Although the most idealistic portrayal of schools holds them up to be institutions where students are inculcated with democratic ideals and academic knowledge, in reality schools have a variety of other functions as well. They socialize students to mainstream societal norms and promote social integration across and within groups. They also create and reinforce social hierarchies.46 Schools require that students interact with both peers and authority figures whose identities and experiences may either be similar to theirs or be the total opposite. What students take from
