Author: admin

1. Should first-year teachers be assigned difficult classes
such as this one? Justify your answer.
2. What obstacles must David hurdle to be considered an
effective teacher?
3. How would you prepare for and handle a class such as
this?

Social class relates both to achievement in elementary and
secondary schools and to entry into and graduation from college. Students with
low socioeconomic status tend to rank low in educational attainment;
middle-class students tend to rank high. Low achievement is particularly a
problem in poverty areas of large cities.

What can teachers and schools do to overcome each of the
school-related obstacles and problems that contribute to low achievement among
economically disadvantaged students? What might you accomplish in working to
overcome these obstacles and solve these problems?

1. Which revisionist arguments are the most persuasive?
Which are most vulnerable to criticism?
2. To what extent would you be willing to contact parents of
low-achieving students when you become a teacher? Do you think this should be
part of the classroom teacher’s responsibilities?

Imagine that you have been hired as a new teacher in a
school with a racial, economic, and linguistic composition quite unlike your
own background.What can you do to improve your chances to succeed, and whom
might you ask for assistance?

Compile articles from newspapers, magazines, and the
Internet discussing low achievement in the public schools. Do these sources
consider the kinds of material presented in this chapter? How? What solutions
do the authors propose? What is your assessment of the likely effectiveness of
these solutions?