ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the American educational system has a long history of perpetuating inequality in explicit and subtle ways through the academic preparation of low-income students and standardized testing. Additionally, the reliance on class-based forms of language proficiency and the limited availability of increasingly important Advanced Placement courses is also reviewed in the chapter. The more subtle forms of insufficient psychological and social preparation, a legacy of disadvantaged families, add an even more intricate obstacle for students. It examines the perspective of two faculty members experienced in teaching low-income students which reveal the forms insufficient preparation take, including the important general lack of worldliness. It presents a case for understanding the philosophical and cultural attitudes behind educational policies impacting children from low-income families, and the specific mechanisms that work to perpetuate inequality. Students are encouraged by the rhetoric of our culture to pursue their educational dreams, while at the same time often carrying psychological self-images that are self-defeating.
