Cutting Class

In these vivid, thought-provoking essays, leading scholars draw from their own life experiences to explore the ways in which socio-economic class has shaped their lives and educational practices. Some experienced the sting of poverty as students, while others tell stories of a privileged upbringing and moments of epiphany when they recognized the far-reaching effects of class privilege. Many in this volume tell stories of their successful (and not-so-successful) teaching experiences with students from various social classes, providing valuable insights for teachers and other education professionals.

In the tradition of George S. Counts but generally without his optimism, Kincheloe and Steinberg have assembled a critique of American schooling. Their title, Cutting Class, is a double entendre reflecting their charge that an educational structure that once made class differences a critical element in understanding students' progress has been dismantled. They argue that this structure was a victim of educational accountability generally, and No Child Left Behind particularly. Considerations of social class, they maintain, have been largely displaced by a focus on ethnic and gender differences, and the result is a system that misses the most important variable to understanding educational progress. Not surprisingly, the material in the chapters reflects the contributors' preference for a qualitative, often ethnographic analysis. There are the obligatory swipes at Murray and Herrnstein, but the result is at least provocative. Philip Anderson's chapter on curriculum and social class is particularly good.

Joe L. Kincheloe is the Canada Research Chair of Critical Pedagogy at McGill University. Shirley R. Steinberg is Professor of Cultural and Youth Studies in Education at McGill University.