Chapter 1 - Middle-Class Schools

Summary

• Although most African American families are above the poverty line, most of the African American students are below the poverty line. This is due to the number of children in the families. The average African American family below the poverty line has more children than the average African American family above the poverty line.
• Very few African American families are middle class (income above $50,000 per year).
• In many African American families, the father is not present.
• Poverty-level and working-class families do not have resources that middle class families have - transportation, books, technology, education, etc.
• The poverty-level and working-class adults suffer from lower levels of education. Giving homework that requires parental involvement could be difficult for these families. Additionally, the IEP meeting is intimidating for those with low amounts of education.
• Delaying gratification is a skill that many poverty-level and working class students do not have. This affects going to school for 13 years to receive a high school diploma, going to college for a bachelor's degree, and attending graduate school for a master's level degree.

Commentary

I feel that poverty-level and working-class families are very different from the teachers and school administrators that serve them. Many middle-class teachers might not make consider the ways that homework is perceived and resolved in various types of homes. Additionally, the general perception of the school will be unintentionally affected by these social differences. It is our jobs as educators to teach all students regardless of level of income. To become better, effective educators, we must begin to practice reflection and observation of the effects that socioeconomic status and/or race play on cognition.