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 Social class and effects on educational outcomes. 
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What are ways in which social class might have an effect on educational outcomes? This is a question we addressed in class and I figured we could continue the discussino online. I think social class definately has an effect on educational outcome in some peoples lives. I am not sure exactly what social class I am, either working class or middle class. All I know is that my parents worked everyday to provide for us and that they always encouraged me to do good in school so that I could get a better job then they had. Both my parents are high school graduates who went to the factory after high school. My mother has worked at the same factory for over 20 years and has gradually worked her way up. I think your educational outcome has a lot to do with your parents and how they raise you. I was never upper class, and dont really consider my family middle class since my parents worked hard for everything we had. We always had food on the table to my knowledge, and my dad was willing to work two jobs to put me through community college. Growing up my mom and dad wouldnt allow me to bring home a "C" on a report card, if i did, there were consequences, and I guess there drive to see me succeed is the reason I am here in college today. So whats your story?

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Chaise L. Swisher


Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:29 pm
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I had it pretty similar growing up. My parents worked all the time, my dad usually until really late as long as I can remember. It wasn't until I got to high school that I realized how not-so well off we were. I have a strong relationship with my family and I think my parents would always give us what we wanted to show that we really were well off, they didn't want me or my brother to know that we were having financial problems. It's kinda crazy know to think about it. To this day it's still pretty similar but my whole family has worked for what we have now. My parents always encouraged me to do my absolute best and were always actively involved in my education, and still are today. Sometimes I wonder why they chose to hide the fact that maybe we weren't as stable as I thought we were. They treated my brother and I as if we were upper-middle class. I think that's why when I got to high school the whole "class" thing didn't bother me. I never really knew what class I was in..I would say middle/working class, but it is just amazing to see how people sometimes hide things or do things to show that they are of a higher class...it is almost like a popularity contest. I think society definitely plays a huge role in that...what is and isn't acceptable.

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Jenna Perry


Wed Feb 13, 2008 3:39 pm
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I definitely agree with both of you. My parents have worked 5 days a week every week except vacations since i can remember. Both of my parents graduated high school and both went on and graduated from community colleges. All through growing up I know my parents both had good and stable jobs and for the most part I never had to worry about finances. My family definitely falls somewhere in the middle class, and we are not "well off" by any means, but as many people say we are comfortable. Although my parents both had good jobs, they both worked their butts off for our family so we could have a comfortable life style, and as Chaise said wanted something better for me. My parents always pushed me to do the best i could and as well as Chaise said were dissaspointed in me if i didnt bring home all A's and B's. So with social class and my parents both working so hard and wanting a better life for me than they had, it did affect my education. I worked as hard as i could and always strived to get the best grades possible. So answering Chaise's question social class did have an impact on my education.

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Preston Bridges


Wed Feb 13, 2008 5:25 pm
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My "social class" definitely had an impact on my education. Since I am hearing impaired, it was unlikely that I would do well in school. However, since my family had made its way into being "middle class," my parents were able to afford hearing aids for me. If we had been less fortunate, I would not have been able to get them at such an early age. If I hadn't got them when I did, I would in no way be where I am now. Even if we had been "poorer," insurance (if we had had it!) does not cover hearing aids, because the government does not think that it is essential. Even after I got them, it was thought that I wouldn't do well in school because it takes so much energy/focus to concentrate on hearing/learning, but because my parents put a value on education, I was encouraged to succeed. My dad works, and my mom takes care of the house/all of us, so having someone there always checking your homework and asking questions about the school day really helped as well.

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Megan Van Hoy


Wed Feb 13, 2008 9:04 pm
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Social class for sure plays a role when talking about how children are educated. I am not so worried, however, about how it effected my own education. I am more concerned with the ways in which social class is going to effect my students. The values related to education are different for each social class. As most people in our class have exemplified, middle class values generally hold education up as an avenue of advancement. It is expected by most middle class families that the child will attend high school, graduate, and attend some institution of post-secondary education. This is not the same value held in the other classes however.
For example, the parents in the lower class generally teach their children, though not necessarily by verbally stating it, that education is not something that should be seen as highly important. Since most "good" jobs require some level of post-secondary education and that is not a goal that most people in the lower class see as attainable, children raised in a lower class home do not see furthering their education as applicable to their lives.
Similarly, differences exist in the way the upper class views education. Like the prestige attained by attending an Ivy League university, education is all about pedigree. More than likely, for the highest of the upper class, the lives and futures of students has been laid out for them by their parents whoes legecy they will have to carry on.
It is these differences in the way education is viewed by parents and students that I think will be the biggest struggle for us as teachers.


Thu Feb 14, 2008 1:51 am
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I agreee that social class effects education because if your family is lower class then more than likely you will be sent to a public school. There sometimes teachers can't focus on just one student at all times. But if you are upper class, you could be sent to private school which can afford more time spent on one student at a time because classes are smaller sizes.

