 | The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject.(November 2019) |
Working class education is the education of working-class people.
| The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject.(November 2019) |
Working class education is the education of working-class people.
Prior to the 19th century, education for most members of society was elementary and only an elite received advanced education. This was intended to provide members of each social class with an education befitting their expected future status—toil or leadership. [1]
Children of the working class have a different educational experience than children of the middle and upper classes. Because of this, working class children can start out life at a disadvantage. Their educational experience may be hindered for several reasons, including influences from their parents, the schools they attend, and their expectations and attitudes, all of which are strongly affected by previous generations.
The interaction between low class learning and more high class used to be identified and only available for the people who weren't of low class[ clarification needed ]. The treatment among the two each was very different and only taken seriously if they were known as being superior. [1] The classrooms were used to make the children from low classes believe that, because they come from low standards they weren't as good as their peers. Children who went to school for education weren’t coming out with the proper variety they needed to be successful. The higher class was known as elite and their education was advanced and gifted. [2] They were in charge scholastically and anyone under them was not receiving the same social or academic opportunity. Overall education has been used to keep the social order and academic order for the superior or elite students rather than all students.
The schools in the lower income districts are characterized by overcrowding and lack of resources. This is because the funding of American public schools comes mostly from their district's property taxes. [3] Residential segregation occurs when people segregate themselves based on class and race. This leaves schools in the low income school districts with little because those who are capable of paying higher property taxes move to districts where there are higher taxes and schools are receiving more. [3] For example, in New York City, where efforts are being made to level the playing field, students in the wealthiest school districts are given almost twice as much as students in the poorest district, an annual amount of $13,974 compared to $7,457. [3] When schools lack funding, programs such as special education classes and extracurricular activities are cut back. This causes some working class children to not get the attention and help they require. When schools and teachers are not receiving the goods required to fulfill their duty, students cannot be expected to display the motivation to learn in a flawed system. [4]
The way parents act in the home and raise their children has a large effect on how children will interact in social institutions. Many social scientists claim that middle class parents practice concerted cultivation, meaning a child's life is filled with organized activities and social interactions with adults. Due to the extent of their interactions outside of the home, the children of concerted cultivation develop a greater mastery of language and are instilled with a sense of entitlement, both of which allows them to become more comfortable when interacting with institutions. [4] On the other hand, many working-class parents practice the accomplishment of natural growth, where children have more control over their free time and are exposed to fewer interactions with adults that are outside of the home. [4] These children are usually left to occupy themselves with activities such as watching TV, playing video games, or playing outside. Working-class parents put less emphasis on planned activities, than their middle class counterparts, because they are less likely to have the funds to pay for them. [5]
The problem that comes with these differences in parenting practices is that schools, along with other institutions, are more harmonious with concerted cultivation, the parenting practice of the middle class. [4] Teachers want parents and children to engage and be proactive, but parents and children of the working class feel a sense of constraint that leaves them confused on how to "work the system" and often causes them to become hostile towards schooling. [6] Because working-class parents are often uncomfortable around authority figures, they are less likely to communicate with their child's teacher or become involved in the school. As a result of this, low income school districts have lower involvement in parent teacher conferences. [3] This could also be attributed to the fact that working-class parents often have to hold down more than one job and do not have very much time to help their children with homework or attend school functions. As a consequence, working-class children mature in narrow social settings, receive fewer resources, and feel less entitlement. [5]
The children of the working class approach school with a different attitude than those of higher class. This is because their sense of entitlement is lower than that of their middle class counterparts. Working-class students sometimes feel unentitled or that they do not belong in affluent high schools or colleges. [5] Instead of viewing education as a way up in the world, the working class views it as valuable but not as a reality for them. [7] For working-class parents, they are more consumed with the tasks of simply getting by and providing for their children than they are with good grades and higher education. Parents pass this survival mentality onto their children and cause a cycle where working class children do not have the same aspirations instilled in them that the middle class does. Only 54% of students whose parents only received their high school diploma go on to pursue their bachelor's degree. This statistic is compared to the 82% of students whose parents received their bachelor's degree that go on to college. [6] First generation students who do go to college experience a culture shock once they get there because they are not as comfortable and sure of themselves as those that have come from a family that has received higher education. A 2012 review [8] of the literature has shown that working-class students have a greater risk of being excluded from social life at universities, including formal activities such as campus-based clubs, societies, and organizations and informal activities such as parties and nonclassroom conversations. This is an important problem because social integration predicts student retention, and working class students are twice as likely as middle class students to drop out before their second year of college because they lack the persistence they need to face challenges and succeed in college. [6]
The attitude of children born into the working class strongly reflects the way their parents raise them. The outlook and importance of education is not the same as families with wealth. Inheritance plays a strong role in the way parents and children view and value education.
