The impact of where children grow up is a controversial topic. People are curious to know whether a child's well-being and success in life are determined by where children live when they are young. Some people argue that "good neighborhoods with strong schools" help children become well-rounded adults while neighborhoods with extreme poverty and bad schools have a significant negative impact on childrens' physical and mental health. Interestingly, there is evidence to support the idea that poor children in excellent school districts have increased academic performance. Studies show "poor children who live in low-poverty neighborhoods and consistently attend high-quality schools perform significantly better academically than those who do not". Poor children in excellent schools do well because of high teacher quality, generally speaking, and parents are more involved in the lives of students.
Others argue the importance of good neighborhoods and strong schools. The Moving to Opportunity (MTO) was a 15-year long study of thousands of low-income families who moved to low-poverty neighborhoods. The results of the MTO study were dissapointing to researchers because they are not able notice any educational value of the families living in low-poverty neighborhoods. However, the MTO study had limitations including the families who moved to the low-poverty neighborhoods only stayed in neighborhoods for a few years. Consequently, researchers do not know the effects of staying in low-poverty neighborhoods for a longer periods of time.
I was raised in an affluent suburb of San Francisco. The suburb is known for award-winning schools and high test scores. However, as a child I was not aware that the education I was receiving was different from any other child who did not live in the same suburb. I was given many opportunities poor children in bad schools were not given. Teachers and parents were very involved in the lives of students. Based on my experience I believe children in better schools and neighborhoods have an advantage over children who were not so fortunate.
