Jean Anyon and Robin Mark 's articles share and talk about the same points, which are relates to social class (socioeconomic status) in higher education. ' 'The Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work ' ' by Anyon , claimed that schools in wealthy communities are better than schools in poor communities. She observed five elementary schools over the course of a year, in different economic environments which teach students in different ways in each of these schools depending on their the social status. According to Jean, there are four different rating of schools like, working-class schools, middle-class schools, affluent professional schools, and executive elite schools. (Jean , 170) All types of these schools teach and prepare the
To no one’s surprise, most Americans are aware that education is a necessity in life. Not only does it allow one to further their knowledge, but it can offer freedom from anything holding them back, like poverty. A bar graph statistic from the Congressional Budget Office found that people with their Master’s degree between ages of 45-54 years old make $130,000, whereas high school graduates between the same ages only make about $70,000 (Dent). Even though America offers some of the best education in the world, many do not realize the impact that social class has on one’s education. Whereas most other nations fund their schools equally, America spends much more on the more affluent districts.
Generally the social structure in a community is split into a hierarchy, so all of the richer and “more successful” people are socially connected. Anyone coming from a financially stable family is more likely going to afford attending a very prestigious university or school as they are also on the higher side of the spectrum for tuition costs. Gladwell points out that having an insanely high IQ, amazing athletic skills, or savvy communication skills alone are not enough to make people successful because “no one – not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses – ever makes it alone” (Gladwell 115). Friends and family play a big role in each other’s life.
1. From Social Class and The Hidden Curriculum of Work by Jean Anyon 2. In the article, “From Social Class and The Hidden Curriculum of Work by jean Anyon states that being in different social classes results in different educational experiences. People in higher classes are taught to be more doctors and more elite positions, while working classes are taught to have more particular curriculum to basically keep them in their class.
One of the most strived for things in life is academic excellence however the path to it is never easy. Author Thompson Ford’s article “How To Understand Acting White” outlines Stuart Bucks arguments about the irony of desegregation in education. A separate essay written by, Alfred Lubrano, “The Shock of Education: How College Corrupts” has similar ironies about the average college student. If Ford was to read Lubrano’s essay, Ford would come to a more complex conclusion by incorporating arguments and concepts from Lubrano’s essay. Ford may utilize Lubrano’s essay to expand on certain concepts such as the proximity effect, socioeconomics, and the level of education in top tier schools to further explain the “acting white” phenomenon from his own article.
The schools that are located in higher socioeconomic areas obtain much greater funding due to the parents earning more and therefore being able to fund the school better. In today's society, the leading cause for not obtaining a higher education is the cost of education and therefore Americans who have better upbringings usually receive the best education there is to offer and often choose to seek higher education because they are able to. The effects that are reflected from these financial variations between people of higher socioeconomic backgrounds and ones of people who are not as financially well off inevitably build barriers for the individuals who endure lower education. Not growing up with financial freedom and therefore not being able to afford college has a large impact on the individual's life as an adult. These individuals who are not able to receive higher education are left with low-paying jobs and health issues caused by overworking their bodies and not having the
"In a sixth grade classroom, brownish clumps of plaster dot the ceiling where there once were sound-absorbing tiles" (p. 137). “We don’t have encyclopedias in classrooms. That is for the suburbs” (p. 85). These words are not my own - I am quoting from Jonathan Kozol, a Harvard-educated activist who observed several school districts spanning the range of the socioeconomic spectrum, from industrial Camden, New Jersey, to tony Great Neck, New York. In his time at each of these schools, he uncovers many truths that governments and the wealthy tend to glaze over in discussions of educational fund allocation.
