The middle class and upper middle class are highly attached to the institution of school explicitly as a sorting mechanism, as a way of justifying privileges of which middle-class members are already central beneficiaries. These critics suggest that the entire notion of schools as meritocracies actually reifies and reinforces class privilege--making those whom school rewards (those who already have a lot of benefits) feel they deserve the privileges they have. Kirsten Olson
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When someone believes that the school is a meritocracy, they believe that the school will be a place of fairness and equality of opportunity. In a meritocracy, people are chosen on their merits and not on their family background. The idea is that you can earn your way to success just by working hard. According to this idea, if you aren’t willing to work hard at school, you will never get ahead of your peers. And, if you aren’t willing to do this, then you shouldn’t expect any privileges from the system.

Source: Wounded By School: Recapturing The Joy In Learning And Standing Up To Old School Culture

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