University not a priority in poor areas
September 17, 2009
Louise Brown
Kristin Rushowy
Teens at schools in poor neighbourhoods are 13 per cent less likely to apply to university than students at schools in richer areas, new research shows – and the gap is widening, particularly in pricey programs such as commerce.
But the gap is slightly smaller at Catholic schools, and at schools with more students of East Asian background, according to the study.
"I think the (Asian) culture in general values education and places it in a higher rank on the priority list," said Gorick Ng, a Grade 12 student at Marc Garneau Collegiate and a student trustee with Toronto District School Board. Ng, whose parents emigrated from China, plans to go to university next year in health science, business, political science or international relations.
The report, released yesterday by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, tracked applications to university across the province from 1995 to 2005 and found students in neighbourhoods where families earn less than $54,500 a year are less likely to apply to university than those where household income tops $75,000. (All figures are in 2001 dollars.)
In the more affluent areas, applications to university jumped 67 per cent in those 10 years, but stayed roughly flat at the lowest income schools. It's not clear why students at Catholic schools in poor areas are a little more likely – 5 per cent more – to apply to university than peers at public schools, said McMaster economics professor Abigail Payne, the report's co-author.
Toronto Star