The American dream and the power of wealth : choosing schools and inheriting inequality in the land of opportunity / Heather Beth Johnson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnson, Heather Beth, 1972-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Wealth--United States.

Wealth.

United States.

Educational equalization--United States.

Educational equalization.

Equality--United States.

Equality.

United States--Economic conditions--2001-2009.

Economic conditions.

United States--Social conditions--1980-2020.

Social conditions.

Physical Description:

xiv, 231 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, [2006]

Summary:

In contemporary America, the racial wealth gap is growing, with families transmitting race and class inequalities from generation to generation. Yet Americans continue to hold deep-rooted beliefs in the principles of individualism, equal opportunity, and meritocracy. Education, the "Great Equalizer," is supposed to level the playing field, ensuring that every child-regardless of family of origin-gets an equal chance at success. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 200 black and white families, The American Dream and the Power of Wealth starkly reveals the enormous extent to which parents defend their beliefs in the values that lie at the heart of the American Dream. Yet the way wealth is acquired and the way it is used categorically puts children from different families on vastly different educational trajectories, leaving them with uneven sets of opportunities.

Contents:

The wealth gap and the American dream

Meritocracy and "good" schools

Buying in and opting out

Making do and feeling stuck

Wealth privilege

Inequality and ideology

An unresolved conflict.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [199]-221) and index.

ISBN:

0415952387

0415952395

OCLC:

64335724

Publisher Number:

9780415952385

9780415952392

Online:

Publisher description