1. SCHOOL CONTEXT
Chapter 6

2. Secondary Education
Middle schools, junior highs, and high schools are all forms of secondary education
The proportion of the 14- to 17-year-old population enrolled in school increased dramatically between 1910 and 1940
Today, nearly 95% of individuals this age are in school
Close to 2/3 of all youth now continue their education beyond high school graduation—in technical schools, colleges, and universities.
During most of the year, the typical American student spends more than one-third of his or her waking hours each week in school or in school-related activities.

3. The Rise of the Comprehensive High School
Before secondary education was compulsory, high schools were for the socioeconomic elite
By 1920s, educators called for curricular reform to match changes in social composition of schools
Comprehensive high school
General education, college preparation, vocational education all housed under one roof
Prior to the 20th century, a classical liberal arts curriculum had been designed for the elite. Page 202
Food for Thought: The comprehensive high school was invented within a specific historical context. Does it make sense within today’s society? If not, what alternative or alternatives would you suggest?
Page 203

4. School Reform: What Should Schools Teach?
Relevance
1980s
Back to Basics: Math, science, reading
Early 1990s
Critical/Higher-Order Thinking
Late 1990s
Rigorous Academic Standards: Emphasize High Tech training
Today
Standards-Based Reform
No Child Left Behind (2002)
Table contents discussed on page 204.
Food for Thought: What is the current focus in secondary education?
Does this make sense to you? Page 207

5. School Reform: No Child Left Behind Act (2002)
Mandates that all states ensure that all students, regardless of economic circumstances, achieve academic proficiency on standardized annual tests
Schools that repeatedly fail face losing funding, being forced to close
Addresses problem of social promotion
Advancing students regardless of their academic competence or performance
Introduces problem of teaching to the test for teachers who are under pressure to get kids to pass annual exams

6. Violence in Schools…
What does the school experience look like now vs in the past?
Is there more school violence?

7. How big of a problem were the following at your school?
Fighting?
Theft of personal property?
Vandalism?
Students bringing weapons to school?
Did you ever fear fro your physical safety at school?

8. Characteristics of Good Schools
Class Activity:
“My favorite teacher in school was ______ because…”
Page 206

9. School Reform Past and Present: Characteristics of Good Schools
Emphasize intellectual activities
Have teachers strongly committed to students
Constantly monitor themselves to become better
Are well integrated into the communities they serve
Composed of good classrooms where students are active participants
Page 206

10. The Social Organization of Schools: School Size and Class Size
Schools became larger
To offer a wider range of courses
To offer more services for students
However, student performance and interest in school improve
When schools are made less bureaucratic
School are more intimate

11. The Social Organization of Schools: School Size and Class Size
In larger schools, students tend to be observers rather than participants
School size especially affects participation of students whose grades are not very good
Ideal size of a school for adolescents
Between 500 and 1,000 students
Page 208

12. The Social Organization of Schools: School Size and Class Size
Bailey MS: 1, ,206
Bowie HS: 2,900
Page 208

13. The Social Organization of Schools: School Size and Class Size
HOWEVER…
Classroom size
Does not affect scholastic achievement during adolescence
Adolescents learn as much in classes of 40 students as in classes of 20 students
Page 208

14. Age Grouping and School Transitions
As children move into middle school or junior high
School grades drop
Scores on standardized achievements tests do not decline
Implication: Student motivation and changes in grading practices may be changing, not student knowledge

15. Age Grouping and School Transitions
Recommendations for Improvements
Divide middle schools into units of students to reduce feelings of anonymity
Hire teachers trained in adolescent development
Strengthen school-community ties

16. Tracking
Separating students, by ability, into different levels of classes within the same school
Proponents argue
Ability-grouping allows teachers to design class lessons that are more finely tuned to students’ abilities
Critics argue
Students who are placed in the remedial track generally receive a poorer quality education

17. School Desegregation Landmark U.S. Supreme Court rulings
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954, 1955)
Even if racially segregated schools appear equivalent on various indices of quality, they are inherently unequal
The effects of desegregation on school achievement are very modest
Minority youngster’s self-esteem is higher when they attend schools in which they are in the majority
Interracial contact even in desegregated schools is rare

18. Public Schools versus Private Schools
Advantages for students who attend Catholic schools
Social capital
Coleman: The chief reason for the advantages seen in Catholic school students is due to the close links between their schools and families
Social Capital: Interpersonal resources that, like financial capital, give “richer” students advantages over poorer ones. Students profit from the social capital associated with attending a Catholic school for example, because the lessons taught in school are reinforced at home, at church, and in the neighborhood and because the links between home and school are stronger. Page 218

19. The Importance of School Climate
The way teachers interact with students
The way classroom time is used
The standards teachers hold for students
The expectations teachers have for their students
A positive school climate fosters students’ feelings of belonging and strengthens their feelings of academic efficiency
Strong feelings of academic deficiency lead to better school performance
The factors listed above are more important than the size of the school, the way that age groups are combined, or the racial composition of the school. Page 219
Students in schools in which teachers are supportive but firm and maintain high, well-defined standards for behavior and academic work have stronger bonds to their school and more positive achievement motives; these beliefs and emotions, in turn, lead to fewer problems, better attendance, lower rates of delinquency, and higher scores on tests of achievement. Page 219

20. Beyond High School: The College Bound
1900: 4% of those 18 to 21 years of age were enrolled in college
1930: 12% of those 18 to 21 years of age were enrolled in college
Today: 75% of high-school graduates enroll in college (2/3 do so immediately after high school)

21. Beyond High School: The “Forgotten Half”
Secondary schools are geared almost exclusively toward college-bound youngsters
High schools do not prepare graduates at all for the world of work
The “Forgotten Half” have a hard time finding (even low-paying) employment

22. Work and Leisure
Chapter 7

23. Today’s Teenager Spend more time in leisure activities
Than in “productive” school activities
Spend more time alone
Than with family members
Spend 4 times as many hours at part-time jobs
As they do on homework
Page 232

24. WORK AND LEISURE IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
American adolescents spend more time on leisure, less time in productive activities, than peers in other countries
Example
Average American high school student spends < 5 hours per week on homework
In Asian countries a student spends 4 to 5 hours per day on homework
Having large amounts of free time is one hallmark of adolescence in modern society, although how adolescents use their free time varies considerably around the world.

