Defying the Odds: Class and the Pursuit of Higher Literacy

Examines why some working-class students pursue higher literacy while others don't.

"For me, literacy is … like trying to open a locked door with the wrong key … I don't always see the meaning at first and usually I have to have someone … let me in with their key. I tend to think that being in college is enough, but it still isn't going to guarantee higher literacy for me. It is something I am trying to grasp, but I am going about it slowly, simply because I am not so sure of how important i...