There are some ways that this may be changed. In order to break this cycle, working class students might be taught the values of the middle class or the schooling system develop programs that help those students that are not receiving the support and guidance they need from home. The middle class values are the same values that are felt by the authority figures at school; therefore, through teaching working class students to value education and be more involved they will be able to navigate social institutions with greater purpose and poise. [7] The problem could be that working-class parents did not have these values instilled in them; therefore, they are less likely to pass these values on to their children. Schools have been left with the responsibility of being the only places for some children to learn the rules and values that are present in most institutions. [7]
Solving the problem of racism within these institutions, causing perpetual problems and nearly impossible change, would take large steps towards rectifying problems within the education system. As long as institutionalized racism exists, problems within the educational system will continue to exist.
Due to the lack of resources in needy schools, educational facilities are forced to develop support systems that do not have any additional costs. Programs that have been introduced into lower income schools include the following: [7]
Homework is a set of tasks assigned to students by their teachers to be completed outside the classroom. Common homework assignments may include required reading, a writing or typing project, mathematical exercises to be completed, information to be reviewed before a test, or other skills to be practiced.
Social mobility is the movement of individuals, families, households or other categories of people within or between social strata in a society. It is a change in social status relative to one's current social location within a given society. This movement occurs between layers or tiers in an open system of social stratification. Open stratification systems are those in which at least some value is given to achieved status characteristics in a society. The movement can be in a downward or upward direction. Markers for social mobility such as education and class, are used to predict, discuss and learn more about an individual or a group's mobility in society.
Achievement gaps in the United States are observed, persistent disparities in measures of educational performance among subgroups of U.S. students, especially groups defined by socioeconomic status (SES), race/ethnicity and gender. The achievement gap can be observed through a variety of measures, including standardized test scores, grade point average, dropout rates, college enrollment, and college completion rates. The gap in achievement between lower income students and higher income students exists in all nations and it has been studied extensively in the U.S. and other countries, including the U.K. Various other gaps between groups exist around the globe as well.
The Republic of Austria has a free and public school system, and nine years of education are mandatory. Schools offer a series of vocational-technical and university preparatory tracks involving one to four additional years of education beyond the minimum mandatory level. The legal basis for primary and secondary education in Austria is the School Act of 1962. In 1963 it went back to the way it was. However, in 1999 it finally changed again. The Federal Ministry of Education is responsible for funding and supervising primary, secondary, and, since 2000, also tertiary education. Primary and secondary education is administered on the state level by the authorities of the respective states.
Education in South Korea is provided by both public schools and private schools. Both types of schools receive funding from the government, although the amount that the private schools receive is less than the amount of the state schools.
In economics, a cycle of poverty or poverty trap is caused by self-reinforcing mechanisms that cause poverty, once it exists, to persist unless there is outside intervention. It can persist across generations, and when applied to developing countries, is also known as a development trap.
Mainstreaming, in the context of education, is the practice of placing students with special education needs in a general education classroom during specific time periods based on their skills. This means students who are a part of the special education classroom will join the regular education classroom at certain times which are fitting for the special education student. These students may attend art or physical education in the regular education classrooms. Sometimes these students will attend math and science in a separate classroom, but attend English in a general education classroom. Schools that practice mainstreaming believe that students with special needs who cannot function in a general education classroom to a certain extent belong in the special education environment.
The sociology of education is the study of how public institutions and individual experiences affect education and its outcomes. It is mostly concerned with the public schooling systems of modern industrial societies, including the expansion of higher, further, adult, and continuing education.
The educational attainment of the U.S. population refers to the highest level of education completed. The educational attainment of the U.S. population is similar to that of many other industrialized countries with the vast majority of the population having completed secondary education and a rising number of college graduates that outnumber high school dropouts. As a whole, the population of the United States is spending more years in formal educational programs. As with income, levels differ by race, age, household configuration, and geography.
Education in Ethiopia was dominated by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church for many centuries until secular education was adopted in the early 1900s. Prior to 1974, Ethiopia had an estimated literacy rate below 50% and compared poorly with the rest of even Africa in the provision of schools and universities. After the Ethiopian Revolution, emphasis was placed on increasing literacy in rural areas. Practical subjects were stressed, as was the teaching of socialism. By 2015, the literacy rate had increased to 49.1%, still poor compared to most of the rest of Africa.
Socioeconomic status (SES) is an economic and sociological combined total measure of a person's work experience and of an individual's or family's economic access to resources and social position in relation to others. When analyzing a family's SES, the household income, earners' education, and occupation are examined, as well as combined income, whereas for an individual's SES only their own attributes are assessed. Recently, research has revealed a lesser recognized attribute of SES as perceived financial stress, as it defines the "balance between income and necessary expenses". Perceived financial stress can be tested by deciphering whether a person at the end of each month has more than enough, just enough, or not enough money or resources. However, SES is more commonly used to depict an economic difference in society as a whole.
