Low-Income Students and the Perpetuation of Inequality: Higher Education in America

by Gary A. Berg

Overview

Drawing upon quantitative data gathered from the U.S. Census and U.S. Department of Education, as well as interviews with students from a variety of socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, Low-Income Students and the Perpetuation of Inequality examines the question of who really benefits from public higher education. It engages with questions of social capital, opportunity, funding and access to education, presenting a rich discussion of social mobility, the value of college education and the impact of education upon the redistribution of income. A thorough exploration of the real impact of college on American society, this volume will appeal to social scientists with interests in education, social capital, social stratification, class and social mobility.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781409401544
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	02/28/2010
Edition description:	1
Pages:	212
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Gary A. Berg is Dean of Extended Education at California State University Channel Islands, USA

Table of Contents

Introduction; Chapter 1 Prepared for Failure; Chapter 2 Admissions Policies Favor the Advantaged; Chapter 3 College is More Difficult for Low-Income Students; Chapter 4 Gender and Race are Interlocking Categories of Inequality; Chapter 5 Case Study: Recent Immigrants to America; Chapter 6 Erosion of the College Image; Chapter 7 As a Group, the Poor Benefit Less from a College Degree; Chapter 8 Conclusion: We Can Do Better;

Editorial Reviews

Classified as 'Research Essential' by Baker & Taylor YBP Library Services 'Using quantitative and qualitative analyses, and including the intersections of race, class, and gender, Berg underscores the role of higher education as a system that perpetuates inequality and the ways it needs to change. The interviews illuminate the challenges for so many individuals including faculty and administrators, who themselves were from low-income backgrounds. The book is important reading.' Daryl Smith, Claremont Graduate University, USA 'In getting into and through college and realizing its benefits, low-income students face formidable barriers that are not just financial but academic, linguistic, psycho-social, familial, cultural, and structural. In helping us reach the President’s goal of increasing graduation rates in this country, Berg’s vivid and thorough description of those barriers is invaluable.' Margaret Miller, University of Virginia, USA 'In Low-Income Students and the Perpetuation of Inequality, author Gary A. Berg has written what is arguably the most comprehensive text on the experiences of and outcomes for low income students in U.S. postsecondary education. Wedding quantitative and qualitative methodologies, Berg’s text paints a stark picture of the complex challenges that low-income students face not only in their access to postsecondary education but also in persisting to graduation...he also provides ample direction for how we can correct such ills should we collectively choose to do so.' Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice

From the Publisher