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Inequality 1/2:
In the Observer today, Eliza Filby (in an article summarising her new book, not yet online) uses a term I'd not heard before & like (but which doesn't originate with her):
the Inheritocracy
As she points out int he article & in her book, Britain has become a society patterned by what you inherit from your parents, alongside what after net they can provide as you build your life.
In other words (as I've posted on before) inheritance is an engine of inequality.
@ChrisMayLA6 Very aware that my son is in a fortunate position in that regard. While tuition fees are paid for, he currently lives at home and goes to university. If he lived in halls, we would have had to cover some of the cost. Not everyone can do this, which is why so many students also now have a part-time job to cover their costs. University is not the same now as no time/money to socialise for the majority.
Yes, I know lots of parents who are acting as safety nets for their children in various ways, and I can see exactly why they do this... its a structural issue that needs a society wide recalibration to make the safety net redundant not a programme of balling individual parents - which is something I try to resist.... if not always successfully
@ChrisMayLA6 It’s absolutely wrong that it is this way. No one should do better in life just because of their parents, something I believe strongly, while at the same time until the supports are there it’s hard to just let go. But being aware of that is important too, my son knows he is lucky and not everyone the same.
@ChrisMayLA6 "Inheritocracy" is a great word. Says exactly what it's meant to.
@ChrisMayLA6 Some years ago, I read a meta study on various effects on education. They concluded that only two things had a uniformly positive impact on outcomes:
- Enthusiasm of the teachers.
- Parental support.
The first is systematically drained in state schools by appalling working conditions. The second is very hard to provide when you need to work two jobs to afford food.
Yes, which is why I loved teaching at university; I felt, if I could enthuse my students, I was actually making a difference (and in some cases I did)
And the Tory/Lib Dem austerity project achieved exactly its real intention to create a poor, ill-educated, and stressed large underclass without the security of jobs, housing, and even food.
They’ll be too concerned with keeping their heads above water to challenge the status quo 
@david_chisnall @ChrisMayLA6 With "enthusiasm of.... teachers" the true red flag is mandated and controlled curriculum. Written by politicians because they won't trust professionals.
@david_chisnall @ChrisMayLA6 Enthusiasm of teachers is probably the confounding factor in many exciting new teaching method showing great results with this one group studies.
@ChrisMayLA6 inheritance is the primary engine of inequality.