Project Summary and Reaction

Studying poverty throughout this semester has been an eye-opening experience. The prevalence of poverty around the world is astonishing. There are various factors that contribute to the increase of poverty, such as lack of education, unemployment, and hunger. As I conclude my research on poverty, I continue to be surprise by the information I find. The circumstances surrounding people living in poverty are very difficult and unimaginable to those who have not even come face-to-face with it.
For my project, I chose to analyze the connection between the level of someone's education and their economic status, especially if it is under the poverty line. I evaluated case studies and other relevant sources to come to a greater understanding about the topic. From these studies, I was able to draw conclusions from the information I found. 
As I have explained in previous posts, a person's level of education is crucial in determining their future economic status and their success in the job market. Within my research, I found that most of the people living in poverty today have been exposed to only a basic level of education. They could have dropped out of school or simply could not afford to attend a good school due to their economic background. I also found it interesting that a wide majority of beginning teachers start working in areas of high-poverty, which corroborates my other studies on the quality of education found poor, rural areas.
In my PowerPoint, I have also incorporated the types of jobs the people with limited education tend to have. In class, we learned that the most prestigious jobs require abstract thinking, a characteristic that people that have gone to college learn to develop. People living in poverty with a low level of education, therefore, have the least prestigious jobs.
I will continue to put my presentation together and discover new things about this complex topic.

Research Update & Plans

Throughout the week, I have continued to look for statistics regarding poverty and education on the Census Bureau website. However, there are less case studies about the correlation between poverty and education and more on that of work and poverty. But if you think about it, education plays a factor in a person's type of work.
Higher education leads to a more prestigious job while a lower level of education leads to a less prestigious type of job. The higher the level of education, the higher the level of thinking. The higher level of thinking, the higher prestige of one's job (typically, of course).

I have also found out that poverty is usually found in specific areas, those living in poverty are less likely to be spread out, but more likely to live in an environments that have people with a similar economic background. Therefore, studies on work and poverty will also be incorporated into my overall project.

Research Update

Since my last post, I have searched for different articles and studies regarding the correlation between poverty and a person's level of education. There is no doubt that someone's opportunity to get an education affects how they will succeed in the future. Much of this is due to the social class or status that one hold. If someone is not fortunate enough to come from a family that can afford to give them a good education, or even from a good neighborhood, they can easily be deprived of fundamental factors or knowledge that can give them hope for a good future.

I have found statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau having to do with poverty population in the U.S. in terms of different personal characteristics. These characteristics range from a person's age to a person's race, which are interrelated with their level of education. These are very interesting and provide an understanding of why people with less education usually end up living below the poverty line later in life, or are currently living below the poverty line. Of course, education is not the only factor that affects one's economic state, but it does make a significant difference.

I will continue to look for more studies and perhaps even videos regarding this material for my project.

Further Research Plans

I have decided to explore the correlation of poverty and education through case studies. Education is a major contributing factor to the type of job that a person acquires. Higher level education leads to more prestigious jobs and opportunities. People who have graduated college tend to have better paying jobs that require them to think abstractly. However, those who have had only some high school education are usually only hired for low-end jobs that do not have much prestige. These people to get paid much lower than people who have college degrees. The group of people that has had little education is also the group that is most likely to live in poverty.

Therefore, I will look through the online data collected by the Census Bureau about poverty and the possible factors that contribute to it.

My Choice of Research Method

I have decided to use archival research as my research method. I will analyze studies that sociologists have made in order to develop a better understanding of poverty and its impact on society as a whole. I think that this type of research method is perfect fit for me for a number of reasons: I would not be able conduct a survey because I do not know many people living in poverty, and those that are probably do not have access to participate in internet surveys. Secondly, naturalistic research may involve me watching others living in poverty, which is something that I do not come in contact with every day and I would not be comfortable asking complete strangers questions about their economic status. Through archival research, I will have access to information that I would not have been able to collect on my own, making it a lot easier for me to delve into the issue at hand.

Work Support Programs Reduce Poverty

Please read the following article about Work Support Programs

Work Support Programs

This article explains the correlation between work and a person's economic status. By creating programs that promote the security of people's job, the chances are that there would be fewer low wages. If people have enough money to provide for their basic needs, mainly food, poverty would be reduced.

Although many people complain about having to pay taxes with their hard-earned money, these taxes are what help support numerous families living in poverty around the world. If people earn enough money to support themselves, pay their mortgage, rent, and have money left over so that they can eat. An organization called Bread for the World supports the protection of tax credits that help low income families to have food on their plates. It is great to see that programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit work to protect the needs of other groups in society that many view as helpless. 

 By using taxes to support those living in poverty, not only does the poverty rate go down, but the child hunger becomes less prevalent. This article identifies the undeniable correlation between poverty and hunger. Lower income means less food.

Poverty in American History

The following video is about Shays' Rebellion, an effect of America's debt after the Revolutionary War.

Poverty is not just something that affects the people living in it.
In this video, it is evident that poverty has played a significant role in the way that history plays out. Shays' Rebellion is a perfect example of a widespread popular revolution. England refused the buy American goods, resulting in lack of trade revenue for Bostonian merchants. Farmers were so oppressed by the taxes imposed upon them that they would have to sell their farms. Those who were incapable of paying off their debt were thrown into debtor's prisons. Their wives were unable to sustain their family without work, they had to care for their children. They were helpless. This was the last straw.

 With so many people living in poverty, a numerous amount of poor farmers living in Massachusetts worked together to continue in the revolutionary spirit and rebel against their government once again. It almost seems like a repetition of the causes that led to the Revolutionary War in the first place, does it not?

Poverty influenced the outcome of historic events back in 1786 and does so even today. Many of the people who got laid off from their jobs during the recession probably ended up living below the poverty line. The protesters in the Occupy Wall Street movement definitely had concerns about financial services and economic issues.

If there is support, or strength in numbers, people will develop "groupthink" and fight for a cause they deeply care about, regardless of alternatives.