Research Paper on:
Richard Rodriguez's and Jean Anyon's Theories Analyzed

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing, suggest that students are learning about life within the constraints of their own family backgrounds, not about life as it could  be with a diverse and nonrestrictive education. Each of these authors raises serious questions about the academic system in America, including are children really getting the best education possible,  or are they being limited by external factors, over which they have no control? In the United States, every child is entitled to receive a free public school education, but  schools vary in terms of the types of students they teach, socioeconomically or ethnically speaking, and the types of course curricula and teaching methods they emphasize. In her essay,  "Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work," Jean Anyon theorizes that it is the "hidden curriculum" embedded in all public school systems, which keeps certain students from completely realizing  their potential. She takes the role of scientific observer, conducting a study of five middle schools in New Jersey. Out of these five schools, two of them could  be socially classified as "Working Class," while the other three were either "Middle Class," "Professional Elite" and "Executive Elite." Each schools expectation of its students, she asserts, is defined  by their social status and economic background. In this way, they are encouraged to play the role that has already been defined for them by society. Anyon cites  specific sociological studies to support her hypotheses. She writes, "Bowles and Gintes [1976] for example, have argued that students in different social-class backgrounds are rewarded for classrooms behaviors that  correspond to personality traits allegedly rewarded in the different occupational strata - the working classes for docility and obedience, the managerial classes for initiative and personal assertiveness. Basil Bernstein [1977],