Summary Of Macleod's Achievement Ideology

On March 12th, President Obama gave a weekly address to the nation concerning his plans to change the educational system in America. During his address, he outlined a few problems with America’s schools, and then said, in broad, general terms his plans to address and fix these problems. However, from a sociological standpoint, his address would not address the root causes of our educational problems in America; he focuses entirely on schools and teachers, when the problems are based on class location. As such, his policy recommendations will very likely not significantly alter the educational system in America, but rather may even help to preserve the troubled status quo. Early in the previous administration, the President signed into law …show more content…
One of the significant factors that contribute to this idea is what MacLeod (2009) calls the “Achievement Ideology.” There is a widespread belief that students are compelled to attend schooling in order to work hard and get good grades in order to, after graduation, get a good job that will pay well. This is the single dominant ideology regarding education and schooling, and is what teachers tell their students any time they question the merits of the education they are receiving. However, as MacLeod demonstrates in his book “Ain’t No Makin’ It”, the achievement ideology does not adequately explain the function of schooling. In his work, he focuses on two groups of teenage boys from the same apartment complex in a poor neighborhood of an unnamed large city, the “Brothers,” and the “Hallway Hangers.” The primary difference between the two groups is their adherence to the achievement ideology; the Brothers embrace it, believing that if they work hard in school they will become successful in life, while the Hallway Hangers reject it, arguing that the ones who do become successful through hard work are so few and far between as to not be worth the wasted time and …show more content…
One of the Hallway Hangers, for instance, before moving to the neighborhood, used to attend an elite prep school, and was considered rather bright. Likewise, in MacLeod’s estimation, the Brothers and the Hallway Hangers were not on average more or less intelligent than each other, nor were they significantly more or less intelligent than students as a whole. Their lack of success must be placed elsewhere; specifically, at structural and institutional causes. It is well-known in the field of sociology that students from lower-class backgrounds struggle much more than their middle- and upper-class counterparts to achieve academic success, despite aptitude and effort. Indeed, the decrease in educational attainment in America, compared to the rest of the developed world, might be more due to economic disparities than as a result of a lack of “trying” on the part of