Education in a Changing Society Chapter One (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

The Reality of Social Change  Two major social changes affecting education are taking place:  Changes in demographics  Changes in social institutions (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Demographics in Transition  Three factors resulting in changing demographics:  High immigration rates  High birthrates among some segments of the population  The population is aging (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Institutions in Transition  A social institution is a formal, recognized, established, and stabilized way of pursuing some important activity in society.  Social institutions provide rules, or social norms, that become internalized in individuals.  When institutions change, so do the norms they provide. (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Changes in Institutions In today’s world, all social institutions are experiencing fundamental change:  Economics—globalization  Politics—new alignments of nations  Family—new forms of family life  Religion—rise of fundamentalism in all world religions (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

 Changes in Economics and Politics  Economically, there has been a shift from:  Loyalty to a single company to loyalty to one’s own self-interest  A national to a global focus  Politically, there has been a shift from:  Political interest within our own borders to interest in political events around the world (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

 Changes in the Family  More women are in the workforce  The divorce rate is high  More families are in poverty  New family “forms” are becoming common (e.g., single-parent families, blended families)  More intermarriage between ethnic and religious groups (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

 Changes in Religious Organizations  Immigrants are bringing unfamiliar religions and religious ideas to the society  Various “new age” religious affiliations are emerging  There is a rise in fundamentalist religious groups in all major religions (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Schools as a Reflection of Social Change  Changing demographics among students  Increasing numbers of children whose first language is not English  Increasing inclusion of children with disabilities in classrooms  Increasing attention to differential treatment of boys and girls in classrooms (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

 Limited English Proficiency  Most Potentially English Proficient (PEP) students speak Spanish  The United States is the fifth largest Spanish-speaking country in the world  More than half of PEP students are in grades K–4 and more than three- quarters are poor (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

 Inclusion  Legal support for inclusion:  Public Law , Education of All Handicapped Children Act (1975)  Amendments to P.L , Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; 1990, 1992, 1997)  More children with disabilities being educated side by side with children without disabilities (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

 Gender and Schooling  While girls have not been thought to be educationally different from boys, their experiences in school are often very different  Research demonstrates that what is good for boys in school is not necessarily good for girls  Title IX sought to eliminate discrimination on the basis of sex (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Students and Teachers: A Clash of Cultures? Increasingly, the student population in schools is a multicultural one, while the population of teachers remains much as it has always been: white, middle class, and predominantly female—in short, monocultural. This can create something of a clash of cultures between students and teachers. (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Rethinking Schools and Learning  As society changes, schools must also change to accommodate new needs  Thus, there is a national movement for school reform  Reform efforts aimed at “leaving no child behind” through testing and accountability (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Schools in Transition  In education, we are experiencing a shift from:  Schools that educate an elite, to schools that educate everyone to the same standard  Schools that emphasize rote learning, to schools that emphasize critical thinking  Schools that emphasize teaching, to schools that emphasize learning (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

The Root Causes of Change  New circumstances in the society in which schools are embedded  19 th –20 th Centuries: Schools reflected the needs of an emerging industrial society  20 th –21 st Centuries: Schools are changing to reflect the needs of an emerging information society (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Classrooms for an Industrial Age  Futurist Alvin Toffler calls the industrial age a “Second Wave Civilization”; characteristics of classrooms for this era include:  Standardization  Synchronization  Specialization  Centralization  Large scale (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Standardization in a classroom might be demonstrated by:  All teachers are certified by standard criteria  Teachers and students dress according to a district- wide standard dress code  Textbooks and/or a course of study are the same for all students in grade level or subject  Student performance is judged by standardized tests  For the most part, students work individually  Students compete for grades, awards, etc. (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Synchronization in a classroom might be demonstrated by:  Class periods are of equal length; so are times between class periods  Each subject is taught on a regular basis, usually—but not always—daily  The school day is planned and coordinated according to a regular schedule  The school year is planned in advance (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Specialization in a classroom means that:  Subjects are divided by disciplines; there is little interdisciplinary study  Teachers, administrators, clerical, and support staff have differentiated roles  Ancillary personnel (e.g., nurses, counselors, etc.) also have specific and differentiated roles (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Centralization means that many policy decisions are made at the district level  Centralized decisions are often made about:  Curriculum  Budgets  Purchasing  Attendance  Discipline  Scheduling (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Large scale means that, in general, “bigger is better”  This tendency toward large scale can be seen in:  Large districts  Large buildings  Large auditoriums  Large bands  Large football stadiums (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Classrooms for an Information Age  Toffler names the present information age, a “Third Wave Civilization.” Characteristics of classrooms for this era include:  Individualization and choice  Collaboration  Diversity  Decentralization  Small scale (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Individual choice may mean that:  Within a broad range of standards, teachers and students may make decisions about curriculum and pedagogy;  Students and teachers may make decisions about learning activities; and  Students and teachers may set classroom rules to produce an effective learning environment (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Collaboration in such a classroom might look like this:  Teachers across subject areas and disciplines might plan lessons and units together  Parents and community members might be actively involved in classroom activities  Groups of students might often be found working together on projects and lessons (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Diversity in the classroom might look like this:  Students of different ages may be working together  Students of differing abilities may be working together  Students and teachers may be acting in multiple roles  Students and teachers may be incorporating multiple disciplines in their work  Students may be of differing cultural backgrounds (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Decentralization often means school-based decision making:  Called site-based management, school- based decision making may involve:  Setting learning goals  Planning the school budget  Setting attendance policies  Developing dress codes  Hiring new teachers and other personnel (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Small scale means more face-to- face interaction:  Classes are smaller  Everyone knows everyone else  Students work with a variety of adults  Adults work with a variety of students  It is easier to develop really meaningful learning communities and a sense of belonging for everyone (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

As schools move through this transitional period, remember:  Change is difficult  Human beings often react to change with hostility  Human beings often react to change by resisting it  New circumstances often mean new opportunities; it’s up to you... (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Ideological Perspectives on Multicultural Education  Attention to differences among students is not new  The nature of the differences to which we must attend is broadening  Multicultural education is becoming less a matter of differences within the United States and more a global phenomenon (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

A New Role for Teachers  To recognize social and cultural change  To understand culture, learning, and the culture-learning process  To be able to improve intergroup and intragroup interactions  To transmit intercultural understanding and skills to students (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

The Importance of Stories  Stories help a person visualize and talk about new ideas and experiences  Stories often “speak to” complex human experiences  Stories help us to see the universality of common experiences (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e

Something to Think About “The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” —Alvin Toffler (c) 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cushner/McClelland/Safford, Human Diversity in Education, 5/e