Education and social class - Essay Example

Education and social class Introduction Education and social class are closely entwined and affect one another in equal measure. The quality of education obtained can determine the mobility on the social class ladder (Field and Morgan-Klein, 2013). The social class, on the other hand, also determines the quality of education one obtains. The families that are up the social ladder can afford to give their children better education and they, in turn, can offer their children better education. A self-perpetuating cycle involving one’s social class and the quality of education is, thus, formed (Brown, 2013). This paper explores the connection between social class and education quality. It does so by showing the class differences between public and private high schools and colleges. Education and Class Education is an integral element of social class (John-Henderson et al, 2013). Individuals at the highest strata are better placed to attain higher quality education. The opposite holds too. These individuals from high social classes attend private schools and later join prestigious elite colleges where they are empowered to secure the most rewarding jobs when they graduate (Boundless.com, 2014). The assumption here is that the private high schools and the prestigious colleges and universities guarantee good job opportunities. Therefore, the people from the upper social class have a higher probability of securing high-paying job opportunities than their low-class counterparts. People from the high social class have the means to attend prestigious schools (Archer, Hutchings and Ross, 2003). People from the low-class cannot attend these elite schools because they charge a fortune. For instance, an average college may charge US $25,000 per academic year while a prestigious college, such as Dartmouth College or Yale University, may charge nearly four times the amount. Given that the average American earns US $ 40,000 it becomes hard for most of the people to afford it (Fields and Morgan-Klein, 2013). High social class people also have the privilege of knowing where opportunities exist (Joyner, 2012). They have the relevant information to take advantage of the opportunities. For instance, high-class people may understand the procedure of applying for the prestigious schools which students from the low-class may not. As a result, they have a higher chance of being accepted in these prestigious schools and receive high quality education. According to Joyner (2012), education has always been perceived as the stepping stone towards crossing the social class boundaries. Most of the governments in the world have put systems in place and complementing policies to see to it that all the people, regardless of their social class, attain at least the basic education. The presumption is that education is the agent of change that enables the bridging of the gap between the people in the lower social class and higher social classes (Archer, Hutchings and Ross, 2003). Getting a good education enables one to secure employment opportunities and the resultant steady flow of income enables social progress. However, there is a strong counterargument to this assertion. The argument is that, contrary to popular belief, education does not aid in upward social mobility but rather aids in widening the gap between the rich and the poor (Joyner, 2012). The rich access high quality education and give the same to their children. The lower-class people cannot afford this. Furthermore, substantial amounts of the lower class students who get into the prestigious schools and are not on scholarships find themselves greatly indebted after completion of their studies (Brown, 2013; Joyner, 2012). These students spend significant parts of their lives servicing their debts and, therefore, do not get the opportunity to improve their social status as many people believe. In fact, due to the interest rates and changing economic times, the student who schooled on loaned money ends up paying more for his education. The gap between the percentage of the lower class citizens and the high class citizens who access higher education is ever so widening (John-Henderson et al, 2013). Two decades ago, the difference was 31%, currently the difference in percentage stands at 45% (Joyner, 2012). Both the rich and the poor have improved their chances of graduating from high schools and colleges, but the high-class have recorded more improvement than those from the lower-classes. Therefore, instead of eroding the social barriers, education, actually, strengthen these barriers and impedes upward mobility (Brown, 2013). The reasons advanced for the widening gap include the ever-increasing income among the high class individuals, fewer supporting personnel among the lower-income individuals and increased cost of higher education. The cost of accessing university education has increased considerably in the last two decades, recording more than 60% increase (Fields and Mora-Klein, 2013). This makes it even harder for high school graduates from the lower social class to access higher education. Class differences in educational institutions There are gaping differences between the education institutions people from the different social classes attend (Fields and Morgan-Klein, 2013). There is an even wider difference between their performances in these institutions. Students from the higher classes are taken to private high schools and later prestigious colleges and universities such as the Ivy League institutions since they can afford it. Students from the lower social classes cannot afford the same and, thus, can only join the local colleges (Archer, Hutchings and Ross, 2003). The presumption is that private institutions and the prestigious colleges offer higher education quality which, in turn, improves one’s prospects of having a good life. The private schools are said to offer high quality education in the sense that most of them have small admission numbers and so the care is more personalized than in public schools (Boundless.com, 2014). The average number of students per class in public institutions in the US is 40 while that of a private institution stands at 20 (Joyner, 2012). Also, since the students pay a fortune to obtain the education, private high schools are better placed to source the best teachers in the field. The probability of the private school students getting the best education using the best practices is enhanced. This, however, is contestable. There are arguments that the best qualified teachers are actually those who are employed by the government. Even though statistics show otherwise, scholars on education matters argue that the students in public schools get the best education and are not as half-baked as those from private schools who are taught primarily for the purpose of excelling academically and getting highly rewarding jobs (John-Henderson et al, 2013). This is untrue since the private schools have the necessary financial resources to offer the same educational facilities as the public schools. As for colleges, most prestigious colleges employ a sink-or-swim approach which demands that the students do their best in education (Joyner, 