Samuel Bowles & Herbert Gintis (B&G)

- Marxist economists from Harvard

- Schooling in Capitalist America

Main Thesis: Educational system legitimizes inequality in the society instead of correcting it.

 Economic inequality (in terms of level of income) exists because of the structural aspect of
the capitalist economy. The school functions as provider of skilled labor to the capitalists.

Supporting arguments:

 B&G debunks the meritocratic myth: if you’re smart (high IQ and test scores) and have technical
skills, you will have economic success. Through empirical and statistical data, they showed that
there is no significant correlation between high IQ and probability of earning high income.
 There is high correlation between years of schooling and income, but when they look at people
with the same cognitive ability, education and income is almost unchanged.
 B&G debunks that IQ is inherited, therefore, the rich has IQ. Then again, through statistics they
proved that even though family socioeconomic background and income has high correlation, IQ
has nothing to do with socioeconomic class.
 The school’s role, therefore, is not primarily for cognitive skills; schools also plays the role of
teaching “social relations” that students learn.
 Alienation is reflected in school in “student’s lack of control over his education, the alienation of
student from the curriculum content and…through a system of grades and other external rewards
rather than the student’s integration with either the process (learning) or the outcome (knowledge)
of the ‘production process’.”
 Like Freire, B&G also believes that educators are good-hearted and well-meaning.
 In another study by B&G, they found that traits such as creativity and independence have
negative correlation with grades and job performance, while submission, punctuality,
dependability and persistence are rewarded.
 “Experiences of parents on the job tend to be reflected in the social relations of family life.” To
the point that people accept their position in life because of their skills and abilities.
 The school is just like the economy: undemocratic and non-participatory
 Schools are not oppressive and authoritarian because they are neglected by the government, but
because they are successfully doing their role in society.

Educational change

 Education is anchored to the economic system. Thus, if we just keep reforming the educational
system, it will either just be ignored, fail or adjusted for the economic system. Therefore, for real
reform to happen, the current economic system must be first restructured.

Prepared by: Jessica J. Manipon 2007-20959