It’s too easy, when teaching about class and economic inequality, for the conversations to turn to what to do for them, as if economic justice were primarily a matter of charity.
The Equality Trust is compiling very good resources for shifting that conversation beyond talk of safety nets and foodbanks. Their data (based primarily in the UK but also based on studies in the U.S.) makes clear that everyone is harmed in unequal societies.
One example: They document the correlation between income inequality in a state and the rates at which young people in that state drop out. I can imagine sparking all sorts of conversations with students about possible explanations for this data (including, likely, conversations about the limits of correlational analysis, but those are always good conversations, too).
The Trust is working on compiling studies on the effects of inequality on areas from health care to global warming.
I’m updating my course websites with many of these links.
Education and Class 