In the United States, class background is a powerful determinant of people's access to economic, political, cultural, and social resources. It determines where people live and the types of jobs that they work in. Class background also determines where many students go to school. Future teachers need to understand how class background impacts students in order to effectively address the academic needs of all their students and afford them equal educational opportunities.
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION & SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS
What is social stratification? It is the division of society into different social classes with different levels of status (i.e., power) and privilege (i.e. resources). In this country, there are 4 main classes, namely the upper class, middle class, working class, and poverty class.
Social stratification ranks people on the basis of their income, education, occupation, wealth, and power. Typically, the more education a person has, the higher their occupation and income and the higher their class status.
Social ranking (socioeconomic status or SES) determines whether or not people can enter a higher social class. For most people, upward mobility is extremely difficult as it is dependent on their status over which they have little control. Thus, in most cases, people spend the rest of their life in the particular social class into which they were born.
HOW IS A PERSON'S SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS (SES) ASCRIBED?
It is based on economic factors. The U.S. Bureau of the Census uses the following indicators to determine socioeconomic status:
INCOME
Income is the amount of money an individual earns per year.
WEALTH
Wealth represents the amount of money that a person is worth after debts are paid and all assets are converted into cash. It determines how much power and prestige a person has in society.
OCCUPATION
Occupation is what a person does for a living. It determines a person's income based on how important the occupation is to society, the qualifications required for the position, and the type of position that the person has (white collar or blue collar employment).
EDUCATION
Education represents the amount of education received. It determines a person's professional rank, income, and class status.
POWER
Power is the amount of influence and control an individual holds in society.
IMPACT OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS
Families with high socioeconomic status tend to be more successful at preparing their children for school because they can readily obtain information and access resources that promote and support the development of their children (e.g., books, toys, high-quality child care). To the contrary, families with low socioeconomic status tend to lack the financial, social, and educational resources of families with high socioeconomic status. This can negatively impact the development and learning of their children and place their children at greater risk of entering Kindergarten unprepared compared to children from families with median or high socioeconomic status.
CLASS DIFFERENCES IN U.S. SOCIETY
U.S. society is divided into five main social classes.
UPPER CLASS
The upper class is divided into 2 groups: 1) those who were born into wealth and inherited businesses and corporations; 2) those who hold prestigious high income positions and work as top level executives or professionals in banks, corporations, and the government. People from the upper class are usually well-educated (although a college degree is not essential) and they earn anywhere from $110,000.00 to several millions per year.
Wealth and/or high income are required to enter and be accepted in this class. Because of its wealth and high income, the upper class has power to influence policies and control resources. The upper class is usually off-limits to other classes. There is very little interaction between the upper class and the other classes in society.
UPPER MIDDLE CLASS
The upper middle class includes business executives and professionals such as judges, lawyers, physicians, scientists, and professors. They represent the intellectual elite of this country as they are highly educated and make $80,000.00 to over $100,000.00 per year. They have many opportunities to accumulate wealth and have some influence on policy-making.
MIDDLE CLASS
The middle class includes individuals and families who have no accumulated wealth and live from paycheck to paycheck. Middle-class families make between $40,000.00 and $79,000.00 per year. This group is subdivided into two groups: 1) those who work as professionals and managers and have some prestige and power; 2) those who are white-collar workers such as clerical workers, technicians, and salespersons. The occupation of these people typically requires a college degree and offers job security and benefits.
WORKING CLASS
The working class includes individuals who perform manual work and produce goods (e.g., operators, manufacturers, and laborers), as well as craft and precision workers. These workers receive orders from higher-ups.
They are paid an hourly rate, sometimes less than minimum wage depending on the individual's immigration status. They lack job security and do not receive benefits from the employer.
They are also divided into 2 groups, namely unskilled workers and skilled workers. Unskilled workers do work on machines. They lack job security and some of their jobs are being replaced by technology. Skilled workers have special skills, such as service workers and craft and precision workers and can sometimes earn as much as or more than white-collar employees.
