King, Samson. (2009). Tertiary Education in America

From the earliest stages of development, societal standing affects the way and the degree to which one learns, interacts with, and experiences the surrounding world. Mirroring this, what is learned and to what level of education an individual reaches often determines fiscal security and, thereby, which sociopolitical class that person falls into. Class is defined as “a group sharing the same economic or social status” or “a group, set, or kind sharing common attributes.” One of the more common descriptions of class structure in the United States features five classes: upper class, upper-middle class, lower-middle class, working class, and the lower class. According the 2005 study by William Thompson and Joseph Hickey, the lower-middle class and working class each contain approximately 32% of the total population in the United States, together forming the bulk of the total population, most of whom complete high school and perhaps some college. The lower class contains around 20% of the United State’s population and most attended high school some. The upper-middle class and upper class both typically contain highly educated individuals who often hold a graduate degree and make up 15% and 1% of the total population, respectively.

For the lower class in the United States, tertiary education is predominantly out of the question. Only those (four-person) households that earn under $22,050 annually are considered impoverished, though even this value is grossly inadequate to sustain a family of four and fully pay all of the expenses that they might accrue in any given year. Many youths who live in this type of situation have both poorer health and either a poorer appreciation for education or an inability to pursue further education due to expense. Most of these youths tend to gravitate toward beginning work earlier on in life, thus shifting their focus away from educational pursuits and making opportunities for tertiary education soon after high school slim. Their early work experiences generally carry over into adulthood, effectively making them part of the working class provided they work enough at a certain rate of pay to fall above the poverty line. Eventually, many but not all may seek, some form of higher education much later in life(such as technical or business school for a managerial position requiring extended skill sets).

The working class’ focus is, obviously, work-centric. The working class is typically made up of individuals whose education was put on hold after high school either for the sake of sustaining a steady income or for general disinterest in further education at the time. Education beyond this is possible, perhaps, but not as likely to be pursued as classes higher in social standing with easier access to funds or fewer possible familial restrictions. Compared to the lower social classes, those born into lower-middle class families that compose the other half of the bulk of the population in the United States, have a much higher likelihood of attending college or technical school, often achieving at least a 2-year or part of a 4-year degree. Lower-middle class individuals with this sort of education tend to make more than their working class counterparts by $5,000 annually at the least and $45,000 annually at the most.

Upper-middle class individuals compose 15% of the total United States population and contain some of the most successful, fiscally secure, and well-educated people of all of the social classes, second only to the upper class, which composes a mere 1% of the total U.S. population. Those born into upper-middle class families usually have more access to education opportunities compared to lower classes due to a greater access to money and, therefore, typically have an significantly easier time gaining access to tertiary education, either from personal achievement or from their parents’/guardians’ money. This analysis exemplifies the way most of the social classes in the United States operate: minimal movement from one class to another due to an individuals’ propensity to naturally “flow” in the direction that they are most accustomed. This trend is even more applicable to those in the upper class, due to inheritances and to direct transfers of wealth being more common in this societal tier. The upper class also tends to achieve similar education as the upper-middle class, though perhaps at “better” institutions of learning.

Tertiary education after high school is something that less than half of the total population in the United States has, so far, embraced. Out of the total population, 29% of United States citizens possess baccalaureate degrees, which is both a disheartening notion and a major stumbling block for societal advancement.