The first group of essays presents a discussion of contemporary trends that determine the stratification of class systems and a review of localized issues in education and income, as well as more global issues on worldwide social mobility. These essays capture some of the changing economic and social conditions that distinguish the study of class as it appears today. Social mobility, which Michael P. Auerbach defines as “the pursuit of better life,” is explored in his two essays on the phenomena of a rapidly changing global society. Sociologist Barbara Hornick-Lockard argues that the changes in “labor market and household composition” will require researchers to conceive of innovative income analysis methods in order to “create new models for understanding new economies” represented in the U.S. today. By first correcting the belief that education promises social mobility in an increasingly stratified society, Sharon Link and Alexandra Howson claim that the revision of interpretive models in sociology may confront the prevailing notion of an “ultimately classless society.”