The author Patrick Finn argues in "Literacy with an Attitude" that the quality of education is distinctly different across different social and economic classes.
Reading this piece, it opened my eyes to even more ways that showcase the correlation between income and educational access. I work in a predominantly working class school like the one in this chapter. I can see connections from the text to the students and the learning environment in school. Being a nurse, I am not in the class room and cannot attest to the curriculum and standards being held, but from what I do hear from students is that they feel like they are not learning things, they are just being taught how to do something, which aligns with the results from Anyon's study.
I grew up in a middle class neighborhood. Working in the school that I do, I see so many differences from the education I received. There was structure and rules and rewards for succeeding. They pushed us to do more and be good. Coming into this new district, it seems as though they don't expect much from these kids so they don't require much. It works for some students, but it undermines their abilities and doesn't encourage them to strive for bigger goals.
It is shocking that this book was published in the 90's and the study that is mentioned was from years before that. The differences in education between the classes, still parallel to this day. The same principles and teaching structures for the 4 different classes are still in effect and clearly not going away any time soon. We are still teaching less to working class children under the assumption and bias that the "don't care enough to try."
In the city of Providence, you are not allowed to give students an F or fail them. In high school, teachers are able to give students, that would be considered failing, an incomplete. This gives them the opportunity to make it up, usually with an online course, in the future. In some cases, students are passed along to the next year without the previous year. It helps to decrease the drop out rate of students but it sets some kids up for failure in the end.
Hi Tori, Really enjoyed your post. You make some really interesting observations that shed more light on Finn's arguments. It was fascinating to read about the comments students share with you about their learning. I imagine in your role you earn student's trust and provide a safe space for students to openly share their observations about school life. Thank you also for sharing the policies that Providence has regarding students who are struggling with grades. I had no idea this existed and found your comments insightful Again, Great post!
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