The Dynamics of Opportunity in America : : Evidence and Perspectives.

• Author: Kirsch, Irwin.
• TeilnehmendeR: Braun, Henry.
• Place / Publishing House: Cham : : Springer International Publishing AG,, 2016.; ©2016.
• Year of Publication: 2016
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (508 pages)

Table of Contents

Intro -- Dedication -- Preface -- Editors' Note -- Contents -- About the Editors and Contributors -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Chapter 1: Introduction: Opportunity in America-Setting the Stage -- Introduction -- Description of the Volume -- Part I: Understanding Where We Are Today -- Part II: The Labor Market -- Part III: Education and Opportunity -- Part IV: Politics and the Road Ahead -- Part V: Seeking Inclusive Prosperity -- Conclusion -- References -- Part I: Understanding Where We Are Today -- Chapter 2: Segregation, Race, and the Social Worlds of Rich and Poor -- Introduction -- Four Decades of Segregation and Poverty -- Poverty and Privilege in Black and White -- Segregation and the Divergence of Social Worlds -- Inequality in Hypersegregated America -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 3: Federalism and Inequality in Education: What Can History Tell Us? -- Introduction -- Development of Free and Public Schools Through the Progressive Era -- The Creation of Free Public School Systems, 1840-1860 -- 1865-1895: Expansion and Professionalization -- The 'Progressive' Era: Redefining Equal Opportunity -- Expanding the Federal Role in Education (World War II to the Space Race) -- The Postwar Years -- Education, the Space Race, and Meritocracy -- Desegregation -- The Role of ESEA in Desegregation -- Federal Action to Desegregate K-12 Education in the South -- Obstacles in the North -- Assessing the Success of Desegregation -- The Challenges of Title I: The Early Years -- New Equity Issues Emerge in the 1970s -- Nixon Seeks to Equalize Expenditures -- Bilingual Education -- Title IX Bars Discrimination Against Women -- Education of Children with Disabilities -- The 1978 Reauthorization of ESEA -- Education Policy and Civil Rights in the Reagan Administration -- The Nation at Risk Report.

Reagan Faces Reversals: Hawkins-Stafford Bill of 1988 -- The Era of Standards-Based Reform -- George H. W. Bush and the Onset of Reform -- Enter Systemic Education -- Standards-Based Reform Arrives on the Federal Agenda -- No Child Left Behind: Its Trajectory Under George W. Bush and Barack Obama -- Bush Launches New Federal Reforms -- Enter Obama and Duncan -- The Importance of Title I -- Background -- NAEP's Relation to Title I -- Long-Term NAEP: Trends and Interpretations -- The 1980s and 1990s: Studying Actual Title I Students -- NAEP Score Gaps after 2000 -- Some Generalizations -- Three Eras in the History of the Federal Role in Education -- Conditions for Change -- Congress as the Arena for Advocacy and Compromise -- Lack of Constitutional Authority as a Hindrance -- States and Districts Forced to Focus on New Populations -- The Numbers Game -- The Reality of Delays -- Impressive Action Despite the Odds -- The Federal Government's Agenda-Setting Role -- The Half-Truth About the Federal Role -- Federal Action Can't Do It Alone -- Not a Straight Evolution -- From Laissez-Faire to Monitoring -- The Conundrum of the Federal Role in Common Core -- A National Arena of Education Policy: Common Core -- Equality and Quality With the Common Core -- Federal Funding: A Final Overview -- Some Policy Suggestions -- Reassessing the Federal Role -- Title I Improvements -- Additional Legislation -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 4: The Changing Distribution of Educational Opportunities: 1993-2012 -- Introduction -- Conceptions of Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Adequacy -- Money and School Finance Reforms -- Resources That Matter -- Measuring Fiscal Input as Well as Real Resource Equity and Adequacy -- Evaluating Funding Levels and Fairness -- Evaluating Resource Levels and Fairness -- Estimating Sensitivity of Resources to Funding Across Districts.