POVERTY CLASS
The unemployed and homeless class includes individuals who receive minimum wage, are unemployed, or homeless. In this group, there is an overrepresentation of single mothers, and in the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase of homeless families within this group. Homelessness is linked to poverty, the lack of affordable housing, and domestic violence against women. People in this group are often blamed for their social condition, segregated and labeled as lazy. However, contrary to myth, many among this group actually do work but because they work in low-paying jobs, they cannot support their basic needs of food, lodging, and clothing.
View a video on poverty in 21st century America:
HOW DOES CLASS BACKGROUND AFFECT STUDENTS' SCHOOL EXPERIENCES & PERFORMANCE?
Class background powerfully impacts students' experiences in school, as well as their academic achievement. According to research, students who come from low-income backgrounds are at a significant disadvantage compared to students from higher income backgrounds. In particular, students from low-income backgrounds tend to:
- Lack school readiness when they start Kindergarten
- Possess less advanced cognitive, linguistic, and social skills
- Demonstrate low levels of literacy (i.e., reading and vocabulary)
- Lack resources (e.g., books, technology, and toys) that promote intellectual development
- Develop academic competencies at a slower pace
- Have low success rates in math and science
- Have high dropout rates prior to graduation
- Are less likely to attend college and graduate with a bachelors degree
Class background also determines which schools students attend. In less affluent neighborhoods, students are more likely to attend substandard schools that lack adequate funding and resources. In addition, class background may affect teachers' expectations for students. If students are perceived as "slow", teachers tend to place lower expectations on students and to teach basic concepts that require students to use lower-order thinking versus higher-order thinking.
WHAT ARE THE EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF SOCIAL CLASS BACKGROUND?
Low class status impacts the kinds of experiences that students have in school. Contrary to popular belief, in most U.S. schools, students are tracked according to class background, not ability. This means that schools prepare students for different roles in society. They reproduce the economic infrastructure of society by predominantly preparing upper middle and middle class students for white-collar employment and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, especially ethnic, racial, and language minorities, for blue-collar employment. Tracking perpetuates inequality in U.S. society.
Tracking determines the quality of education that students receive, as well as teacher expectations. In the higher tracks, higher order thinking, leadership and competitiveness are promoted; teachers have high expectations and reinforce education as the avenue to social mobility and prepare students for college. In the lower tracks, rote learning and cooperation are promoted; teachers have low expectations and reinforce education as the right of passage to entry-level positions and prepare students for vocational training and blue-collar employment.
Tracking has negative effects on how students come to view themselves and engage in learning. Students tend to equate placement with ability. Thus, in the higher tracks, students tend to have a positive self-concept and to be motivated and to achieve. In the lower tracks, students tend to have a negative self-concept and to lack motivation and to underachieve or drop out of school.
What can teachers do? Teachers should refrain from judging, stereotyping, and labeling students, whether they like them or not. It is our responsibility as teachers to provide all students with quality education and equal opportunities to achieve their fullest potential.
Teachers should hold all students to the same high expectations. When necessary, they should do multilevel teaching and use different strategies to accommodate different needs and learning styles (e.g., cooperative groups, technology). Teachers should not water down the curriculum for some students and spice it up for others. The ideal is to teach students one notch above their understanding and to challenge them to think critically and to provide them with many opportunities to learn by doing and to transfer learning into the real world.
Teachers also need to supplement curricula and textbooks as many fail to reflect diversity and thus do not provide students with a realistic picture of U.S. society or the world around them. Teachers should provide students with different cultural perspectives and interdisciplinary points of view. They should build on the cultural skills and knowledge that students learn in their communities. They should value diversity and help students to develop a positive self-concept. In particular, students from low-income backgrounds should receive greater attention in order to be effectively prepared and empowered for success.
Watch a video on engaging students:
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Information from this post may be used provided credit is given to Dominique Charlotteaux
