Alvarado 1

Juan Alvarado
Professor OgBara
English 101
December 11, 2015
The Illusion of Free Will
The Glass Ceiling on Higher Education
In the United States the social structure created by previous generations prevents the
lower class from obtaining a higher education, ensuring that the higher class remains in power. If
this is problem is not solved, our childrens generations will be at the mercy of higher class. After
extensive research I found that, the lower class is faced with the restrictions of the educational
glass ceiling which prevents them from obtaining a higher education. The educational glass
ceiling consists of indirect obstacles put before them by the social, educational and economic
structure, with intend to limit the number of educated lower class citizens. Without education
lower class citizens are forced to live in the repeating cycle of poverty. The cycle of poverty can
be broken if we implement laws to negate the effects of the glass ceiling.
The economic structure of the United States was created to favor the level of education.
Why is it that engineers are paid at a higher rate than low level mechanics? Engineers are paid at
a higher rate due to their educational level. In the United States your educational level directly
influences your income potential. The educational glass ceiling prevents some mechanics who
want to become engineers, from becoming an engineer through the cost of tuition. Due to tuition
coast lower class citizens cannot better their standard of living and free themselves from the
cycle of poverty. Andrew Carnegie refers to this as the law of competition hes admits, While
the law may sometimes hard for the individual, but it is best for the race, because it insures the

Alvarado 2

survival of the fittest in every department. Carnegie (487) Carnegie admits that this educational
and economic structure we currently have, doesnt benefit individuals. The survival of the fittest
forces the lower class to fight amongst themselves and not challenge the higher class. Ensuring
that the higher class remain in power. This form of educational and economic structure leads to a
never ending cycle of poverty.
Meanwhile, to further ensure the cycle of poverty, According to Department of
Taxation and Finance, The educational system is funded by 62% of property

taxes.(tax.ny.gov) greatly effecting the quality of education in each social class. In the higher
class community people usually live in houses with a low population rate and higher property
taxes. In my experience in in a lower class society people usually live in apartments with a
higher population and lower property taxes. This leads to the lower class public schools being
underfunded and overpopulated. This system provides a perfect learning environment for the
higher class because the class rooms are an adequate size and are well funded. The surplus of
money goes to Regional Occupational Programs and elective class that give students real world
experience preparing them for careers.
The great recession of 2008 demonstrated the inequality of secondary education between
the social classes. During the great recession educational budget cuts became necessary. In a
higher class society according to The Washington post although a $250 million budget cut did
occur (Washingtonpost.com) the budget was not cut on the magnitude of the lower class which
was according to US department of education, $1.1billion.(edu.gov). To fill in gaps in
education the higher class according to The San Francisco Public press, That year, elementary
school PTAs in San Francisco brought in a total of just $592,000. But through 2011, their
combined budgets had ballooned to $5.32 million, an increase of about 800 percent

Alvarado 3
(sfpublicpress.org) donations to higher class education such as these were used to keep

extracurricular activities open. According to ACLU, in 2010 during the case of Doe vs. State of
California, the sate outlawed public schools charging students a small fee for classes and
extracurricular activates (aclusocal.org) Theses fee were used to covered materials for elective
classes and Regional Occupation Programs. In my experience charging a fee for classes in lower
class communities was a way to keep some classes open. But since the law forbade school from
charging a free some public lower class schools were forced to cut more elective classes in order
to fund the elective classes that did have funding. In my experience elective classes and Regional
Occupational Programs are introductory classes that help students decide what field of study they
want to enter. Because of the reduction of elective classes and Regional Occupational Programs;
classes became overcrowded according to Daily news, with over thirty-four per
class.(nydailynews.com). Further impacting the quality of education for lower class students
while putting an amazing strain on teachers.
When a classroom is overcrowded with over 34 students, a teacher can only dedicate so
much time to each student for proper instruction. In my experience because of the high volume
of students; teachers are often forced to consult with students about their failed assignment after
class or during lunch. Some teachers voluntary work extra hours in order to ensure students
understand the material. This often leads to personal issues caused by negation of family due to
teaching. According to LA Times, a 2015 Gallup poll shows that only 31% of K-12
public school teachers are engaged in their work.(latimes.com) In my
experience when teachers are stressed out they become irritated by kids which often impairs their
ability to teach. With an overcrowded class room and a stressed out teacher, students often lose
focus and interest in school. With the lack of limited one on one instruction; students that need

