Social Classes in America

Social classes in America

Does social class have a big impact in our education system? Yes, it's no surprise that schools in wealthy communities are better than those in poor communities, and that they prepare their students for desirable. ''Scholars have recently argued that public schools in complex industrial societies like our own make available different types of educational systems experiences and curriculums knowledge to student's indifferent social classes'' (Anyon176). Social class refers to the status in which a person is given in society. After reading anyon's article on public education and carefully examining the different levels she calls the working class, the middle-class, the affluent professional class, and the executive elite class, it is recognized that anyon's main point is how, in most cases, despite your educational perseverance, your economic background determines your educational success and future.

Anyon's observed 5 fifth grade schools over the whole school year and she observed that different economic backgrounds are teaching their students about the social ladder. She observed a working class schools and middle class schools, affluent professional elite school, executive elite schools. For example, the first two schools observed were "working-class schools" where the parents of most of the children were earning at or just under poverty status salaries each year, and they were working semi-skilled jobs to unskilled jobs. The other classifications of schools include "middle-class schools", "affluent professional schools", and "executive elite schools." The in depth analysis of the teaching styles of each type of school is advocated by the author to be indicative of the type of learning and thinking that the children of a specific class will continue to see throughout their lives. In the middle-class school, the teachers will give a slightly more in depth analysis of how to get answers, however the main goal of the students it to get the right answers. This provides a compelling point that when looking at middle-class jobs, such as carpenters, plumbers, and accountants, that the focus of getting right answers seems appropriate in these professions. The article exhibits that the higher the wage of the parent the more open minded thinking the schooling of the child is. Once she talked about the executive elite school the children are thinking for themselves and practically running the classrooms based on the work that is put before them. The math classes are based less on obtaining the correct answers and doing it the right way, based on the reasoning of getting to those answers.

These articles are trying to persuade the audience that your economic background determines your education. For example, ''Anyon shows how the education system socializes the working class into believing that their education failure is due to lack of ability and effort when in reality the capitalist system deliberately fails them in order to continue to be factory workers (Anyon 180)''. Anyon wanted to show how lower social class schools are setting their students up for the kind of work they will need for their future. In the, working-class schools the teacher only taught the children what they thought they were able to learn and what they needed to learn in order to follow in the footsteps of their parents. If we are able to educate everyone in the same manner despite their socio-economic background would that not make equal opportunities for everyone a more realistic expectation? Why is it that if you are poor you get less help than those who have to money to have a good education. It should be equal everyone should be able to get the same education no matter what they social curriculum is but that's just how it works here in America. If we all had the same educational curriculum we would see less of high school drop outs. Lower class children are those