g style (26-27) and that “informal education”—which occurs outside of a formal school setting (mostly in the home) and is different in every family and subculture—causes differences in the way children learn (34). In their essay “Social Class and Education,” Brookover and Gottlieb refer to studies done by sociologists and educators that indicate that “eventual expression of talent” (Chilcott, 264) is affected by the ways parents rear their children, and that the expectations and attitudes of parents affect their children’s achievements in school. Researchers found that more middle-class parents have higher expectations and goals for their kids than parents of lower-class children, and that children from higher class families typically have higher IQs, GPAs, and test scores than kids from lower-class families (Chilcott, 264-65). Higher-class kids also are more often found in high academic tracks than lower-class kids are (Oakes, 64-65; Spring, 83). MacLeod pointed out that the reason many parents of lower-class kids don’t set high educational goals for their children is because they don’t want their kids to be disappointed if they don’t achieve those goals (it is assumed by the parents that the kids probably can’t reach high goals).In other low-class families, success in school is a priority and parents encourage their kids to work hard, but lack the knowledge, experience, finances, and “connections” necessary to actually help their children move up in the world. For instance, a middle-class father who is an environmental engineer with a college degree in environmental science can help his daughter with her science classes and science projects. He probably can afford to buy her books, magazines, and other resources (in addition to the ones her school supplies) that will help her learn more about that area of study. If she decides she would like ...