After-school activities, also known as after-school programs or after-school care, started in the early 1900s mainly just as supervision of students after the final school bell. Today, after-school programs do much more. There is a focus on helping students with school work but can be beneficial to students in other ways. An after-school program, today, will not limit its focus on academics but with a holistic sense of helping the student population. An after-school activity is any organized program that youth or adult learner voluntary can participate in outside of the traditional school day. Some programs are run by a primary or secondary school, while others are run by externally funded non-profit or commercial organizations. After-school youth programs can occur inside a school building or elsewhere in the community, for instance at a community center, church, library, or park. After-school activities are a cornerstone of concerted cultivation, which is a style of parenting that emphasizes children gaining leadership experience and social skills through participating in organized activities. Such children are believed by proponents to be more successful in later life, while others consider too many activities to indicate overparenting. While some research has shown that structured after-school programs can lead to better test scores, improved homework completion, and higher grades, further research has questioned the effectiveness of after-school programs at improving youth outcomes such as externalizing behavior and school attendance. Additionally, certain activities or programs have made strides in closing the achievement gap, or the gap in academic performance between white students and students of color as measured by standardized tests. Though the existence of after-school activities is relatively universal, different countries implement after-school activities differently, causing after-school activities to vary on a global scale.
Annette Patricia Lareau is a sociologist working at the University of Pennsylvania.
Educational inequality is the unequal distribution of academic resources, including but not limited to school funding, qualified and experienced teachers, books, and technologies, to socially excluded communities. These communities tend to be historically disadvantaged and oppressed. Individuals belonging to these marginalized groups are often denied access to schools with adequate resources. Inequality leads to major differences in the educational success or efficiency of these individuals and ultimately suppresses social and economic mobility. Inequality in education is broken down in different types: regional inequality, inequality by sex, inequality by social stratification, inequality by parental income, inequality by parent occupation, and many more.
Concerted cultivation is a style of parenting. The expression is attributed to Annette Lareau. This parenting style or parenting practice is marked by a parent's attempts to foster their child's talents by incorporating organized activities in their children's lives. This parenting style is commonly exhibited in middle class and upper class American families, and is also characterized by consciously developing language use and ability to interact with social institutions. Many have attributed cultural benefits to this form of child-rearing due to the style's use in higher income families, conversely affecting the social habitus of children raised in such a manner. A child that has been concertedly cultivated will often express greater social prowess in social situations involving formality or structure attributed to their increased experience and engagement in organized clubs, sports, musical groups as well as increased experience with adults and power structure. This pattern of child rearing has been linked to an increase in financial and academic success.
Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life is a 2003 non-fiction book by American sociologist Annette Lareau based upon a study of 88 African American and white families to understand the impact of how social class makes a difference in family life, more specifically in children's lives. The book argues that regardless of race, social economic class will determine how children cultivate skills they will use in the future. In the second edition, Lareau revisits the subjects from the original study a decade later in order to examine the impact of social class on the transition to adulthood. She covers the subjects' awareness of their social class, high school experiences and the effect of organized activities as they went through their adolescent years. She emphasizes the use of concerted cultivation, and natural growth as tools parents in different social and economic classes use in order to raise their children and by continuing her research ten years later she is able to show how these methods of child rearing helped to cultivate the children into the adults they are today.
The racial achievement gap in the United States refers to disparities in educational achievement between differing ethnic/racial groups. It manifests itself in a variety of ways: African-American and Hispanic students are more likely to receive lower grades, score lower on standardized tests, drop out of high school, and they are less likely to enter and complete college than whites, while whites score lower than Asian Americans.
Unequal access to education in the United States results in unequal outcomes for students. Disparities in academic access among students in the United States are the result of several factors including: government policies, school choice, family wealth, parenting style, implicit bias towards the race or ethnicity of the student, and the resources available to the student and their school. Educational inequality contributes to a number of broader problems in the United States, including income inequality and increasing prison populations. Educational inequalities in the United States are wide-ranging, and many potential solutions have been proposed to mitigate their impacts on students.
Educational interventions for first-generation college students (FGCS) are programs intended to provide resources and make education more attainable and desirable for FGCS and their families. A study by Alex Casillas has identified that "FGCS […] face greater pressure not to go to college, either because of a lack of role models or because of pressure to contribute to their family's financial needs." Many interventions are being explored to lower and/or remove the fears and struggles FGCS face regarding their education. These interventions are intended to bridge the gap between FGCS and their educational experience by providing them with the access to information and resources their non-first-generation peers already have. This article discusses several programs currently being implemented, including AVID, GEAR-UP, and after-school programs, in addition to non-profit college access programs and privately funded organizations that work to address access to higher education for underprivileged and first-generation students. There is also critical discussion regarding the pedagogical role of these educational interventions in building a sense of value and belonging in its students.
The Double Reduction Policy is an attempt by China to reduce homework and after-school tutoring pressure on primary and secondary school students, reduce families' spending on expensive tutoring, and improve compulsory education.