The Educational Testing Service (ETS) Center for Research on Human Capital and Education released “Opportunity Across the States,” a new report that examines national and state-by-state data that spotlights inequities across the U.S. and how access or lack of access to resources impact people’s ability to accumulate social and human capital. The report notes that the unequal nature of opportunity has been strongly impacted by choices made over time by policy makers and key stakeholders around the country. The report argues that crafting greater equity requires consistent thoughtful action.
The report notes that individuals able to develop more human and social capital have greater opportunities for enrichment at all stages of their lives. Key factors in the accumulation of social and human capital are material and physical well-being. Children and adults in situations that do not foster development experience lower levels of well-being and face greater challenges. Data sources include the National Center for Educational Statistics, the U.S. Census and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Dr. Irwin Kirsch
“This report is trying to describe the systemic issues that people face in their daily lives,” said Dr. Irwin Kirsch, co-lead author of the report and director of the Center for Global Assessment at ETS. “It’s acknowledging that your circumstances growing up and entering into adulthood have an impact on your ability to develop the human and social capital that you need.”
Human capital is quantified using data on adult skills, student skills and educational attainment. Social capital is defined as coming from social interactions that provide tangible benefits to individuals and communities. This report and the concept of well-being are measured by income/poverty, employment, health and safety at the state level. This is detailed in the report’s 50 State Data Briefs that compare each state to the national average.
“When you look at the opportunities that people have to develop the human and social capital, you can’t ignore their circumstances and environments in which they live and the opportunities that those environments provide them,” said Kirsch. “It’s going to take a real commitment to wanting to fix the problems that we face and then trying to understand the factors that are contributing to those problems to do something about it.”
Evan Mandery, professor in the department of criminal justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said these concepts are accurate. His book, Poison Ivy: How Elite Colleges Divide Us, addresses some of these issues and will be out in August.
“Deficits of opportunity intersect,” said Mandery. “Part of it is they work to disadvantage students of low socioeconomic status and there’s a multiplier effect for poor students of color. The even stronger effect is how much the positive multiplier effect is for affluent white students. These excesses of opportunity, disproportionate access to networks open pathways for them that just aren’t available for students who lack the same social capital.”
