Category Archives: Class and Education

First-Gen or Working-Class?

Posted on October 8, 2018 by

Working-class studies scholars often complain about how some researchers use a single aspect of people’s lives – most often education — to determine their social class. Anytime we define class in one way, we oversimplify it and miss important insights … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Issues, Sherry Linkon | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Middle-Class Influence vs. Working-Class Character

Posted on September 10, 2018 by

“Jesse” is one of a cohort of 80 students sociologist Jessica Calarco observed from the 3rd through the 5th grades and then revisited in middle school for her new book, Negotiating Opportunities: How the Middle Class Secures Advantages in School.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Issues, Jack Metzgar, Working-Class Culture | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

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 →

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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 →

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