Findings -- Resource Models -- Relationships Across Adequacy (Level) Measures -- Conclusions and Implications -- Appendix -- References -- Chapter 5: The Dynamics of Opportunity in America: A Working Framework -- Introduction -- What Is Opportunity? -- The Challenge -- The Framework: Gates/Gaps/Gradients -- Gates and Gaps Together -- The Dynamics of Inequality -- The Birth Lottery -- Beginning School -- Gradients -- Why Is Expanding Opportunity Important? -- Moving Forward -- References -- Part II: The Labor Market -- Chapter 6: Wages in the United States: Trends, Explanations, and Solutions -- Introduction -- Empirical Trends in Wages and Compensation in the U.S. -- Hourly Wage Percentiles -- Weekly Earnings by Education -- Annual Earnings by Wage Percentile -- Adding Compensation to Wages -- Near-Term Wage Issues -- Labor's Share of National Income -- Theories of Wage Formation -- Theories that Assume Full Employment -- Theories That Do Not Assume Full Employment -- Diagnosis and Prescription: What's behind Wage Stagnation and Earnings Inequality and What Can Be Done to Reverse It? -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 7: The Widening Socioeconomic Divergence in the U.S. Labor Market -- Introduction -- Defining Labor Underutilization -- Defining the Educational Attainment and Household Income Groups -- Identifying Labor Underutilization Problems across Education and Household Income Groups in the U.S. -- Unemployment Problems Among Workers Across Education and Income Groups in 2013-2014 -- Underemployment Problems Among U.S. Workers -- The Problems of Hidden Unemployment Among Workers in 2013-2014 -- Hidden Unemployment Rates Among Workers -- Labor Underutilization Problems in the U.S. in 2013-2014 -- Labor Underutilization Rates Among Workers -- By Separate Educational Attainment/Household Income Groups.

The Findings of Logistic Probability Models to Predict Labor Underutilization among Workers in 2013-2014 -- The Labor Underutilization Problems of the Nation's Young Adults (16-29) in 2013-2014 -- Trends in Labor Underutilization Rates Among Adults (16 and Over) by Educational Attainment and Household Income, 1999-2000 to 2013-2014 -- Income Problems of Underutilized Workers, 2012-2013 -- The Three Income Inadequacy Measures -- The Poverty Rates of Workers by Underutilization Status and Educational Attainment -- Poverty/Near Poverty Problems of the Underutilized -- Low-Income Problems of Workers by Labor Underutilization and Educational Attainment -- Conclusion -- Appendices -- Appendix 7A: Labor Underutilization Rates by Gender and Race-Ethnic Groups -- Appendix 7B: Associations Between Educational Attainment/Household Income by Gender and Race-Ethnic Groups -- Appendix 7C: Logistic Probability Models Showing Effects of Demographics on Underutilization Rate of Workers -- Appendix 7D: Estimating the Probability of a Person with Given Background Traits Being Underutilized in 2013-2014 -- Appendix 7E: Logistic Probability Model of Labor Underutilization for Labor Force Participants Under 30 -- References -- Part III: Education and Opportunity -- Chapter 8: Gates, Gaps, and Intergenerational Mobility: The Importance of an Even Start -- Introduction: How Can We Make the Start More Even? -- What Makes a Difference Early in Life? -- Gates and Gaps and the Life-Cycle Model -- What We Know about Early Influences on Health, Behavior, and Learning: A Very Brief Review -- Preschool Investments -- The Five Factors That Determine Early Development -- Family Structure -- Parenting -- Economic Inequality: Money Matters-A Lot -- Social Institutions -- Neighborhoods and the Role of Place -- The Changing Race and Ethnicity of American Children.

Using the Gates-Gaps Metaphor to Examine Opportunity and Mobility Early in Life -- Transition 1: Prenatal and Family Birth Status -- Transition 2: Life at Early Ages, Post-Birth but before Preschool (6 Months to 3-4 Years) -- Transition 3: Preschool and Early Childhood Education (Ages 4-6) -- Cumulative Gaps? -- Summary -- Policy Levers to Open Gates, Reduce Gaps, and Moderate Cumulative Gaps Early On -- Unwanted Pregnancy at Young Ages: An Agency Problem -- Money Makes a Difference in Parenting -- Prenatal and Early Parenting Programs -- The Role of the Pediatrician -- Preschool: The Importance of Quality -- Conclusion -- Appendix -- References -- Chapter 9: Quality and Equality in American Education: Systemic Problems, Systemic Solutions -- An Unequal Present -- Let's Start with the Children -- Where Do the Schools Fit In? -- Unequal Resources -- Organizational Dysfunction and Unequal Practices -- Signs of Progress -- Observations from 60 Years of Equity Reforms: There Are No Silver Bullets -- Lesson One: Implementation Dominates Impact -- Context Matters -- Capacity Is a Key Determinant of Implementation Quality and Results -- Implementation Is a Social Process -- Lesson Two: Piecemeal Reforms Leave Systemic Contributors Untouched -- Vision of a More Equitable Education System -- The Foundation: A Quality School System -- Coherent Standards-Based Policy Framework -- A Continuous Improvement Approach -- Continuous Improvement (CI) and Outcome Accountability -- Continuous Improvement and Equity -- Targeted Strategies to Reduce Inequalities: Four High-Leverage Approaches -- Ensuring Safe and Supportive School Environments -- Developing Language Skills -- Implementing a Tiered Approach to Intervention -- Attending to Transition Points -- Beyond School: Connecting Schools with Services and Institutions in the Community.

Getting From Here to There: The Problem of Change at Scale.