Whilst the widening participation programme aims to increase the accessibility of undergraduate study for students with a lower socio-economic status, much less support is available for students wishing to progress to postgraduate study. Postgraduate study risks becoming a discipline exclusive to those from upper-middle class and upper-class…

Educational equity programs have been created to provide opportunities and resources for upward social mobility to low-SES individuals and students, students of color, historically marginalized students, and first-generation college students. This research study focused on educational equity programs recognized as the federally funded TRIO…

This article is an autoethnographical exploration of key events in the author's life that influenced, even propelled, her into academia, despite working-class cultural and economic barriers. This study chronicles moments when circumstances converged to cause dramatic shifts in perspective that steered her toward a fulfilling life as a scholar. It…

This study examines how access to academic curriculum differs between secondary schools in Australia, a country whose education system is marked by high levels of choice, privatisation and competition. Equitable access to academic curriculum is important for both individual students and their families as well as the larger society. Previous…

This essay addresses persistence and success of an underrepresented group enrolled in college who are white, working-class first-generation students. The discussion examines these college students and the challenges they face. The discussion analyzes why first-generation college students persist while others do not. Additionally, the discussion…

One of the outcomes of the "Bradley Report" (Bradley et al. 2008) is that Australian universities have a new incentive to enrol students from low socio-economic status. Consequently, a flurry of interest is growing around knowledge concerning the targeting, recruitment and retention of low socio-economic status (SES) students. Working…

Economic inequality is high and rising in a number of developed countries, including in the United Kingdom and the United States. There are growing concerns that this may have negative implications for equality of opportunity, and the extent to which social disadvantage is transmitted across generations. It is widely believed that providing…

This essay outlines several ways in which educators might better prepare young people of all backgrounds to understand, enter, and eventually act upon the changing economic landscape. The contributors to this article, which presents perspectives on social class and education in the United States, suggest that one might learn some lessons from the…

Examines the ways in which schools facilitate and reproduce structured social inequalities in Australian society. Shows that curriculum variations in state and private secondary schools produce graduates with radically different cultural orientations to school, scholarship, and social and occupational life beyond academe. Lists 35 references. (MLH)

A study at one rural community college investigated the process by which the students made decisions about their lives. Results suggest social position and class culture are a form of cultural capital in higher education, and that the community college is not organized to take advantage of working-class students' skills and knowledge, but operates…

This study examined whether replacing race-based affirmative action admissions programs with class-based programs would continue to meet the racial/ethnic diversity goals of higher education, with the added benefit of helping poor and working class white students. Data from three National Center for Education Statistics databases were analyzed to:…