The Influence of Social Class on Education

For my pre-proposal, I will focus on the influence of social class on the education of American children. I will be examining social class as determined by economic status, level of education completed, and occupation, and how its influence and the resources stemming from it determine how much education a child will pursue. Is it very important for one to go to a four-year university? What encourages pursuing a graduate degree? Is it necessary to complete high school? Is education pursued for professional reasons or out of a sense of obligation either to family or oneself?

Considering a recent focus in the media on the stratification of social classes in the United States, I think it is especially important for this issue to be re-examined more closely. I am curious to see how far and for whom the emphasis on an education beyond a high school diploma extends. Furthermore, I question whether or not it is only the lower classes that are without the resources that do not pursue advanced degrees. I am curious as to whether or not the upper class - those who should have unlimited resources - choose to pursue higher education. Is knowledge necessary to earn money, and is knowledge necessary if you already have money?

Discussion of social class is still a great taboo in the United States; the land of opportunity supposedly exists with a middle class demographic, or, as President George W. Bush stated at the Alfred E. Smith memorial dinner in October 2000, a nation of the "haves and have-mores." This leads us to ask what determines social class and exactly what the demographic of the United States is.

According to 2004 statistics, 83.9% of the U.S. population has completed their education at least at a high school level. An additional 27% has a bachelor's degree or higher. Compare this to the "42% of high school graduates who enter college or university" (Holloway, Fuller, et al, 1996). There is a very substantial gap between those who obtain an additional degree and those who do not.