Poverty Class and Schooling

A volume in International Advances in Education:Global Initiatives for Equity and Social JusticeSeries Editors: Elinor L. Brown University of Kentucky Rhonda CravenUniversity of Western Sydney and George McLean Catholic Universities of America.International Advances in Education: Global Initiatives for Equity and Social Justice is an international researchmonograph series of scholarly works that primarily focus on empowering students (children adolescents and youngadults) from diverse current circumstances and historic beliefs and traditions to become non-exploited/non-exploitivecontributing members of the 21st century. The series draws on the research and innovative practices of investigatorsacademics and community organizers around the globe that have contributed to the evidence base for developing soundeducational policies practices and programs that optimize all students' potential. Each volume includes multidisciplinary theory research and practices that provide anenriched understanding of the drivers of human potential via education to assist others in exploring adapting and replicating innovative strategies that enable ALLstudents to realize their full potential. Chapters in this volume are drawn from a wide range of countries including: Australia Brazil Canada China Finland GeorgiaHaiti India Italy Kyrgyzstan Portugal Slovenia Tanzania Ukraine and The United States all addressing issues of educational inequity economic constraint class biasand the links between education poverty and social status.The individual chapters provide examples of theory research and practice that collectively present a lively informative cross-perspective international conversationhighlighting the significant gross economic and social injustices that abound in a wide variety of educational contexts around the world while spotlighting importantinspirational and innovative remedies. Taken together the chapters advance our understanding of best practices in the education of economically disadvantaged andsocially marginalized populations while collectively rejecting institutional policies and traditional practices that reinforce the roots of economic and social discrimination.Chapter authors utilize a range of methodologies including empirical research historical reviews case studies and personal reflections to demonstrate that poverty andclass status are sociopolitical conditions rather than individual identities. In addition that education is an absolute human right and a powerful mechanism to promoteindividual national and international upward social and economic mobility national stability and citizenwellbeing.