25 Quotes by James S. Coleman

It is one thing to take as a given that approximately 70 percent of an entering high school freshman class will not attend college, but to assign a particular child to a curriculum designed for that 70 percent closes off for that child the opportunity to attend college.

The higher the social class of other students the higher any given student’s achievement.

Schools are successful only insofar as they reduce the dependence of a child’s opportunities upon his social origins.

The educational resources provided by a child’s fellow students are more important for his achievement than are the resources provided by the school board.

In a high school, the norms act to hold down the achievements of those who are above average, so that the school’s demands will be at a level easily maintained by the majority.

I’d propose that each central-city child should have an entitlement from the state to attend any school in the metropolitan area outside his own district – with per pupil funds going with him.

A child’s learning is a function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher.