Lesson 15: Social Mobility
Attention
"The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public, and stimulate civic life"
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:
- Identify recent trends in social mobility
- Identify personal goals and efforts to gain social mobility
Teaching
Economic Mobility
I've attached HERE a document put out by the Economic Mobility Project titled "Economic Mobility: Is the American Dream Still Alive?"
It represents a great analysis of the current status of the "American Dream" and how that dream has changed over the decades. The report is a bit dated so some more recent information is available on the actual web page.
Click HERE to read a recent article on how Social Immobility Erodes the "American Dream"
Assessment
Potential Class Discussion
In this discussion I want you to post a comment related to where you are on the graphic presented below. Where have you been, where are you now, and where are you going? Let's get a feel to how social mobility has played an active role in your life.
Lesson 15 Quiz
For this assessment you will need to review the document titled "Economic Mobility: Is the American Dream Alive and Well?"
- Do your values agree with the report? Explain. (see p. 2 of the report)
- Do we live in a Meritocratic, Fortune Cookie, or Class-Stratified Society? Explain. (see p. 4 of the report)
- Will the next generation do worse than the previous? Explain. (see p. 5 of the report)
- What impact has YOUR upbringing had on the goals you set? (this is not directly addressed in the report but it is related to it)