On Being Middle Class

Both the Kahlenberg (2005) and Margolis (2008) articles made frequent reference to socio-economic status. Kahlenberg (2005), in particular, spoke of middle-class students however, he failed to define its meaning. As Sarah R. mentioned, in class, - millions of Americans (U.S.) held “good jobs” working in factories or in the civil service. These individuals can make 40-50k+ a year; times two and you have a household income approaching 100k a year. Such individuals would certainly be middle-class on paper but may not necessarily have a professional, white-collar ethic when it comes to academic rigor and or higher education. Therefore I can only infer that the middle-class Kahlenberg (2005) references are those with college educations rather than well-paid blue collar workers. It is important to be clear on such things.