Educational Inequality

Many assume that the US educational system is meritocratic, meaning that through hard work all individuals have an equal chance of acquiring the educational credentials needed to succeed. This entry explores how social inequality in the education system challenges this assumption and often leads to the reproduction, and not reduction, of social inequality. In particular, the entry focuses on how family and school processes generate inequalities in educational opportunities and outcomes for children. It also discusses changes in inequality over time and likely directions of future research exploring educational inequality.

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Citing Literature

The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology

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