The Invisible Divide: Social
Class in Independent Schools
Pat Romney, Ph.D
Romney Associates, Inc.
www.romneyassociates.com
Defining Class
Class Indicator - a factual or
experiential factor that helps
determine an individual's class or
perceived class. The criteria for
determining class membership or
identity can be easily debated.
Class Action: www.classism.org
Defining Class
A class consists of a large group
of people who occupy a similar
economic position in the wider
society based on income, wealth,
property ownership, education,
skills, or authority in the economic
sphere.
Class Action: www.classism.org
Wealth
Wealth equals what you own.
That which you have above and beyond
your salary.
When money is not an issue or a question.
Social Capital…meaning the status you
have based on where you live, what car
you drive, the schools you attend, the
foods you eat, the authority you have.
Defining Class
Class identity - A label for one
category of class experience,
such as ruling class, owning
class, middle class, working
class, poor.
Class Action: www.classism.org
Defining Class
Class Continuum - Most of us
move a little up or down the
spectrums during our lifetimes.
Some people grow up in one
class and live as adults in
another. Class operates along a
continuum or hierarchy.
Class Continuum
Dominants
Mostly
Dominants
Mostly
Subordinants
Ruling Class
Middle Class
“Have
Mores”
“Haves”
Working Class
“Have
Subordinants
Class Action www.classism.org
Poor/Low-Income
Nots”
CULTURAL CAPITAL
A sociological advanced by Pierre
Bourdieu in Cultural Reproduction
and Social Reproduction (1973).
Cultural capital: the accumulated
cultural knowledge that confers power
and status.
Educational institutions are the main
vehicles for conferring cultural capital.
Examples of Class Indicators
Housing
If, what,
where, how
many
Job
Status
Clothes
Stuff, how
much and
what kind
Cultural Wealth
Capital
Education Language,
Vocabulary,
dialect/accent
non-verbal
posture
Class Action: www.classism.org
Income
Class Cultural Differences
Variable
Jobs
traditionally
involve:
Working
Class
Obedience,
conformity to
rigid routines,
physical work
Middle Class
Creativity,
autonomy,
control of
people and
ideas,
intellectual
work
Lubienski, S. (2000). Clash of Social Class Cultures? Students' Experiences in a Discussion-Intensive Seventh-Grade.
Elementary School Journal, Vol. 100 Issue 4, 377-404.
Class Cultural Differences
Variable
Working
Class
Middle Class
In child
rearing,
parents tend
to:
Emphasize
obedience to
authority. Show
or tell how to
solve problem
with emphasis
on the right
solution. Stress
no control over
environment.
Emphasize
reasoning,
intellectual
curiosity and
initiative. Guide
problem-solving
with questions.
Stress to
children control
of environment.
Lubienski, S. (2000). Clash of Social Class Cultures? Students' Experiences in a Discussion-Intensive Seventh-Grade.
Elementary School Journal, Vol. 100 Issue 4, 377-404.
Class Cultural Differences
Variable
Working
Class
Middle Class
Students tend Be motivated by Be motivated by
tangible
intangible
to be:
rewards. Think a
good teacher is
one who shows
he/she cares by
giving clear
explanations to
students.
rewards. Think a
good teacher is
one who knows
the subject well
and is creative
in teaching it.
Lubienski, S. (2000). Clash of Social Class Cultures? Students' Experiences in a Discussion-Intensive Seventh-Grade
Elementary School Journal, Vol. 100 Issue 4, 377-404.
.
CEO’s average pay, production
workers’ average pay and the
minimum wage, 1990-2005
Domhoff, W.G. (2005). Power in America: Wealth, income and power.
http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html
Median net worth by race and
ethnicity, 2001
Domhoff, W.G. (2005). Power in America: Wealth, income and power.
http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html
Multicultural Organizational Development
(Jackson & Hardiman, 1994)
Level One: Monocultural Organization: norms and values,
practices, curricula of the dominant culture; diverse staff in
stereotypical roles; few diverse students.
Level Two: Non-Discriminatory Organization: change
without making waves; recruits for diversity, focusing on the
numbers; diverse staff are in “low-level” or support positions;
diverse students are in the less challenging courses;
provides training.
Level Three: Multicultural Organization: anti-racist; antisexist; committed to becoming multicultural; reflects the
contributions and interests of diverse groups; committed to
ending racial and economic oppression; diverse groups are
at all levels of the organization; sees its broader social
responsibility; diverse course; multicultural perspectives
woven into all or most courses.
“THE CLUB”
MONOCULTURA LEVEL
Structured to provide and maintain
privilege for the club members.
Maintains club norms and values as
normal and correct.
Allows certain classes of people in as
long as they actively assimilate and
stay in their stereotypical roles
Supremacy is not the organization’s
primary mission; change is possible.
Class: A Nationwide Poll
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/ht
ml/national/20050515_CLASS_GRAP
HIC/index_01.html
Based on a survey by the New York
Times, three-quarters of the
respondents believed that the
chances of moving up are the same
or greater than 30 years ago.
Income in the United States
Census Scope. http://www.censusscope.org/us/chart_income.html
Net worth and Financial Wealth,
Distribution in the US, 2001
Domhoff, W.G. (2005). Power in America: Wealth, income and power.
http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html