discussion

First students

This chapter was very interesting. As educators, we encounter the relationship between social class and it's impact on education each day.

1. Social Mobility: Many argue that climing the social ladder is difficult. We are born into a specific social class. Marriage impacts social class - as does education.

2. The relationship between classes is highly intertwined. In order to move up, one must take on at least some characteristics of that upper class. Education is one of the most important aspects. Membership in a specific class is not 'fixed'. Society's structure and movement provides opportunities to move up...or down.

3. Research regarding academic achievement and educational attainment found that the impact of education on achievement could not be explained without considering one's social background. This is true because the most poerful predictor of educational level is directly related to the social class background of parents -- measured by income, occupation, and education.

4. The relationship between educational success and class are intertwined with discussions or ethnicity, poverty, and rates of educational achievement. Some argue that the social backgrounds of students are often replicated in the schools they attend. If that is accurate, some may argue that inequality trickles down from social class to educational provisions and equal opportunity.

5. Educational sociologists are concerned with the greater picture and the impact of occupational structure as it relates to societal organization and the teaching/learning process. Many argue that social class is directly tied to educational success --- which is then directly tied to occupational structures.

Bottom of Form

Second student

This chapter regarding social class and its relationship to education has been very informative. What makes a student excel in education has been closely looked at in this chapter, especially topics of social mobility, relationships between classes, academic achievement/educational attianment, social stratification/patterns of inequality, and the occupational structure. The following is a discussion on those topics.

1) Social Mobility is the ability for an individual to move up or down the social class structure from their birth social class. In order to move up the social class, one must acquire characteristics of the upper class. The most important characteristic is education because it gives them the knowledge of how to get better paying jobs and it gives them more prestige. The second thing one must do is learn the norms of behaviors to act appropriately within that social class. But moving up isn't the only direction. Downward movement can be largely attested to the devaluation of the college degree. Jobs are not guaranteed for many college graduates and now students are in more debt than any time in history. Due to those to things, students with college degrees don't have a job and have a mountain of debt -- causing them to lower their social rank.

2) What's the relationship between the social classes in regards to education? In order for any system to work, people from different classes must work together. This is especially true in inner city schools where we see many middle class, white teachers, teaching many impoverished minority students. In many schools, teachers want their students to live a healthier and more satisfying life, which normally means moving up the social ladder. Many times, the higher social class is put into situations to assist those in the lower class. This may be in terms of food/basic needs, or scholarships for higher education. The relationship though between classes is very intrinsic and essential though for systems to run. Currently, the biggest criticism of government is that they are taking money from the upper classes and giving it to the lower classes. I'm not going to go into this, but the idea of an interaction between the social classes can sometimes be a difficult and delicate idea.

3) Academic achievement and educational attainment is probably one of the best indicators of "success" in the American culture. This is largley due to the fact that with more education comes more job options and more prestige. Also, jobs that require a specific body of knowledge typically pay well compared to those who don't require that specific knowledge. This then causes people to go to school for many years after high school to gain that knowledge and practice in order to fill those roles. Currently though, a bachelors degree doesn't mean that a person will find a well paying job. I know my bachelors degree initially found me a job that paid less than a McDonald's manager. It also left me with much debt -- hence why I came back to get my graduates degree. A bachelors degree does not necesarrily mean success anymore. 

4) Social stratification is the framework that conceptualizes the social classes. It is a pyramid structure where those on top are the highest class with the majority of the wealth, and those on the bottom have less edcuation, less prestige, and a smaller income. This stratfication is better than a caste system, but it still subjects people to labels and sterotypes. This can cause inquality amongst the stratified classes. The majority of the nations wealth is held in the top 1% of the social class structure (which is unfair). Also people from lower classes may not have the same opportunities as those in the upper classes. I presented a powerpoint in my undergrad that money may not equal happiness, but it does equal more opportunity. Students in the upper classes can go to better schools, travel more, and have more available resources at their disposal compared to those in lower classes where the opposite is true. This inequality can perpetuate the problems faced by the lower classes and cause cycles of poverty within families. 

5) The occupational structure is also an element that must be looked at especially in terms of school preparation. Schools can tack students based on their achievement in school, ultimatley stream lining that student into a particular social status. Also schools have completely defined success by achievement, not necessarily by progress. This is due to high stakes testing. This framework defines then the occupational structure that a student may get in. Currently the occupational structure is based off of education because more and more careers that only required a high school diploma, require some sort of degree post high school. This may include going to beauty school, a vocational school, a community college, or a 4 year university. Because the change of the educational structure, the occupational structure is expecting people who graduate from a program to be well prepared for that job without much training. We all know that on the job training is the best education a person can get. I'm not sure if the current occupational structure is truly meeting the needs of students graduating and I'm not sure if school's are helping in fixing the problem. 

Third student

Educational sociologists have long studied the effects of social mobility, relationships between classes, academic achievement and educational attainment and how it forms social stratification, patterns of inequality, and occupational structure.  Initially, a parent's attitude toward education highly influenced how children and adolescents viewed their own attainment of opportunistic lifestyle.  For many, education is the means for social mobility, where one has the potential to move up a social class ladder to attain a higher-level paying occupation and earn a higher spot on society's social stratification.  In today's society, one must earn at least a college education to earn a career that will be above minimum wage.  This greatly affects lower class citizens who may have experience negative inequality in school and view the education as rigged or full of empty promises.  Unfortunately, this theory has been found to be true, as research studies have found that many low income students are treated in a different manner than middle class or "ideal students." The chapter discusses how many children born into poverty most often stay in poverty due to parent's lack of ambition or regard for the education system.  As teachers and school counselors, it is important that we learn to empower our students to achieve their innate potential, encouraging them to think outside their circumstance and give academic achievement a fighting chance.  Generational patterns of poverty can be broken by encouraging words.  Although social inequality is prevalent and often leads to a type of students sliding down the social ladder, there still is room left for innovative thinkers who can lead themselves and reach a higher occupational status.