Working-Class Students and Higher EducationAuthors Michelle Tokarczyk, Peter Sacks, Robert Haverman, and Timothy Smeeding all write about some of the issues working-class students face in the education in the United States, especially college education which is usually referred to as higher education. Although they focus on different aspects of the problem, they still have some ideas in common. In their articles, they all discuss how economic and social class plays a very significant role in the quality of education an American student receives. To support their claims, they all use studies as strong evidence. They also imply that university education fails to consider the special issues and conditions of working-class students. Furthermore, higher education fails to help students improve their situation and social mobility. While all of the issues that working-class students face are important, some of them are extremely significant factors in their struggle to obtain a college education, such as the economic and social class of the working-class student. The major problems that working-class students face in America also occur in the education system in China. In Tokarczyk's essay, “Promises to Keep: Working-Class Students and Higher Education,” she argues that working-class students face both academic and institutional barriers to obtaining college degrees. According to Tokarczyk, working-class students are usually not prepared for postsecondary education, which she calls an “academic barrier” (85). Problems such as school policies that are not designed for working-class students, peers who are unable to understand the situations they experience, and teachers with... middle of paper ......economic and social status is the biggest barrier for students in small towns. Works CitedFu, Yiqin. “The Unjust University Admission System in China.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, June 19, 2013. Web. March 8, 2014. Haveman, Robert, and Timothy Smeeding. “The Role of Higher Education in Social Mobility.” Educational issues: Exploring education issues. Ed. Morgan Gresham and Crystal McCage. New York: Longman, 2008. 49-74. Print.Sacchi, Peter. “Do No Harm: Stop the Harm to America's Schools.” Educational issues: Exploring education issues. Ed. Morgan Gresham and Crystal McCage. New York: Longman, 2008. 37-49. Print.Tokarczyk, Michelle M. “Promises to Keep: Working-Class Students and Higher Education.” Educational issues: Exploring education issues. Ed. Morgan Gresham and Crystal McCage. New York: Longman, 2008. 84-92. Press.