I went to a public school for all my life and I have absolutely no complaints. I always grew up thinking that we had money all the time and that we were fine, but as I got older I realized that was not the case. That my parents were always watching their money. Both my parents are teachers, dad is middle school and mom did teach local community college but now she is on disability. So I would say if we are lucky we would be lower middle class, but sometimes I wonder.

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Jo Beth Pruitt


Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:42 am
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I feel like social class definitely affects educational outcomes, whether kids from a higher social class attend private or public schools. It seems like kids that come from families with money get special priveleges in school. Often, they get extra attention or help because teachers and administrators feel that they must impress their parents because they have money. When applying for college, students with money usually take precedence over the ones who do not. I think that each student should be treated equally regardless of what social status they come from. No one picks what type of family they are born into, so they shouldn't be judged based on their family's financial situation or reputation in the community.

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brandivannoy


Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:16 pm
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I can't help but see social class effecting educational outcome. The most obvious example that I see has to do with the tax strycturing. As we all know funds for public schools are apportioned and appropriated funds based on the property taxes of their school districts. So if you live in a wealthy white neighborhood then the school your child will attend will get more state and local funding than others. So obviously social class does effect educational outcome.

Andrew Ellis


Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:51 pm
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Social class has a major impact on educational outcomes, in my opinion. I know I've mentioned that my boyfriend was not as fortunate, financially, as others when he was growing up, and it had a major influence on his education for quite some time. He didn't learn how to read until he was in 3rd grade. It's almost as if his teachers just didn't care, but simply just passed him along regardless of his educational progress. I can't help but think that his social class had an influence on this.

But on a happier note, he and his six brothers have all gone to college and majored in like, environmental chemistry or some other really technical major!

Another thing I've noticed is money allotted to different schools. One thing that always made me mad was that the high school I went to spent their money on ridiculous things. I went to school by Lake Norman, and our school was given a lot of money and instead of buying computers for the classrooms or other necessary things like calculators, they would buy new welcome mats and fish tanks....that was always just ridiculous to me when there are schools that have almost nothing.

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Laura Serio


Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:55 pm
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I also agree that social class does have an effect on educational outcomes. I see an example of this in the town where I am from. My high school was smaller, built in the 1950s, and didn't have as many honors/A.P. classes than the other high school in our town. The other high school was in the better side of town, I guess you could say, near the country club. Some people that lived in the district for my high school would move before their kids got to 9th grade or start driving their kids to the other high school everyday, just so their kid could go to the "better" school. I feel like the education I received from my high school was fine, but I guess others in my town don't see it that way.

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Mallory Beck


Fri Feb 15, 2008 1:27 pm
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Being from Wake County definitely shows me how social class can effect educational outcomes. I guess I was just naive, but I really didn't realize how lucky I was until I came to college. My high school is arguably one of the best in the state (people actually sometimes roll their eyes when I say I went to Enloe). I worked with students from Watauga, Avery and Ashe counties this summer in the Upward Bound program and I think this was really the first time I got to see how different things can be for different people.
I was really proud of most of my students this summer because they were highly motivated, smart and willing to do whatever it took to get a good high school experience. Most of them were looking forward to going to college and weren't going to let their financial difficulties stand in their way. It is amazing to see how dedicated these kids are to their education and to their peers' education.
It was also amazing to hear their stories about socializing at school. Some of my students were bullied because of their clothes, others were struggling with depression and unhealthy habits, and others were perfectly happy. Never have a I met so many different types of people in my life and I am SO grateful for the experience I had with my students this summer.
I think everyone needs to have an experience like this to show them how great people can be and how, despite their social class, people can rise above and be incredibly successful.

Meaghan Dunham
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Mon Feb 18, 2008 12:57 am
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I guess that I was pretty fortunate in my education even though I grew up extremely poor. My parents both have college educations and the reason for our poverty was from an extended and horrible illness in my family. Teachers at school knew what was going on with my family and everyone always pushed me to do well... I guess that I am the very unconventional story in that aspect. I tested really high and I was only in my regular class half days in elementary school; I spent the other half with a class from a grade above my own. I know that education is effected by social class, but I wonder how much is just someone's prejudices against certain students?


Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:47 am
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I think that you make a great point Elisabeth. As humans we are very quick to judge others. As educators it is so important that we don't place expectations on students. Even though statistics will show that lower funded schools don't test as well, this doesn't mean that every student that comes from a lower economic background cannot be successful. This worries me that I might categorize my students without being aware that I am.

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Keara Seiler


Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:01 pm
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I am glad I was able to hear some stories in your lives, it helps us get to know each other better. So as we concluded social class does effect your educational outcome, and it does affect how some teachers treat you in the class room. I guess the point behind all of this is to make sure we don't make the same mistakes when we step in the class room.

