New research from Melissa Kearney and Phillip Levine finds that greater
income gaps between those at the bottom and middle of the income
distribution lead low-income boys to drop out of high school more often
than their counterparts in higher inequality areas, suggesting that
there is an important link between income inequality and reduced rates
of upward mobility. “Economic despair” may contribute if those at the bottom do not believe they have the ability to achieve middle class status. This research is really fascinating but not all that shocking to the thousands of us that work at community colleges. This tells the all-to-often tragic story of many, if not most, of our students. The upside to all of this is that the opportunities do exist to create a vibrant middle class and more community colleges are opening each year. Moving into the "classroom" (whether onsite or virtually) just how do we introduce this idea. I say early and often. I talk about upward mobility and the quality of life provided by a middle class career all the time. Making the subject relevant, experts say, is the best way to get your students to learn and retain new knowledge. What better way to tie this into everything about them than to talk about the life that can be had by using the fulcrum of higher education (or adult basic education for those seeking a high school equivalency)? You can read the entire report
here and I would love to hear your feedback.
