Argues that the issues of good teaching practice and professionalism are at risk of becoming marginalized in the developing market culture. Finds that a growing compliance of schools to middle-class parents may result in the overriding of teachers' professional judgments that do not mirror the perceived requirements of these "valued"…

Concerned about working-class failure, argues that recent (British) government policies have insufficiently considered sociological studies on how social class affects educational success or failure. Social-inclusion policies must address forms of middle-class self-exclusion from mainstream public education as well as working-class social…

This paper describes an agenda for expanding interest and motivation among sixth-grade foreign language students in a middle-class suburban community located in northeastern Illinois. The problem was originally noted by the teaching staff/researchers who found students unable to focus and maintain attention during class. Administration of surveys…

Interviews with 209 African Americans in a number of United States cities are the basis for a discussion of the black middle-class experience. Although middle-class African Americans appear to have secured the promises of the American dream, conversations make it apparent that they have experienced discrimination and hatred from Whites. The…

A study compared the oral and written language concepts of preschoolers from low- and middle-income homes. Subjects, 33 4-year-olds from 3 separate Head Start programs and 31 4-year-olds from three different private schools, were administered 9 informal language assessments in the fall and again in the spring. Parents of the subjects were…

As part of a series of hearings on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the House Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education convened a hearing in Chicago, Illinois, in order to hear the recommendations of those who work directly in higher education. The witnesses testified on students loans, the difference between grants and…

This study compared the concepts of oral and written language of 4-year-old, preschool children from low- and middle-class homes. Subjects were 64 children from 3 preschools serving families at poverty level, and 3 preschools serving middle-income families. Children's understanding of the function of print was measured by three tasks: recognizing…

The thesis of this paper is that constructivism and similar pedagogic formulations are problematic because: (1) being nondialectical they close off possibilities for dialogue about issues such as those discussed in this paper; and (2) they are embedded in forms of discourse which privilege middle-class culture, values, language, and ways of…

This newsletter issue focuses on the roles played by higher education finance and student financial aid in ensuring broad access to higher education. Specifically, the report discusses trends in family income and college costs that affect the need for student aid. The report finds that income remains a primary determinant of students' educational…

Instructional practices and social climates of 62 preschool and kindergarten programs serving poor and middle-class children were observed. Analyses revealed strong relationships between the nature of instruction and the social climate. Programs were divided into three types: (1) didactic programs, in which academic skills were stressed in a…

Focusing on the acquisition of science processes, a study was made of the relationship of acculturation and social class to cognitive development among 1,677 lower and lower middle class students enrolled in the public high schools of three rural, 11 semi-urban, and three urban communities. Acculturation was defined at the community level in terms…

This document reports on teaching in culturally diverse classrooms from the perspective of mainstream classroom teachers. In-depth interviews with 36 California teachers on the challenges of diverse classrooms elicited their views of a teacher's role, descriptions of curriculum and pedagogy, and stories of the personal development that led to…

With the large-scale movement of middle-class Blacks to the suburbs over the last two decades, the enrollment of Blacks in suburban public and private schools has risen sharply. Using the Black population of Dallas as a target group, the effect of neighborhood attributes and changing family and urban characteristics on the destinations of Blacks…

Lower-class black street corner behavior is present in the inner city and in nonschool settings. This language and behavior is misunderstood by middle-class whites, especially teachers, to the point that effective communications are seriously hampered in urban schools. Efforts to educate minority students will fail significantly until teachers and…

This cross-cultural study of social class and parent involvement in schools brings together data from Boston, Massachusetts, Liverpool, England, and Portugal. Interviews conducted with 350 teachers and low income parents sought to understand the nature and extent of the contacts between schools and families. The perspective was that children grow…