2012). Such students’ propensity to succeed is higher than that of those who attended community colleges. Community colleges have a different approach altogether that does not inspire excellence. These colleges intend to help all the students to achieve a better life. According to Field and Morgan-Klein (2013), their approach is communal and the majority of the students are not even college material. As a result, the majority of the students (51%) do not graduate; they do not learn with the passion that inspires one to continue with their education. Most of them quit their pursuit of education and start working or decide to study part-time (Joyner, 2012). The differences in social classes also manifest themselves in academic performances. There are a significant number of lower class students who attend the elite colleges or private high schools and enable comparison. Students from lower social classes do not fare better than their counterparts from the higher social classes (John-Henderson et al, 2013). Research indicates that the students from the high social classes have an average of four grades higher than students from low social class (Joyner, 2012). The gap is higher than the racial gap in education that shows that the whites are averagely three grades higher in academic performance than their black counterparts (Joyner, 2012). The gap in education brought about by income disparities is, therefore, more fatal than those brought about by racial differences (Archer, Hutchings and Ross, 2003). The high-class people are continuing to get richer while those at the opposite end continue getting poorer by the day. In 1990, a high class family at the ninetieth percentile had quadrupled the income earned by a family in the other end of the spectrum at the tenth percentile. Right now, the difference between these two points is ten times (Joyner, 2012). This shows that despite improved education, income disparities are still widening. Even if the people from the lower social class access the quality education by attending good schools, there are still many factors that hold them back and prevent them from achieving the upward social mobility as anticipated in an ideal situation (Brown, 2013). Good Schools and Social Status The underlying characteristic that defines good schools is that they are generally those that offer the best chance for one to secure highly rewarding jobs (Fields and Morgan-Klein, 2013). Whether these good schools are private or public, community or elite is still debatable. The bottom line is a good school has competent teachers who are adequately qualified. They are disciplined in what they do and have a passion for the same (Boundless.com, 2014). The schools also have numerous extracurricular activities to help students grow and develop outside academic setting. Lastly, there is a great deal of parental involvement and a focus on the students’ personal development. Unlike other schools, the best schools make a conscious effort at making their students discover and have a sense of purpose in life (Fields and Morgan-Klein, 2013). Due to these characteristics, attending a good school definitely influences one’s social status as it affects outcome (Brown, 2013). First, most of these schools are used to enrolling students from well off families. Therefore, even if one is not from a high social class, for example when one is from the middle class, he or she still gets treated or viewed as a high social class person because the majority of the students are high social class persons. The social status is influenced by virtue of association (John-Henderson et al, 2013). Secondly, a good school offers the best prospects of landing a good job (Joyner, 2012). A student schooling in an Ivy League school has a better chance of landing a high paying job than a student schooling in a local community college. The name of the attended institution counts just as much as the pursued course and other qualifications (Archer, Hutchings and Ross, 2003). The institution attended affects the employment opportunity a student may have. The employment opportunities, in turn, may affect one’s fortunes and consequently their capacity to invoke upward mobility or strengthen their positions in the high social class (Brown, 2013). Lastly, there is an upcoming trend where some firms recruit employees exclusively from a particular school (Boundless.com, 2014). For instance, a law firm may opt to recruit only those people who have graduated from Harvard Law School. Therefore, going to a good school may avail one an opportunity to progress in life. There are others who argue that the name of the institution is not important and will not define one’s social status as long as the educational curriculum is the common denominator (Fields and Morgan-Klein, 2013). They argue that knowledge is universal and should not be considered on the basis of where it was imparted. This argument’s fault is that it fails to acknowledge the differences in resources and approach that different schools take and that are crucial in determining one’s level of understanding and performance of the tasks they are trained for. Therefore, the reputation of the institution shall determine one’s fortune in life and this shall, in turn, determine their social status and define their ability to move from one social status to another (John-Henderson et al, 2013). Conclusion As is evident, education and social class are deeply intertwined. The social class influences the quality of education that one can get in that it influences the availability of the means and know-how to attain this high quality education. Education, on the other hand, influences social class in that if one gets quality education and secures rewarding jobs then there is the potential for one to move across the social class continuum. It was also ascertained that the people from the high social class are more likely to enroll their children in private high schools and elite institutions of higher learning in the hope that they will get higher quality opportunities and have better prospects of finding good jobs. Attending good schools, therefore, affects one social status and upward social mobility. References Archer, L., Hutchings, M., and Ross, A. (2003). Higher education and social class: Issues of exclusion and inclusion. London: Routledge. Boundless.com (2014). Education. Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/sociology/understanding-stratification-inequality-and-social-class-in-the-u-s/consequences-of-social-class/education/ Brown, P. (2013). Education, opportunity and the prospects for social mobility. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 34(6), 678-700. Field, J., Morgan-Klein, N. (2013). Reappraising the importance of class in higher education entry and persistence. Studies on the Education of Adults, 45(2), 162-176. John-Henderson, N., Jacobs, E., Mendoza-Denton, R., and Francis, D. (2013). Wealth, health and the moderating role of implicit social class bias. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 45(2), 173-179. Joyner, J. (2012). Social class ad higher education. Retrieved from http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/social-class-and-higher-education/ Read More