Class and Schools by Richard Rothstein

            Inequalities have existed in schools for centuries; these inequalities have been caused by multiple things throughout the years such as class, gender, race, and sexuality.   Most of these still exist as inequalities in schools today.   In his book Class and Schools , Richard Rothstein argues that there is a huge achievement gap in our schools today and that it is caused by social class differences.   He argues that belonging to the lower class is common among minorities, or more specifically blacks, and that this affects the academic performance of these children.   Rothstein argues that this achievement gap cannot be closed through school reform alone; his biggest argument is that differences among social classes is a social problem and in order to help these children earn an equal education society must eliminate the inequalities that come from class differences and that lead to poorer education.

This book is intended to be read by current teachers or future teachers, but I also think it is intended to be read by anyone related to schools (administration, parents, tax payers, etc.) or anyone living in society.   Since Rothstein is arguing that the achievement gap is a social problem and cannot be fixed by school reform alone this book can be intended for anyone in society to read.   The fact that Rothstein points out that these issues cannot be fixed within the teacher's workplace and argues that the achievement gap is a social issue is also how this book relates to the topic of feminism in the workplace.   Teaching is predominately a female profession and because of this many of societies downfalls or problems becomes the schools problems to fix.   Feminism argues that race, class, gender, sexuality, etc. are all social problems and that they can only be corrected through social reform.   Rothstein is arguing the same thing, but putting in the context of schools and in the context of a teacher's position.

Rothstein argues that social class affects the achievement of students in many ways.   He argues that social class affects children's health, nutrition, housing, wealth, and personality/childrearing.   He argues that all of these things that exist in many times negative ways among lower class families (mainly minorities) lead to this gap because middle and upper class children are receiving more positive outcomes in these categories that help them to focus on school.   He argues that health care and day care should be provided for lower income families and that it should be equal to the services that middle and upper class families are getting.   These things that he points out as issues that affect the way children learn are issues that cannot be controlled by the schools.   The schools or teachers have no control over a low income family that cannot find stable housing and that must move often; however, society as a whole can change this as well as the child's health, nutrition, and personality.  

Another interesting point and problem that Rothstein brings up that cannot be measured by any test is how much these lower income students may be suffering in non-cognitive areas.   By non-cognitive he means things such as: punctuality, self-confidence, self- discipline, communication skills, social responsibility, etc.; these are all things that are taught in schools, but are not measured.   So how big is the achievement gap in these areas?   This is an area of the argument that could use further research and analysis.   Another thing that Rothstein leaves somewhat opened ended is his argument about standardized testing.   He argues that we really do not know exactly how big the achievement gap really is because many times inexpensive standardized tests are used which only measure basic skills; he argues that testing higher skills may produce a bigger gap in achievement than what is seen now.  

Rothstein uses many different materials to support his arguments.   Many statistics and comparisons are taken from journals and organizations.   He used these throughout his book to support the gaps that we see in achievement among different social classes.   He also used these to support his arguments about the specific things that affect students learning (health, nutrition, and housing).   He shows the gaps in achievements between black and white students using graphs and some of these graphs also show the correlation between socio-economic status and ethnicity.  

            Throughout the book Rothstein tries to get his reader to see that blacks more commonly suffer from lower economic status and that this greatly affects their learning in schools.   He supports his arguments throughout the book with studies, graphs, statistics, and facts.   I would recommend this source to a variety of readers; it is important that people begin to see this issue as a social problem and stop blaming "failing" schools.   The reality is that schools are not failing because they are not doing enough; society is failing the schools and that is why they are not succeeding in closing this achievement gap.   Mostly I would recommend this book to politicians so the can change these economic gaps in society that lead to poorer or unequal education. -V.H.