Alvarado 4

extra explanation never properly learn. These students often fail the class and added to the
already growing dropout rate.
In my experience, lower class students who do graduate high school are often limited to
the nearby community colleges. For instance some lower class colleges are at the point of losing
their accreditation because of the amount of lower class students who are unprepared and attend
college for the sole purpose of obtaining their Federal Pell grant. This restricts students who are
currently attending or students who will attend in the area because if the college losses its
accredited; According Lindsey Burke and Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D. accreditation is a seal of
approval granted to institutions of higher education and is intended to assure
students that colleges and universities meet certain standards of quality .

(heritage.org) without accreditation the degree is invalid and the only solution for students is to
transfer out. But only a number of students will be able to transfer out due to the tuition cost,
living and traveling expenses. This from of accreditation structure limits and discourages lower
class students from attending higher education.
Although Government grants, scholar ships and students loan are intended to close the
gap in education between the social classes the gap is never fully closed. Because students of the
lower class lack the education they should have learned in high school; in my experience most of
their college career is spent learning what they should have learned in high school.
Approximately the first two years of most lower class citizens college career is spent completing
high school classes that are prerequisites for college courses. According to The University of
Georgia Office of Student Finical Aid, the Federal Pell Grant can be used for up to twelve
semesters. Since most lower classes students qualify for Federal Pell Grant four out of 12
semesters are spent completing nontransferable perquisite classes. According to the University of
Georgia, The federal Pell Grant is able award to give $0-5575 per semester In my experience it

Alvarado 5

often isnt enough. This leaves students to rely on scholarships and students loans. Scholarships
are often limited and have a requirement such as a competing against better educated students in
an essay contest. Even though school loans are meant to further your career some students may
not qualify for a student loan. In my experience banks determine if students are eligible through
the students credit score and credit history. Often students do not qualify for the loan. In order
for those students to obtain a student loan they need an immediate family member to cosign who
has a good credit score, history and a certain level of income. In some cases the family does not
qualify and students are forced to drop. This glass ceiling mostly effects the lower class.
However, unlike the lower class the higher class does not qualify for Federal Pell Grants.
They do however qualify when they turn 24 and claim themselves as dependents. In my
experience when higher class high school students graduate most enter college level classes.
Although the higher class are forced to pay out of pocket for higher education, most are able to
continuously take out school loans until they graduate. The higher class also apply for
scholarships to cover living expenses. In my experience higher class parents often support their
children finically leaving them to completely focus on school. Giving them an advantage over
the lower class who often work to cover for living expenses.
Another form of educational glass ceiling is socioeconomic issues that prevent the lower
class from attending higher educational. This form if glass ceiling is known to sociologist as the
third shift. In my experience the third shift is when a person is stuck taking care of their parents
or gran parents and also taking care of the younger generation while working or attending
college. The third shift happens when the mother or father become ill and can no longer work.
This leaves the younger generation talking care of both their children and their parents,
supporting them finically meanwhile dedicating large amounts of time to them leaving less time

