Social Class and Academic Performance
Class Status and Academic Performance
Introduction
“Who fails and who succeeds in America 's schools? For sociologists of education, the significance of this question rests with the fact that academic performance is socially stratified” (O’Connor, 2001, p. 159). Unfortunately, this paper will reveal facts that confirm this claim. Throughout this paper, I will discuss the idea of class and how it perpetuates itself within the classroom. As well, I will investigate recent studies into class in the classroom and how the students are affected in the relative short term and long term. These class-based studies, however, do not account for differences within each class. “Class-based models cannot, however, make sense of such findings and the commensurate variation in achievement that occurs within social-class groups. They provide no means of explaining why some poor and working-class youths succeed in school and cannot account for the relationship between gender positioning and achievement” (O’Connor, 2001, p. 163). Therefore, I will restrict this analysis to the disparities between classes, rather than ones that occur within the classes themselves. Ideas from our classroom articles will also be used to substantiate my opinion on the problems with class stratification in the classroom. Finally, I will supply a first step to rectifying this situation, but at the same time raise an issue of whether or not eliminating class stratification is in anyone’s best interest.
Literature Review
I. Class Status
There are a variety of advantages that one receives, whether they are tangible or not, based on certain criteria that place you on societies ladder. This ladder is known as class. “At the structural level, social identities reflect divisions in society that are marked by systematic material and/or power inequities. Thus, class identity is marked by the fact that those with wealth have privilege and power compared to those without” (O’Connor, 2001, p. 159
Introduction
“Who fails and who succeeds in America 's schools? For sociologists of education, the significance of this question rests with the fact that academic performance is socially stratified” (O’Connor, 2001, p. 159). Unfortunately, this paper will reveal facts that confirm this claim. Throughout this paper, I will discuss the idea of class and how it perpetuates itself within the classroom. As well, I will investigate recent studies into class in the classroom and how the students are affected in the relative short term and long term. These class-based studies, however, do not account for differences within each class. “Class-based models cannot, however, make sense of such findings and the commensurate variation in achievement that occurs within social-class groups. They provide no means of explaining why some poor and working-class youths succeed in school and cannot account for the relationship between gender positioning and achievement” (O’Connor, 2001, p. 163). Therefore, I will restrict this analysis to the disparities between classes, rather than ones that occur within the classes themselves. Ideas from our classroom articles will also be used to substantiate my opinion on the problems with class stratification in the classroom. Finally, I will supply a first step to rectifying this situation, but at the same time raise an issue of whether or not eliminating class stratification is in anyone’s best interest.
Literature Review
I. Class Status
There are a variety of advantages that one receives, whether they are tangible or not, based on certain criteria that place you on societies ladder. This ladder is known as class. “At the structural level, social identities reflect divisions in society that are marked by systematic material and/or power inequities. Thus, class identity is marked by the fact that those with wealth have privilege and power compared to those without” (O’Connor, 2001, p. 159
References: Banerji, S. (2006). Class, race factor into counsellor’s college recommendations. Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Vol. 23, No. 14. August 24, 2006. p. 15 Finn, J. & Owings, J. (2006). The adult lives of at-risk students: The roles of attainment and engagement in high school: statistical analysis report. National Center for Educational Statistics. p. 1 – 132. Grundmann, M. (1997). The linkage between social structure, competence and academic achievement: Results of a longitudinal study from age 7 through 21. p. 1 – 11. Hooke, (1994). Teaching to transgress: Confronting class in the classroom. p. 177 – 189. O’Connor, C. (2001). Making sense of the complexity of social identity in relation to achievement: A sociological challenge in the new millennium. Sociology of Education Extra Issue. p. 159 – 168. Rist, R. (1970). Student social class and teacher expectations: The self-fulfilling prophecy in ghetto education. Harvard Educational Review. Vol. 40, No. 3. August 1970. p. 411 – 432. Van Galen, J. (2007). Late to class: Social class and schooling in the new economy. Educational Horizons. Spring 2007. p. 156 – 167.