Baker and Johnston examine the evidence that low-incomeschools tend to have “teachers with significantly fewer years at the school and lower levels ofcertification” (195)
I like this use of a source. The author elaborates on it and this argument came up earlier as well so it ties the essay together nicely.
While this study focused on the divide between high- and low-incomeschools, Gorski elaborates that children from low-income families are more likely to attendlow-income schools in the first place
I'm not sure what exactly this is talking about. It seems a bit out of place. It seems like it may have been stuck in there as an after thought.
Gorski goes into detailabout the nature of American classism, using common myths about the poor to demonstrate theidea that the poor as a whole have “monolithic and predictable beliefs, values, and behaviors”(32). He explains that these myths lead to a social system where people in power are reluctant tofix or are ignorant of social institutions (including public education) which perpetuate poverty.Without acknowledging the classism that these stereotypes promote, proposed remedies toeducation inequality will continue to be ineffective, band-aid solutions.
I think in this paragraph, the author could've incorporated education more into their argument. Here it appears that they're talking about poverty in general and not education specifically.
Further,Kainz explains, the community environment of a child is more closely linked to his or heracademic success than is family social status (71)
I think this should be further explained as some might argue the two go hand in hand. A community environment and social status often correlate.
In addition to its eugenicist roots and the potential for bias, high-stakes testing is alsoineffective in decreasing the achievement gap in the first place.
I think this is a strength. It gives the reader a sense of urgency for this problem, especially since the author talks about how eugenics is involved with this type of testing/measuring of success in school
Stereotypes of the poor lead to a general ignorance about classism and areluctance to fix social institutions which harm low-income people. Gorski analyzes the mostpervasive myths about the poor and how these misconceptions harm them; while many believethat the poor are less hardworking, morally flawed, and more likely to abuse alcohol and othersubstances, the reality is that poor people are as diverse as any other group (33-34).
This seems like background info to me. Addressing stereotypes about low income people and how that affects low income children in their education