"For generations, Americans have looked to education as the solution to economic disadvantage. Yet, although more people are earning degrees, the gap between rich and poor is widening. Cristina Groeger delves into the history of this seeming contradiction, explaining how education came to be seen as a panacea even as it paved the way for deepening inequality."-- Provided by publisher

Introduction : Education and social inequality -- Nineteenth-century networks -- Uplifting the "unskilled" -- Craft power in the industrial workplace -- Becoming pink collar -- Professional ladders -- Placement in corporate America -- Conclusion : Schools, inequality, and worker power