Tag Archives: Education

Just Not Posh Enough? Social Mobility and the “Class Ceiling”

Posted on July 6, 2015 by

This autumn marks twenty-five years since I went to college at Durham University in the North-East of England. Durham is the third oldest university in England, and one of its colleges is housed in the Norman castle on top of … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Issues, The Working Class and the Economy, Tim Strangleman | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Our Overeducated Workforce: Who Benefits?

Posted on September 29, 2014 by

There are two “college jobs” (jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree) for every three “college graduates” (people 25 or older with a bachelor’s degree). What’s more, according to projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this will not change much in … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Issues, Jack Metzgar | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

The Culture of Success

Posted on September 22, 2014 by

This semester I am teaching a freshman seminar on the college novel. We started with This Side of Paradise, Fitzgerald’s bizarre, Princeton-set contribution to the genre. The main character, Amory Blaine, starts life in Minneapolis with many material advantages. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Issues, Kathy M. Newman, Working-Class Culture | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Adjuncts, Class, and Fear

Posted on September 23, 2013 by

The biggest obstacle to organizing adjunct (part-time and full-time non-tenure-track) professors, who now comprise 75% of the faculty in higher education, with part-timers working for $2700 per course on average  — is fear.  Most people assume that adjuncts fear retribution … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, Labor and Community Activism | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Back-to-School Blues: Moving Kids from Playgrounds to Workstations

Posted on September 16, 2013 by

The end of summer:  back to school, back to work.  No more play — at least that’s what the usual end of vacation and the resumption of routine mean. Aside from the return of football, play seems pretty low on … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Changing Working Class

Posted on November 19, 2012 by

In the old progressive narrative of American culture, everyone would do better over time. The son of a miner with an 8th grade education would graduate from high school, and even if he got an industrial job, stronger unions and … Continue reading →

Posted in Class at the Intersections, Contributors, Issues, Sherry Linkon, Understanding Class | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Vandals in a Steel City School District

Posted on October 8, 2012 by

If you weren’t sure, let me remind you, Pittsburgh is a 21st century city that still has a rusty, bricked out, working-class soul. I know this because I live here, but also because I finally saw the agit-prop-weepy that is … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Class and the Media, Contributors, Issues, Kathy M. Newman | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments