ABSTRACT
This chapter describes and assesses research on the stratified structure of educational systems. It is concerned with studies of the impact of varied experiences within schools on cognitive and status outcomes. Studies that emphasize socialization as a key mechanism rely on elements of the allocation and legitimation perspectives to set the stage for differential socialization. The chapter argues that work in the socialization tradition implicitly acknowledges the value of an allocation perspective for explaining why different students end up in different schools, tracks, and groups. For the career perspective on stratification in schools, the caution highlights the importance of considering the organizational context of stratification alongside the progress of individual careers. In the context of a career perspective, however, some points in time and some positions in the structure may be more salient than others. Bidwell has argued that key thresholds, such as the transition from high school to college or the labor market, demand greater attention.