25. Adolescents and Work: Teenage Employment in America & Other Nations
Industrialized countries
75% of U.S. high school juniors hold jobs during the school year
25% of Japanese and Taiwanese juniors do so
Paid employment even rarer in most European countries
Virtually nonexistent in France, Russia, Hungary, and Switzerland
Structured apprenticeship programs in career-related jobs more common in other countries
Students in other countries are more likely to gain work experience through structured apprenticeship programs in career-related jobs. Page 237
Food for Thought: Student employment is far more common in the United States than elsewhere. How might this make the nature of adolescence different in the United States than in other parts of the world?

26. Adolescents and Work: Working and Adolescent Development
The Development of Responsibility
Most people believe that working helps teens build character, teaches them about the real world, and prepares them for adulthood
But recent studies show that benefits of working during adolescence have been overstated
What do you think?
Few teenagers exercise a great deal of responsibility when it comes to managing their earnings. The majority of working teenagers spend most of their earnings on their own needs and activities. Most teenagers are not making genuine contributions to their family’s incomes as they were during the Great Depression. Page 239
Intensive employment during the school year may lead to more cynical attitudes toward work and the endorsement of unethical business practices. Pages

27. Adolescents and Work: Working and Adolescent Development
Work and Its Impact on Other Activities
Working more than 20 hours/week may jeopardize school performance
Absent from school more often
Less likely to be in extracurricular activities
Report enjoying school less
Spent less time on homework
Earned lower grades

28. Adolescents and Work: Working and Adolescent Development
Work and Problem Behavior
Time-honored belief: Working will deter teens from criminal activity by keeping them out of trouble
Research findings: Working long hours may actually be associated with increases in aggression, school misconduct, precocious sexual activity, minor delinquency.

29. Adolescents and Work: Working and Adolescent Development
Work and Problem Behavior
Differential Impact: Middle-Class vs. Poor Youth
Poor youth – working may not lead to problem behavior – WHY?
Pages

30. Adolescents and Leisure: Leisure and the Mass Media

31. Adolescents and Leisure: Leisure and the Mass Media
Availability of media in young people’s homes is greater than anyone thought
Many adolescents view TV, listen to music, or play video games, all in their bedrooms
This context makes parental monitoring more difficult
The average adolescent spends >7 hours each day using one or more media
Constant television environment
Smart phones
FB!
Constant television environment: TV remains on during the day, regardless of whether anyone is watching it.
Generally, there are few substantial social class or ethnic differences in the types of shows adolescents watch, although there is one huge sex difference: boys are four times more likely than girls to watch sports. Page 254
Many observers of the adolescent scene are concerned about the high level of adolescents’ exposure to messages about sex, violence, and drug use through the mass media. Page 255

32. Adolescents and Leisure: Leisure and the Mass Media
Average 1.5 hours/day texting
.5 hours/day talking on phone
Multitasking = 11 hours/day
Advancements in technology = media in teens’ pockets and bed!
Some studies show link to obesity, sleep, behavior probs, and school achievement
Constant television environment: TV remains on during the day, regardless of whether anyone is watching it.
Generally, there are few substantial social class or ethnic differences in the types of shows adolescents watch, although there is one huge sex difference: boys are four times more likely than girls to watch sports. Page 254
Many observers of the adolescent scene are concerned about the high level of adolescents’ exposure to messages about sex, violence, and drug use through the mass media. Page 255

33. SEU Study: Changing Communication Styles
More than one-third (37.8%) reported spending 3 to 4 hours on facebook per day; another 33% reported spending 1 to 2 hours per day on facebook
Almost a third (28.7%) reported spending 7 to 8 hours per day texting
Constant television environment: TV remains on during the day, regardless of whether anyone is watching it.
Generally, there are few substantial social class or ethnic differences in the types of shows adolescents watch, although there is one huge sex difference: boys are four times more likely than girls to watch sports. Page 254
Many observers of the adolescent scene are concerned about the high level of adolescents’ exposure to messages about sex, violence, and drug use through the mass media. Page 255

34. SEU Study: Changing Communication Styles
Although most participants (91%) report feeling either comfortable or very comfortable when talking to people face to face, 54% of them reported also feeling anxious when interacting face to face
Overwhelming majority (96%) feel more comfortable communicating via text; and 82% feel more comfortable talking to others on facebook
One quarter report using text to confront difficult situations
Constant television environment: TV remains on during the day, regardless of whether anyone is watching it.
Generally, there are few substantial social class or ethnic differences in the types of shows adolescents watch, although there is one huge sex difference: boys are four times more likely than girls to watch sports. Page 254
Many observers of the adolescent scene are concerned about the high level of adolescents’ exposure to messages about sex, violence, and drug use through the mass media. Page 255