Education begins as an informal process where an infant watches others and imitates them

As a child grows, the educational process becomes more formal: play dates and pre-school

Grade school: academic lessons become the focus of education

It is much more than simply learning facts!

The education system socializes us to our society

We learn cultural expectations and norms which are reinforced by our teachers, textbooks and classmates This can be an issue with students that are

not part of the dominant culture Learning multiplication tables as well as

taking turns and saying “please” and “thank you”

Schools can be agents of change Teaching students to think outside of the

family norms Can broaden horizons and help break the

cycles of poverty and racism Schools can also be criticized

Not producing the test results and numbers Letting students slip through the cracks Letting students drop out

Sociologists understand education to be both a social problem and social solution

Education – a social institution through which a society’s children are taught basic academic knowledge, learning skills and social norms

Every nation in the world is has some form, although they vary widely Wealth of a nation has a lot to do with how

much money is spent on education Worldwide educational inequality is a social

concern for many countries, including the US

There are many differences in international educational systems besides financial: The value placed on education The amount of time devoted to it The distribution of education within a country

Examples: 220 school days in South Korea compared to

180 in the US US ranks 5th of 27 countries for college

participation but 16th for those that receive college degrees

In December of 2010, a study showed that the US dropped from 15th to 25th in rankings for science and math. Shanghai, Finland, Hong Kong and Singapore led the world Why? They had clearly established standards

for education with clear goals for the students

They recruited the top 5 to 10 percent of university students that graduated with education degrees

Social Factors Another study attributed 20% of the

performance differences and the United States’ low ranking due to differences in social background

Money and quality teachers are not distributed equally in the US

Access to limited resources didn’t affect students in Shanghai or Singapore (where 70% of those who achieved at a higher level than expected due to their social background) like they do in the US (where it’s below 30%)

This could ultimately effect the US economy and social landscape.

Formal education – learning of academic facts and concepts through formal curriculum US educational system is considered a right

and responsibility for all citizens Focuses on formal education, with curricula

and testing designed to ensure that students learn the facts and concepts that society believes are basic knowledge

Informal education – learning about cultural values, norms and expected behaviors by participating in society Occurs both in the formal education system

and at home Starts with parents, relatives, and others in

the community Learning to dress for different occasions,

performing regular life routines like shopping for and preparing foods, personal hygiene

Cultural transmission – the way that people come to learn the values, beliefs and social norms of their culture Both formal and informal education include

this Students learn cultural aspects of modern

history in a US History classroom and at the same time learn the cultural norm for asking a classmate out on a date through passing notes and whispered conversations

A big concern that is universal is the idea that education is universal access to education; that everyone has an equal ability to participate in an educational system Can be difficult based on class or gender,

race and disability Supported in the United States through

federal and state governments covering the cost of free, public education

Issues then evolve out of school budgets and taxes on the national, state and community levels

Functionalists – believes that education equips people to perform different functional roles in society

Conflict theorists – view education as a means of widening the gap in social inequality

Feminist theorists – point to evidence that sexism in education continues to prevent women from achieving a full measure of social equality

Symbolic interactionists – study the dynamics of the classroom, the interactions between students and teachers, and how those affect everyday life

Functionalism – view education as one of the more important social institutions in society Feel education contributes 2 kinds of

functions: Manifest (primary) – intended and visible functions

of education Latent (secondary) – hidden and unintended

functions

Manifest functions Socialization – starts in pre-school and

kindergarten Students taught to practice various societal roles How to get along and become prepared for adult

economic roles Learning the rules and norms of society as a whole

Used to learn just the dominant culture Now because of our diversity, they learn a variety of cultural

norms

Social control – a core value of the US Teach conformity to law and respect for authority Respect to teachers and administrators helps them

navigate through the school enviroment

Also prepares students to enter the workplace and world at large where they will be subjected to people who hold authority over them

Fulfillment of this function rests with educators and instructors/aides who are with the students all day

Social placement – major methods used by people for upward social mobility

College and graduate schools are viewed as vehicles for moving students closer to careers that will give them financial freedom and security

Increases student motivation (especially in college) Can be dependent on specific courses

Latent Functions Things that go on in school that has little to

do with formal education Courtship/dating Social networks

Becoming easier to maintain with sites like Facebook and LinkedIn

The ability to work within small groups Transferable to the workplace May not be learned in a homeschool setting

Learning about social issues More at the college level: social and political advocacy,

tolerance for other viewpoints

Manifest and Latent Function TableManifest Functions – Openly stated functions with intended goals

Latent Functions – Hidden, unstated functions with sometimes unintended consequences

Socialization Courtship

Transmission of Culture

Social Networks

Social Control Working in Groups

Social Placement Creation of a Generation Gap

Cultural Innovation Political and Social Integration

Functionalist recognize other ways that schools educate and enculturate students Teaching individualism – the valuing of the

individual over the value of the groups or society as a whole

Japan and China teach the good of the group over the rights of the individual; the US teaches that the highest rewards go to the best individual in academics and athletics

