SOA 1061st Edition Lecture 18Outline of Last Lecture I. Roles of the Education SystemII. The University as a Sorting MachineOutline of Current Lecture II. The University as a Sorting MachineIII. Attending a Prestigious School MattersIV. The Myth of MeritCurrent LectureThe University as a Sorting Machine● Social Reproduction Ex: Slavery-- if you died a slave, your family would continue being slaves. If you were a slave owner your slaves would be passed down to your family.● Graduation rates for first generation students are 30% lower than for those families with educated parents.○ it is not a factor of merit because there would be just as many smart kids who do not go to college and stupid kids who do○ if it was a true meritocracy kids would graduate at the same rate despite their parents background.Attending a Prestigious School Matters● Alumni of the most selective colleges earn, on average 40% more a year than those who graduate from the least selective public universities● Only 6% of students at elite schools are first generation students, only 11% are from the lowest economic quartile○ if it was all about merit we would not see this○ this is five times fewer than the average college population that are going to these elite schools○ gifted poor kids do not tend to apply to these schools○ it does not have to do with individual merit, it has to do with the rules of the game● If we believe that we truly have a meritocracy then we would have to accept that blacks and hispanics are not as smart as white people○ 73% of white people graduate○ 51% of black people graduate○ 52% of hispanic people graduateThe Myth of Merit● Bowles and Gintis (1976,2002)○ argue education explains differences in incomes, not cognitive ability○ research has supported hypotheses concerning role of personality traits, rather than skills as determinants of labor market success○ more years of school = higher income○ income does not track IQ○ the system of education reinforces inequalities in society● Arum and Roska (2011)○ 46% of students show no significant increase in cognitive ability after 2 years of college○ 36% of graduates do not improve critical thinking, complex reasoning, or communication skills● First generation and poor kids tend to not push themselves as much as the other students○ they are less likely to study○ less likely to go to office hours○ less likely to take hard classes that require a lot of reading and writing○ this is another way we reproduce these inequalities● We go to college to gain cultural
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