Alvarado 6

to attend and or focus on college. Even though the lower class are eligible for The Federal Pell
Grant they limited to the amount of classes they can take due to of rent and bills. Because the
lower class lack the finical surplus, the lower class are unable put their parents in a retirement
home or pay for baby sitters. Unlike the lower class the higher class have the money to hire baby
sitters to take care of the children and private medical nurses to take care of the older generation.
This leaves the lower class trapped in a glass ceiling which prevents them from achieving a
higher education.
To create an educational system that is beneficial to the entire state we first must recreate
the structure of the educational system. We must limit the amount of students per class in
secondary education, in order for teachers to have enough time to properly teach every student.
The result of this will be students who are not just better educated students but also students who
have an idea of what they want to do with their life.
We must then fund public facilities that tend to children and elderly who are in the care of
college students. The only requirement this program should have is they must be of lower class
and also maintain a 3.00 GPA. This will further motivate lower class students to maintain a 3.00
GPA and ensure they graduate on time. This program can also be used to train college students
who want to enter the medical and pediatric fields.
Third, we must extend The Federal Pell Grant for lower class students who have attended
lower class secondary schools and have been part of the lower class throughout their life. The
federal Pell grant should extend a maximum of three years as long as the student has maintained
a 3.00 GPA within the last two years. This solution will ensure that only the lower class students
that are capable of using this program. The lower class students who are capable of graduating

Alvarado 7

but lack the funding will eventually close the gap between the rich and the poor breaking the
cycle of poverty while breaking the educational glass ceiling.
According to Carl L Bankston III As the degree has become more common, it has
become more often a requirement (Bankston pg. 337-338) some people assume if a degree is
mass produced the degree would eventually end up being worth less. This isnt necessary true
because these laws do not mass produce a degree. The laws allows the lower classes to have a
fair opportunity when competing for a degree. According to Andrew Carnegies Law of
Competition (Carnegie 487) in my experience the Law of Competition will motivate students
through competition. The end result of equal competition will be better educated students and
future leaders. In the words of Andrew Carnegie, The poor enjoy what the rich could not before
afford. What were the luxuries have become the necessaries of life.(Carnegie 486-487) With
more educated students there is a higher possibility that one of them will have a revolutionary
idea that can make life easier for the rest of use. New ideas often lead to new jobs and
opportunities.
In conclusion, the educational and social structure in the United States can be
reconstruction to create an educational system that allows the lower class to have an opportunity
to obtain career. But if we do nothing to change the current educational system our children will
forever be caught in the cycle of poverty. It is possible to create an educational system that not
only benefits the lower class but also to the entire state. The creation of a better school system
will lead the world into a new era of revolutionary ideas.

Alvarado 8

Works Cited
Federal Pell Grant The University of Georgia Office of Student Finical Aid NDA Last accessed
December 1, 2015
U.S. Education Secretary Warns that Automatic Budget Cuts Would Hurt Children and
Families U.S. Department of Education July 25, 2015 last date accessed December 1,
2015
New CA law ensures public school students arent charged illegal fees. American civil
Liberties union of southern California. October 1, 2012 last accessed December 1, 2015
Bankston III L Carl The Mass Production of Credentials Subsidies and the Rise of Education
Industry. The Independent Review, v. 15 n. 3 winter 2011. Last accessed December 1,
2015
Burke, Lindsey and Butler, Stuart M, Ph.D. Accreditation: Removing the Barriers to Education
Reform Backgrounder#2728 on education. September 21, 2012 last date accessed
December 1, 2015
Carnegie, Andrew. The Gospel of Wealth. A World of Ideas. Ed. Lee A. Jacobs. New York:
Bedford, 2013. 350-360. Print.
Jackson, Jerlando F. L.1O'Callaghan, Elizabeth M.2 Adserias, Ryan P.
Approximating Glass
Ceiling Effects Using Cross-Sectional Data. New Directions for
Institutional Research.
Jul2014, Vol. 2013 Issue 159, p37-47. Academic search premier last
date accessed November 29, 2015

Alvarado 9

Monahan, RACHEL, Kolodner, MEREDITH NYC schools are overcrowded: City classrooms
Overflowing with students New York Daily news September 17, 2009 Last date accessed
December 1, 2015
Mucher, Stephen Op-ed the teaching crisis that unions and school districts wont address LA
Times March 18, 2015 last date accessed December 1, 2015
Smith, Adam Jeremey How Budget Cuts and PTA Fundraising Undermined Equity in San
Francisco
Public Schools San Francisco Pubic Press February 3, 2014 Last date accessed
December 1, 2015
Strauss, Valerie Gov. Scott Walker savages Wisconsin public education in new budget The
Washington post NDA last date accessed December 1, 2015