Category Archives: Class and Education

We Need a Working-Class Ranking System

Posted on May 14, 2018 by

Lists that rank U.S. colleges are everywhere these days.  You can find images of the “most beautiful” or “safest” campuses on Facebook.  Every major news magazine seems to have its own rankings system.  All of this started with US News … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, Understanding Class | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Low Cotton: A Class on Class

Posted on February 19, 2018 by

I have never picked cotton, but my mother has. She is the youngest of seven children, one of only two who finished high school. My granddaddy was a Scots-Irish sharecropper plowing Georgia red clay. He never owned his own home. … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Food Insecurity and the Costs of College

Posted on November 13, 2017 by

Today, more than 500 colleges and universities belong to the College and University Food Bank Alliance (CUFBA).  When I spoke at the annual Food Pantry Conference, hosted by U-Michigan-Dearborn this year, I met an amazing group of people from a … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Miseducation and the Working Class

Posted on November 6, 2017 by

A couple of weeks ago my daughter passed the ‘Kent Test’, the exam ten year olds in my area sit in order to stream them for their secondary education. In our town, the options are stark.  Those who pass, like … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Issues, Tim Strangleman | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Budgets and Values: How Republican Cuts to College Loan Forgiveness Will Harm the Working-Class

Posted on October 16, 2017 by

This summer, a Pew Research report attracted significant attention in media, policy, and academic circles because it revealed that for the first time, a majority of conservative Republicans believe college is hurting our country. The report reflects a political climate … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

For-Profit Colleges: Rough Times Ahead for Working-Class Students

Posted on January 30, 2017 by

With the promoter of the now disgraced “Trump University” at the helm of the federal government for the next 4 years, we are likely to see for-profit companies playing a bigger role in higher education.  But history shows us that … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, The Working Class and the Economy | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Shakespeare and Working-Class Students: The Value of Irrelevance

Posted on October 10, 2016 by

In these tough times for higher education, English departments almost routinely begin each year reviewing grim reports of decreasing numbers of majors.  This sparks hand-wringing, soul-searching, and the inevitable conclusion that we must “market ourselves better” to show the “practical” … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues | Tagged , | Leave a comment