Foster self-esteem Japan focuses on fostering social esteem, the group over

the individual Prepares students for competition in life Teaching patriotism

Most recently, school have taken over some traditional family functions

Teaching human sexuality Budgeting Job applications and resumes

Conflict theorists do not believe that schools reduce social inequality They believe it reinforces and perpetuates them as

they arise from class, gender, race and ethnicity View education serving a more negative role Educational systems preserve the status quo and

push people of lower status into obedience Fulfillment of one’s education is closely linked to

social class Students of lower socioeconomic status are not afforded

the same opportunities as those students of high status, regardless of their academic ability or desire to learn

They may lack motivation, guidance or support at home

Be without the proper tools at home: internet, computer, printer

Goes hand in hand with the traditional curriculum that is more easily understood and completed by students of higher social classes

Leads to social class reproduction Cultural capital – cultural knowledge that serves

as currency to help one navigate a culture More cultural capital is found with upper and

middle social classes than within families of lower Educational systems thus maintain a cycle in which the

dominant culture’s values are rewarded

Instruction and tests cater to the dominant culture, leaving others to struggle to identify values and competencies outside their class

SAT tests: do they measure natural intelligence or cultural ability?

The cycle of rewarding those that possess cultural capital is also found in hidden curriculum (nonacademic knowledge that one learns through informal learning and cultural transmission)

Reinforces the positions of those with higher cultural capital and bestows status unequally

Tracking – a formalized sorting system that places students on tracks

Perpetuates inequalities Leads to self-fulfilling prophecies where students live up or

down to teacher/societal expectations

Schools play the role of training working class students to accept and retain their position as lower members of society

This role is fulfilled through the disparity of resources available to students in richer and poorer neighborhoods as well as through testing

IQ tests, like the SAT tests, are attacked as being biased, testing cultural knowledge rather than actual intelligence

Another way that education does not provide opportunities but instead maintain an established configuration of power

Aims to understand the mechanisms and roots of gender inequality in education and their social repercussions Educational systems are characterized by

unequal treatment and opportunity for women Almost 2/3 of the 862,000,000 illiterate people are

women In America, women have been granted (albeit a

little late) entry to the public education system Title IX of the Education Amendments in 1972 –

prevents discrimination on the basis of sex in US education programs

Runs education, as well as, sports

Post-education gender disparity between what male and female graduates earn

A May 2011 study showed men made $5000 more than women on average

Women made .77 cents to every male $1 Trends among salaries of professionals in virtually all

industries The capacity for women to achieve equal rights are

directly correlated to their opportunities for education

Sees education as one way labeling theory is seen in action; that there’s a direct correlation to those who are in power and those who are labeled Low standardized test scores or poor performance

often lead to a student being labeled a low achiever; can create a self-fulfilling prophecy

Credentialism – embodies the emphasis on certificates or degrees to show a person has a certain skill, has attained a certain level of education or met certain job qualifications

Serve as a symbol of what a person’s achieved, thus labeling

Labeling has a significant impact on a student’s schooling

Teachers and powerful social groups within the school dole out labels that are adopted by the entire school population

Equal Education 1954 Brown v. Board of Education (Topeka,

Kansas) State laws that established separate schools for black

and white students (under the idea of “separate but equal”) were unequal and unconstitutional

1957, Arkansas, the governor used the state National Guard to prevent black students from entering Little Rock Central High School

President Eisenhower sent in members of the 101st Airborne Division to uphold the students right to enter the school

1963, Alabama, governor George Wallace stood in the doorway of the University of Alabama to keep 2 black students from entering to enroll in school: said Wallace “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever”

President Kennedy sent in the Alabama National Guard to apply his order

Still remains a gap in the equality of education that all races and ethnicities receive

Students from wealthy families and those of lower socioeconomic status do not receive the same opportunities

The public school system today is mandated to accept and retain all students regardless of race, religion, social class, etc, and are held accountable to equitable per-student spending

Private schools are usually only accessible to students from high-income families and schools in more affluent areas tend to enjoy access to greater resources and better opportunities

Some key predictors for student performance include socioeconomic status and family background

Children from families of lower socioeconomic status tend to enter school with learning deficits they struggle to overcome

Coleman Report of 1966 There is a great divide in the performance of white

students from affluent backgrounds and their non-white, less affluent counterparts.

Head Start The Coleman Report brought 2 major changes to

education: Head Start and busing Head Start is a federal program that is designed to

give low-income students an opportunity to make up the pre-school deficit

Provides academic-centered preschool to students of low socioeconomic status

• Busing• Less successful than Head Start, subject to

controversy• Courts were ordering some school districts

throughout the country (to further desegregate education) to bring students to schools (they normally wouldn’t attend) outside their neighborhoods to bring racial diversity into balance

• Met with lots of public resistance, both sides were dissatisfied with white students traveling to inner city schools and minority students being transported to schools in the suburbs.

