In 2014, the popular conversation about safe space in the classroom tended to mock marginalized students seeking protection. Nearly a decade later, the discourse has become protectionist toward majority students allegedly discriminated against by being informed that they benefit from racism, sexism and heterosexism. What, then, does it mean to…

This paper draws on David Harvey's theories of absolute and relational space in order to critique geographically bound school choices of the gentrified middle-class in the City of Melbourne, Australia. The paper relies on interviews with inner-city school choosers as generated by a longitudinal ethnographic school choice study. I argue that the…

Dutro discusses an analysis of the disconnect between the material realities of the lives of a group of third-grade children living in poverty and the middle-class assumptions of a district-mandated unit within a literacy curriculum. The analysis arose in the context of an ethnographic study of identity and classroom literacy practices; it was…

Since the days of the reform movements of the 1980s and 1990s, standardized testing has increased greatly in the public schools. The problem has become particularly acute in the wake of the testing mandated for accountability under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. States simply can not afford to jeopardize their federal funding. This article…

Discusses the film "American Beauty" in light of a reading of Karl Marx. Finds that the film shows the circularity which marks bourgeois society, even though the rhythm of industry and renovation of the society masks it. States that Marx praises the industry, invention, and innovation of the bourgeoisie. (BT)

Considers how the experiences of middle class minorities might alter current models of second-generation incorporation, proposing that minority middle classes share a minority culture of mobility (cultural elements responsive to distinctive problems of interracial encounters in public settings and interclass relations within minority communities).…

Fiestaware, the brightly colored dinnerware first introduced in the United States in 1936, has been a cultural phenomenon from its inception. This paper seeks to explain the extraordinary popularity of Fiestaware and to understand the role the ware occupies in U.S. popular culture. Fiestaware achieved enormous success, in spite of its introduction…

Identifies a number of the major aspects of social class that freshman composition addresses in its aims of enabling students to think and write in ways that will make them good citizens of the academic (and larger middle class) community and viable candidates for good middle class jobs upon graduation. (TB)

Addresses the beginnings of Swiss tourism, its barriers, and the development and role of transportation in mountain tourism. Considers the environmental problems caused by mountain tourism in Switzerland and provides seven teaching ideas. (CMK)

As minorities become attached to majority values and culture, they are viewed as part of the larger group, and they share its opportunities. A prolonged effort to teach cultural pluralism may not be in minority students' best interests. If America's problems are to be solved, consensus values must be rediscovered and taught. (PP)

Educational theory and practice are examined in the context of the system of values, beliefs, and moral and aesthetic judgments that are representative of society. "Aristocratic,""bourgeois," and "radical" views and influences on educational theory and practice are also discussed. (CJ)

The importance of teaching consensus values to minority group children is stressed. Public educators are urged to spend instructional time in preparing youth to share in American society and culture and in teaching mastery of the skills necessary for success, rather than to concentrate on developing cultural pluralism. (PP)

Oppositional culture theory is a widely accepted explanation for disparities in academic performance between middle class Whites and middle class African Americans. The authors make the case that oppositional culture theory has its roots in cultural deficit theory popularized in the early 1960s and present a significant body of evidence to refute…

The experiences and observations of Teacher Corps teacher interns in four different cultural settings are related. The community characteristics, social and cultural values, and coping techniques of the inservice teachers in each of these locales are described. The sites chosen for these case studies were a Native American reservation, an…

Examines the reform in England and Wales that changed the secondary school system from a selective to a comprehensive type during the period 1965-74. Discusses middle class resistance to this change. Analyzes enrollment patterns to show how the middle class retained an advantage even as the schools changed. (MJP)