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Chaise L. Swisher


Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:14 am
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I totally saw the effects of "social class" during my education. Luckily I was very fortunate but some of my peers were not so lucky. My family has a "prominent" last name in our small town and my mom actually works at the Board of Education so it seemed as though I was slipped through and got away with almost anything...I remember several occasions in elementary school when I did things that most children would have gotten into trouble for but I was simply exempt from punishment. Obviously I am not proud of this behavior at all but it was the truth. All too often children from lower class families are firmly punished when wealthier children are exempt from it all together.
Being a "snotty high schooler" I used this treatment to my advantage all the time as I would have teachers and janitors do things for me as turn on the soda machine so I could get a drink that others were not allowed to get, or even have them call in orders for me during lunch. Since coming to college I have come to terms about how terrible these behaviors seem...and honestly I have really changed. Here at ASU no one knows who my parents are, no one knows how much money they make… I am just another person that receives the same treatment as everyone else which is how it should be and how it should have been since the beginning of my education.

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Jayme Fox


Thu Feb 21, 2008 11:29 am
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I completely agree with Andy’s statement about tax dollars and school funding. This greatly affects education. Student’s who go to a “higher classâ€

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Allyson Chambers


Fri Feb 22, 2008 3:03 pm
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I thought about this topic this morning when I was having breakfast with some of my friends who went to a different high school....

They were talking about how they had to pay to take AP testing. AP standing for the advanced placement (the one above honors). I was shocked....In my high school, if you were in an AP class, you took the test for free. I didn't even KNOW it cost money. Apparently, their school was not given the funds, because it was in such a "poor" area. They could take one test for free, and all the others cost 90 dollars. Apparently the idea, or at least this is they way the school made it seem to the students, was that they wouldn't be able to past the tests anyways so if they could afford to take it then they could but if not, why waste their money....

I thought that was extremely sad. Has anyone else heard of this?

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Laura Serio


Sun Feb 24, 2008 12:44 pm
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Oh defiantly Laura, that's the way my high school was. We got one test free and the others we had to pay for. But our school was so incredibly diverse it didn't really matter because if you were in those AP/IB classes, you could afford those tests. That was the biggest factor in our school, we had a strong middle to upper middle class group that all ended up in classes together like all the higher level classes. And then there was the majority of the "lower class" students that took regular classes. I never really took any of these regular classes, because the one that I did bored me endlessly. Because of the teacher having to deal with the behavioral problems of students I basically slept through the entire class and easily made an A because the assignment were geared towards these lower classes that didn't have any experience in technology. I'm not sure if it's more the teacher's fault for not expecting more of the students, the students fault for not expecting much of themselves, or the parent/guardian's fault for not expecting and pushing their children more. But it was obvious when I took those lower level classes that the expectations were much lower than the AP/IB classes I normally took.


Sun Feb 24, 2008 3:22 pm
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We did not have to pay for AP testing at my high school. I remember reading something about the fee in one of those AP prep books, but we didn't have to pay.

However, I was just informed by my roommate that students now do have to pay for AP testing, about $75. Wow.

I think some people would take AP classes anyway even if they couldn't afford it because it looks good on your transcript. Out of all my AP classes, I'd say maaaaybe 2 or 3 were "lower" middle class or "poorer".

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Megan Van Hoy


Mon Feb 25, 2008 6:50 pm
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The stories about how some LEA's charge for testing in AP courses and some LEA's don't just proves how diverse social class can be on education. I was tired of going to 'Special Schools' because of my disabilities, so I took the entrance exam at a Technical / Vocational High School and my scores were good enough to get into a Drafting Program. This was still not the 'Classical Education' I wanted, but it was not a challenged school. s a student, I never thought about costs, placements tests, or availability. I just wanted to be able to be normal, little did I realize then it's a relative term. When I became a parent, and my son developed epilepsy, did I learn how hard it was to fight to be normal. My son wanted to attend the same classes as his friends, he wanted the same teacher that he knew, and wanted to be able to grow with his classmates. The principal of the school tried so hard to have Michael sent to special classes. His grades were just as well as the other students, but because of his disability, he was to be sent elsewhere. I fought for him and won, but I also now realize that if not for the support of his teachers, other parents, and local medical personnel, he would have lost out on some great moments during the last few years of his life. Promise me as teachers to look at your students as people and not a cost analysis or a social hindrance.
Many of my friends from high school believed I was just one of them, it was the administration, parents, and teachers who sometimes saw me as different. Many students, regardless of economic status, race, faith, or abilities want to face the same challenges as their peers.

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Robert W. Triplett


Tue Feb 26, 2008 11:40 am
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