No Child Left Behind 2001, Bush administration, requires states to test

students in designated grades Results of the tests determine eligibility to receive

federal funding Schools that do not meet the standards set by the

Act run the risk of having their funding cut Far more negative than positive, according to

sociologists and teachers, one size fits all does not apply to education

Designed to raise expectations and knowledge to compete with the rest of the world in education and in turn, with jobs

Schools must meet AYP

• What are the measures for School AYP?• Attendance or Graduation Rate:

• The Attendance goal is 90%, or a target of any improvement from the previous year.

• Attendance applies to schools that do not have a high school graduating class, and the rate is based on the entire school.

• The Graduation Rate measure has a goal of 85%, or a 10% reduction of the difference between the previous year's graduation rate and 85%.

• The Graduation Rate applies to schools that have a high school graduating class and every measurable subgroup. Graduates are the number of students graduating in four years with a regular diploma. Cohort is described as first time entering 9th graders four years earlier plus “transfers in” over four years minus “transfers out” over four years. The graduation rate for any year is the number of graduates divided by the cohort for that year multiplied by 100.

• Achieving Proficiency (Academic Performance):• The PA state goals for this school year (2011-12) are 78% of

students scoring at Proficient or higher in Mathematics and 81% of students scoring at Proficient or higher in Reading.

• In 2013, these goals will increase to 89% of students scoring at Proficient or higher in Mathematics and 91% of students scoring at Proficient or higher in Reading.

• These percentages will increase gradually until the year 2014 when the goal will be set at 100% of students scoring at Proficient or higher in Mathematics and Reading.

• NCLB allows schools to meet their performance measure by "Safe Harbor". Safe Harbor states that if a school achieves a 10% decrease of students who scored below Proficient from the previous year, it meets the AYP target for performance.

• The performance rate is based on only those students enrolled for the full academic year (enrolled as of October 1, 2011), who completed the test, and who are not first year "English Language Learners" students.

• Taking the Test (Test Participation):• At least 95% of students overall and within each subgroup must

take the test.• The participation rate is based on those students enrolled as of

the last day of the assessment window (March 30, 2012), regardless of whether or not those students were enrolled for a full academic year.

PA Flowchart for Schools http://paayp.emetric.net/Content/datafiles/PD

E%20AYP%20Flowchart.pdf

Teaching to the test NCLB Act has led to a social phenomenon known

as “teaching to the test” where a curriculum focuses on equipping students to succeed on standardized tests to the detriment of broader educational goals and concepts of learning

2 approaches to classroom education Teachers impart knowledge that students are obligated to

absorb (lecture, memorization, lower level thinking skills) Student centered learning that seeks to teaching

students problem solving abilities and learning skills (higher level thinking skills)

The first only equips students to spit back out the facts, while the second fosters lifelong learning and transferable work skills

Bilingual Education Attempts to give equal opportunity to minority

students through offering instruction in languages other than English

(Mandated by the federal government in 1968) Argued by supporters that all students deserve

equal opportunities in education (opportunities that some can’t access without instruction in their native language)

Argued by opponents that the need for English fluency in everyday life and the professional world and thus they need to learn the language; also an extra, unnecessary expense for the school districts

Charter Schools Self-governing public schools with signed agreements with

state governments to improve students when poor performance is revealed on tests required by NCLB

The same rules that apply to regular schools don’t necessarily apply to charters; they make agreements to achieve specific results

Part of the public school system, free to attend, some have lotteries for positions while others pick and choose

Some specialize in specific fields like the arts and sciences Most are at-will employers for teachers, make the grade

and standards, you keep your job, if not you’re gone Performance at some are fantastic and others are lacking

Teacher Training Many teachers in the US did not major in the area

that they teach (8% of US 4th grade math teachers majored or minored in math, compared to 48% in Singapore)

Students in disadvantaged schools are 77% more likely to be educated by a teacher who didn’t specialize in the subject matter than students in affluent areas

Offers the debate of where teacher training and education lies: pedagogy and effective strategies vs. subject matter; teaching degrees vs. degrees in the subject matter

Social Promotion Passing students to the next grade regardless of their

meeting standards for that grade Affirmative Action

Relating to the admittance of college students Rising Student Loan Debt

Debts of students average $25,250 upon graduation Jobs are scarce 1 in 7 student loans are in default, about $52 billion 39 million student borrowers carry approximately

$1,000,000,000,000 in federal student debt (not including private loans)

Home Schooling Students being educated in their homes, usually by a

parent Provides great opportunity for student-centered

learning while not having to deal with the negatives in school environments; parents know their children best

Opponents say that students miss out on social development that takes place; education is a complex task and requires a degree

50% of homeschoolers cite the belief that they can give a better education, just under 40% cite religion as a reason

There have been consensus agreements on evaluating the success or lack of success in homeschooling