Ain t No Making It Chapter Summaries Essay

Living in Harlem established suppressed and fearful identities for the two brothers. For most of their lives they lived in a black and poor neighborhood of Harlem where there was abundance of potential but they’re threatened by the drugs and violence of the urban ghetto. Growing up in such an environment encouraged the narrator to become more understanding of the surroundings, he suspected his own students to “be popping off needles every time they went to the head,” and comes to the

There was a time when America’s education system was top-notch according to the culture and society. With time, a myriad of things has changed, but unfortunately what has not evolved is the American education system. The country is still following a system which was not designed for the current global economic climate. Equality, as positive as it sounds is not as sufficient when it comes to education. The system treats students equally yet expect a similar culmination and outcome. Every child has his individuality and distinct abilities; one cannot judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree. Conversely, a few of the prominent reasons why the education system is failing are overcrowded schools, the rise of technology, and following the same old school hours.

In the 1997 article, “Public Goods, Private Goods: The American Struggle over Educational Goals” by David Labaree, Labaree describes three goals that have been at the core of educational conflicts over the years. The first goal mentioned is democratic equality, which is meant to create good citizens and enable educational access to all. The second goal is social efficiency, which creates workers and is viewed by taxpayers and employers as a goal to prepare students for market roles. Lastly is the third goal of social mobility, where individual success for attractive market roles is the main purpose. This primary goal of education has been ever fluctuating. The argument of this essay is that social mobility has now triumphed over democratic equality and social efficiency as the primary goal of education due to parents. This view of social mobility by parents is negative to due its numerous consequences, significantly the growing disparity between the wealthy and the underprivileged, and additionally, the health of children, their behavior, and the degree to which they learn educational material are all affected.

A persistent educational goal of school was to give everyone the same chance to pursue wealth, which is known as equality of opportunity. Equality of opportunity is the idea that individuals compete with one another with all participants starting at the same point, which Horace Mann referred to as the, “great balance wheel of society” (Spring, 2016, p. 66). Schools provide everyone with an equal opportunity to pursue an education and wealth; however, I believe there are factors that alter that equilibrium. Mann believed that equality of opportunity would reduce tensions between the rich and the poor. It allowed the poor to believe that regardless of their circumstance their children had an equal chance to compete with children of rich families (Spring, 2016 p. 67). However, there are factors that will contribute to your opportunity to succeed, but schools give students the opportunity to all start on the same path that end in different destinations.

However despite opposing outlooks on the ability of their education systems to aid lucrative employment opportunities, MacLeod observed that both groups seem to have obtained similar low paying and irregular job nine years later. So what exactly is it about the structure of the American Education system that seems to reproduce social inequality? MacLeod analyzes schools as sites on

This country’s education system was built on the back of meritocracy and was created to function as an objective measure of a child’s performance and their intelligence. It was the gateway to the American Dream, and provided everyone with an equal chance of success in America. It was a place of not only intellectual, but also personal growth. In her essay “From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work,” Anyon argues that this is no longer the case. Anyon’s study concludes that from the fifth grade, students in poorer communities are groomed to succeed in low-class, blue collar jobs, while children in wealthy communities are prepared for more desirable careers. Anyon analyzes four different types of schools that all varied based on

In Ain’t No Makin’ It, author Jay MacLeod explores a study of two different groups of young males, the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers, in housing projects called Clarendon Heights. MacLeod explores these two extremely different groups over a long course of time to see how they develop from teenagers to adults. MacLeod comes to find that the Hallway Hangers, which is a group of mostly white men, are completely uninterested in education and completely interested in drugs and alcohol. These young men have no desire for a better life. The Brothers, on the contrary, are a group of mostly black men who believe in the American Dream, and will do anything to pull themselves out of poverty. They attend school and stay away from drugs and alcohol, with the hopes of achieving greatness one day. Through norms, values, and ideology, readers can understand MacLeod’s central findings in his study and see the effects of social reproduction.

In Jay McLeod’s influential book, Ain’t No Makin’ It (2009), he discovers new sociological theories and social reproduction through his research over many years. Through social reproduction McLeod shows us how education’s role gets passed down from one generation to the next from class inequality. He claims that aspirations/lack of aspirations is being reproduced. He deeply examines two resident groups of male youths that have opposing views on what their aspirations are in life. McLeod also deciphers what the American Dream is according to them. “The American Dream is held out as a genuine prospect for anyone with the drive to achieve it” (McLeod 2009: 3).

