In what ways can schooling hinder a person's sense of social standing and self-worth? Drawing upon the school experiences and life stories of working-class women - black and white, rural and urban, southern and northern - Wendy Luttrell examines how schools shortchange women, both when they are children and when they return to school as adults. In so doing, Schoolsmart and Motherwise offers fresh explanations and practical suggestions for school reform and adult literacy education.