Social Class and Education

Sami Armstrong

Professor Young

ENGW 1100_3J

September 24th, 2015

After reading Jean Anyon article, “Social class and the hidden curriculum of work”, I can agree with the author's point of view that an area's income determines the type of education a school district receives, but then I also disagree because that is not always the case in some necessaries. Jean Anyon article informs the readers of the different areas that are determined by income and how that contributes to the type of education that area receives. Jean Anyon analyzed the Working class, Middle class, Affluent Profession schools and the Executive Elite schools and analyzed the difference in the behavior of the students and the teachers. Also how the class is set up, the attitudes toward learning different subjects and how each class is different from one another. I agree with Jean Anyon that your location depends on the type of education a student receives, but then again I disagree because in my own experience I went to a prominent school in a poor/middle class neighborhood, where our school was #1 in my city and we were at the top with other prominent schools in New jersey.

In other words, I agree that the location and income plays a role to the type of education is given in a specific community. In the article some scholars pointed out that, “different types of educational experience and curriculum knowledge to students in different social classes.” (Anyon 1). In this quote it is evident that social class plays a part in the type of education you will receive. The higher your social class, the better the curriculum in the schools will be. However, I can disagree with this in my own personal experience. In Newark, New Jersey where there are majority Public schools for the students. These Public schools have old, out dated books, lack of control and bad curriculum for the students. This is different from the school I attended in High School. I attended North Star High School in Newark, New Jersey. A school that was surrounded by other bad Public Schools. We stood out because we were a charter High School. We had books, good teachers, one of the best curriculum a school can have and in the end it showed we were different than all the other High schools in my area because we were the number one High school in my city. I am from a poor/middle class neighborhood, but yet I went to a prominent school that was better then some white schools in New Jersey. From my own personal experience, this is why I agree and disagree that your location determines your education.