Economic Mobility: What Determines A Child’s Success in Baltimore?

August 11, 2014 – Segment 2

We speak with Karl Alexander, Research Professor in the Department of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University and co-author of The Long Shadow: Family Background, Disadvantaged Urban Youth, and the Transition to Adulthood. We talk about a 30-year study in which Alexander and his team tracked 800 children in Baltimore from first grade until their late 20’s to discover what factors determine success. The study found that a child’s fate is often determined by family strength and the parents’ financial status.

We then discuss the findings with Bill Fletcher, Senior Scholar at Institute for Policy Studies; Dr. Karsonya “Kaye” Whitehead, Assistant Professor of Communication and Affiliate Assistant Professor of African and African American Studies at Loyola University Maryland; Jordan Bloom, Opinion Editor for the Daily Caller and board member of Alumni for Liberty, a project of the Students for Liberty; and A. Adar Ayira, project manager of the More in the Middle Campaign for Associated Black Charities and facilitator and analyst at Baltimore Racial Justice Action, a program of Fusion Partnerships.

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Written by Marc Steiner

The Marc Steiner Show currently airs on The Real News Network. The show covers the topics that matter, engaging real voices, from Charm City to Cairo and beyond. Email us to share your comments with us.