Employment and Educational Expectations
This fact shapes adolescent expectations regarding any future educational and employment opportunities. As Leventhal and Brooks-Gunn indicate in their article on the effect of neighborhood on adolescent outcomes, high socioeconomic status has a positive effect on school readiness and achievement. The reality is that the transition from elementary to junior high school is tough on many children, however, there is evidence to support the idea that those students who find themselves void of role models, educational resources and facilities, will have a more difficult time coping effectively with the transition. At the time when the care and support is needed most, the students who see few positive role models and more of their peers in jail or on probation are at risk for not only performing below average in school but in failing to complete their education through the high school level.