Final answer:
Lower income groups tend to include people from non-English speaking backgrounds due to clustered communities that preserve cultural practices, barriers to cultural assimilation, linguistic discrimination, and lack of access to resources. Educational and economic hardships compounded by language barriers heighten the challenges faced by these groups. Bilingual education and support systems are crucial for improving the situation for non-English speaking low-income populations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Concentrations of lower income groups often include people from non-English speaking backgrounds due to a combination of historical, social, and economic factors. For instance, non-English-speaking immigrants have historically formed clusters in specific neighborhoods, which helped them to retain cultural customs and provided a sense of community, as seen in areas throughout the West. Within these clusters, fraternal organizations and churches played pivotal roles. However, the transition for non-English speakers into mainstream society can be challenging. Barriers faced by these communities are compounded by linguistic discrimination, which affects participation in society and access to upward mobility.
Lack of access to resources, such as bilingual education programs that can mitigate academic underachievement, further contributes to this clustering of lower income groups among non-English speaking backgrounds. Indeed, during times of reduced federal funding, notably during the Reagan administration, the availability of bilingual programs was significantly limited. Moreover, living in areas with economic hardship often means that schools and communities do not have the financial means to provide adequate support for non-English speakers. This economic disparity is coupled with the challenge of cultural assimilation, as the emphasis on English as the 'common and unifying language' in the United States can marginalize those from non-English speaking backgrounds.
In the context of educational opportunities, students from non-English speaking and lower socioeconomic backgrounds encounter unique obstacles. Such students may have to balance multiple responsibilities that include family care and work, in addition to their educational pursuits. With English as a second language for many in these low-income families, the challenge of accessing educational materials and support is heightened. The story of the working-class student balancing school with personal and financial family responsibilities exemplifies the systemic factors that create and perpetuate income-based concentrations of non-English speaking populations.