Study: Students With Working-Class Parents Less Likely To Seek Academic Help

The Chicago Tribune (1/4, Malone) reports that a recent study published in the American Sociological Review found that "students' ability to speak up for themselves and seek help from a teacher often varies by economic and social class," noting that "just as every school principal knows the adults most willing to pipe up about everything from the kids' class assignments to cafeteria food - by and large, well-educated working professionals," the study "found their children showed the same propensity to advocate for themselves in the classroom as early as third grade. The children of working-class parents profiled in the two-year study seemed more reticent in asking teachers to review directions, provide more instruction or even check their work."