The brothers who are mostly black can point to racial discrimination as a cause of their family’s poverty. Also another reason the hallway hangers reject the achievement ideology is because most of them have lived in low icome housing for as long as three decades as a result, this contributes to their feeling of hopelessness and stagnation they are pessimistic about their future. The brothers however, have resided at the Clarendon Heights neighbourhood for shorter periods of time. Some of the families of the brothers have moved from worse projects in the area, so they view this change as a step up in their social status and a sense of optimism for a fresh start. After the post modern shift from from manufacting jobs to service industry based employment many members of poorer black neighborhoods will feel the effects harder and longer then that of gentrified or white neighborhoods. Most service industry or “blue collered” jobs require some skills or education to be sucessful, as a result of neither group possesses these qualities, they are cast out as abaondoned by soceity. “The American Dream” may be but a mirage. Still, it

America is still the land of opportunity and people still strive and succeed in their quest for self-improvement. And in no other aspect of America can this opportunity to succeed and their striving for betterment be as so clearly seen than in Americans obsession to achieve education at the highest levels. 94 percent of Americans believe that Education is important and 73 percent agree that higher education is “essential for getting a good job” (Source F). This symbolizes how Americans see education as the outlet to achieve affluence, success and a “better,” “high[er] quality of life” (source F). Furthermore, the many scholarships offered by schools, one of which mentioned by Obama in Source B, displays another aspect of the education system that provides opportunities for self-improvement, if earned through hard work, for an individual by providing a chance to obtain higher education no matter what background one comes from. In essence, education has become the primary path to achieve an improved standing on both a societal and individual

In his research Jay Macleod, compares two groups of teenage boys, the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers. Both groups of teenagers live in a low income neighborhood in Clarendon Heights, but they are complete opposites of each other. The Hallway Hangers, composed of eight teenagers spend most of their time in the late afternoon or early evening hanging out in doorway number 13 until very late at night. The Brothers are a group of seven teenagers that have no aspirations to just hang out and cause problems, the Brothers enjoy active pastimes such as playing basketball. The Hallway Hangers all smoke, drink, and use drugs. Stereotyped as “hoodlums,” “punks,” or “burnouts” by outsiders, the Hallway Hangers are actually a varied group, and much

In his book, Ain't No Makin' It, Jay MacLeod interprets the experiences of two groups of young men, the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers, living in a public housing project located in Boston. There are many way to understand their experiences. While MacLeod interpreted their experiences in terms of social reproduction, I interpreted their experiences through norms, values, and ideology. Because of my understanding of these terms, I am able to analyze why each group of boys carry themselves the way they do.

Education has been the subject of some of the most heated discussions in American history. It is a key point in political platforms. It has been subject to countless attempts at reform, most recently No Child Left Behind and Common Core. Ardent supporters of institutional schools say that schools provide access to quality education that will allow the youth of our country to gain necessary skills to succeed in life. Critics take a far more cynical view. The book Rereading America poses the question, “Does education empower us? Or does it stifle personal growth by squeezing us into prefabricated cultural molds?” The authors of this question miss a key distinction between education and schooling that leaves the answer far from clear-cut. While education empowers, the one-size-fits-all compulsory delivery system is stifling personal growth by squeezing us into prefabricated cultural molds.

The McPheron brothers, Raymond and Harold, are the go-to guys of the small town of Holt. It is a safe haven to the pregnant teenager they take in. It is a place of comfort for two young brothers much like themselves, named Ike and Bobby. Raymond and Harold are two brothers who live together on their ranch and take care of their farm animals. The McPheron’s wore jeans and boots, canvas chore jackets, and hats with flannel earflaps. They have a barn full of cattle that they spend most of their time with. They have never been married and their parents were killed when they were longer which left them to raise themselves. They have never had a female live with them nor have they been around any children. They have been independent and lonesome for years. They sit around their table and read the newspaper while drinking coffee. Then they spend most of their days outside in the barn. Even in the cold frigid winter months, they still spend their time outside maintaining the farm.

educational system generally rests on the myth of meritocracy – that people get what they individually want, work for, earn, and deserve” (2015:233-234). Everyone has wants and dreams, but people cannot have everything they want. If everyone got what they wanted nothing would have value or meaning. A little girl might want to be a princess when she grows up, but it is not going to happen just because it is what she wants. Not everyone works for and earns what they deserve. People who had wealth passed down to them did not work for, earn, or do anything to deserve the money. Also, janitors for example work hard, but they do not make much money, even though they deserve more. Working hard is important and can potentially increase a person’s social economic status, but most people do not go from being poor to wealthy. However, if people are discriminated against because of their race, gender, or current SES, they will not experience a rise in social status. Therefore, meritocracy does not exist, it is an unrealistic