Tearing Down the Gates: Confronting
the Class Divide in American
Education by Peter Sacks
Good Book To Be Read
We often hear about the growing divide between rich and poor in America.
This compelling exposé, backed by up-to-date research, locates the
source of this trend where we might least expect to find it--in our schools.
Written for a wide audience, Tearing Down the Gates is a powerful
indictment of American education that shows how schools, colleges, and
universities exacerbate inequality by providing ample opportunities for
advantaged students while shutting the gates on the poor--and even the
middle class. Peter Sacks tells the stories of young people and families as
they struggle to negotiate the educational system. He introduces students
like Ashlea, who grew up in a trailer park and who would like to attend
college, though she faces constant obstacles that many of her more
privileged classmates cant imagine. Woven throughout with voices of
Americans both rich and poor, Tearing Down the Gates describes a
disturbing situation that has the potential to undermine the American
dream, not just for some, but for all of us. At the heart of this book is a
question of justice, and Sacks demands that we take a hard look at what
equal opportunity really means in the United States today.
Personal Review: Tearing Down the Gates: Confronting the
Class Divide in American Education by Peter Sacks
This book along with a newer by Richard E. Nisbett Intelligence and How
to Get It: Why Schools and Cultures Count both are concerned with the
social environs that develop intelligence and what special characteristics of
that social environment are especially important for developing measurable
increases in IQ and success. PS makes the point that social class, defined
by educational level, is the dominant force behind children's educational
success and attainment in social class. While some unique examples of
educational techniques seem able to counter this for the most part public
schools and higher education have developed sophisticated ways of
enabling social class to persist. The worst effect of this regards the
increase in poverty as the class divide is more radically a predictor of
wealth than before. The hope is that attention to this development will
enable schools to reform and break this cycle enabling more from the poor
classes to become middle class. The most obvious critique of this would
be arguing that class is ubiquitous for a reason and that reason is not
couched solely on education. Nor is there a possible imaginary were all

members of a society are upper or middle class. Other issues not
addressed concern the mentally challenged who have inherited more than
low social class but are physically damaged to the point where no magical
educational process can help - and notice this is also a radically class
based issue. There are some towns where a whole new subspecies is
developing. Another issue not addressed is the relationship between class
difference in different types of degrees and social class. I would be curious
in what distinction there is between arts and engineering degrees for
example. Part of the reason for that concerns the one teacher's
explanation regarding students who self reflect and the impact that has on
their critical thinking skills. One other interesting point was PS suggesting
that Lawrence Summers snafu may eventually be shown based on a false
assumption. Certainly more women are achieving great things in education
for lots of reasons. But I wonder if there are not separate issues here since
again Summers was commenting about a specific category - or skill set -
by his comments and his suggestion that type of brain may play a role
seems supported by much of neuroscience developments. In short, all
higher education should not be lumped together as a social class concept.
There are significant differences.
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