ABSTRACT
Several facts are known about American social classes, schools, and students. First, adult wages vary widely, with the income gap increasing over recent years (Anyon, 2000; Sleeter, 2000).1 Second, per capita pupil expenditure correlates with social class; hence schools differ in the quality of their facilities, materials, and human resources (Burton, 1999; Kozol, 1991; Orfield, 2000; Wenglinsky, 1998). Third, there is a high correspondence between student class status and school achievement and attainment (Jencks & Phillips, 1998; Lee, 2002).2 Although these strong links between class status, school structures, and student outcomes are well known, social class is still ignored or treated as if it were relatively unimportant to schooling. Regardless of evidence to the contrary, because schools are thought to reward capacities rather than social standing, they are believed to be meritocracies in which students have equal chances to succeed. Meritocracies, however, are not based on an egalitarian principle of success for all; rather they differentially reward high intelligence, athletic competence, work ethic, and other types of student merit.
