. Accessed Dec 7, 2017.
Gladwell, Malcolm, narrator. “Carlos Doesn’t Remember”. Revisionist History, season 1, episode 4, 2016. Accessed Dec 7, 2017.
Gladwell, Malcolm, narrator. “Food Fight.” Revisionist History, season 1, episode 5, 2016. Accessed Dec 7, 2017.
Kosta Sandra. Interview. Dec 3, 2017.
Popham James. “Why Standardized Tests Don’t Measure Educational Quality”. ASCD. Accessed Dec 5. 2017.
Todd Kettler, Luke T. Hurst, Advanced Academic Participation, Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 2017, 40, 1, 3. 2017. Accessed Dec 5, 2017.
“Too Many Kids Go to College: A Debate.” Films Media Group, 2011, fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=20878&xtid=58329. Accessed 8 Dec 2017.
Wynn Thomas. “Piaget, stone tools and the evolution of human intelligence”. Taylor and Francis Online. Accessed Dec 6, 2017.
Zipory Oded. “Intelligence.” Political Concepts, 2017. Accessed Dec 6, 2017.
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