The structure of injustice that is most present in the pieces titled, Imagine a Country by Holly Sklar, and “I am Alena”:Life as a Trans Woman Where Survival Means Living as Christopher by Ed Pilkington was that of institutional classism. Institutional classism can be defined as the intentional or unintentional set of practices and beliefs that assign differential value or discriminate against people based on their socio-economic status. In the excerpts above, institutional classism was displayed through the school system and the healthcare system of the United States. In the piece titled, Imagine a Country by Holly Sklar, Sklar asks the reader to imagine a country with different scenarios that people often associate with being from another country and not the United States.
In James W. Loewen’s “The Land of Opportunity,” he states that social class affects the way children are raised. He discusses the inequality in today’s society and how the textbooks in high school do not give any social class information. The students in today’s time are not taught everything they should be taught. He states that your family’s wealth is what makes up your future. Loewen discusses that people with more money can study for the SATs more productively and get a better score than someone who has less money.
Within the reading of chapter four of Our Kids by Robert Putnam one key point of his argument is that it really matters where kids attend school and who they are attending school with. The overall growing class gap is extremely evident within the American school system. However, schools are not responsible for the creation of the opportunity gap because the gap already exists before schools are put into the picture. While this may be true, the schools that kids from affluent families are attending are significantly different than schools that children from poorer families are attending. This could be a product of the fact that affluent and poor families are usually not living in the same areas.
Anyon article discussed students of different social class background is exposed to different types of educational knowledge. Anyon used four distinctive schools; working class, middle class, affluent and executive, located in New Jersey. The education the students received reflected the social class level. In the working class school, the principle had did not know the history of the school building. The teachers did not motive or believe in their student’s success.
When taking a look into Jean Anyon’s “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work”, readers are apprised of the hidden agendas many schools have. In this article, Anyon focuses on the curriculum and student-teacher interaction from five New Jersey elementary schools located in different communities with different levels of socioeconomic status. Anyon attempts to find evidence of the differences in student work in schools in wealthy communities versus those in poor communities, in an effort to bolster the argument that public schools in society provide different forms of knowledge. Through her researcher, she was able to determine that working class schools limited students; the students were given steps to follow and they were graded based on how well they followed directions—this level of education was preparing students for the labor force as blue collar workers. In addition, the affluent professional school and the middle-class school focused on attaining the correct answer, but allowed individuals to have a choice of appropriate method and material.
Education is affected by social class; directly and indirectly. Looking at directly first we can see that individuals from higher social classes are more likely to have the resources to attend the elicit schools, and as a result have a better chance of receiving high exam results and continuing to third level. While indirectly, people who benefit from these higher educational opportunities are more likely to acquire the top jobs which in turn will result in the highest salaries. Thus education and social class closely connected and one impacts the other. This paper will explore how ones’ social class affects their educational experience and outcome particularly focusing on working-class students.
The purpose of this essay is to explore the domain of diversity that is social class, and the role that it plays in our education system today. I decided to examine this domain because as a student who has been thorough the Irish education system it seems obvious to me that this is an issue not only prevalent in Irish schools, but also in society in Ireland today. The concept of social class and the consequences it brings about can be seen in almost all aspects of life in Ireland today, with social class bias widespread and embedded in the minds of many. I wish to examine this domain through three lenses; understanding and exploring diversity, reflexively engaging with diversity and educating for diversity, each of which are clearly signposted
Social classes are a form of social stratification that refers to the existence of structured inequalities between individuals and groups in society. A social class is a group of people of comparable status, power and wealth which are usually classified as upper class, middle class, and lower class. For each class, there are some specific opportunities available that influence their social life. We can understand about the particularity of the chances through unequal distribution of these opportunities between individuals in social classes. In here belonging to a social class seems to be an obstacle for some individuals to obtain equal opportunity, unlike upper class people.
In this way inequality becomes justified. However Bowles and Gintis argue that rewards in education and occupation are based not on ability but on social background. The higher a person’s class or origin the more likely they are to attain top qualifications and a top job. See Bourdon (position theory); Bourdiau (cultural capital); and Bernstein (language and class). For Bowles and Ginitis then, school can be seen to legitimize social inequality.