Sociology, Tenth Edition Education Sociology, Tenth Edition

Education vs. Schooling The social institution through which society provides its members with important knowledge, including basic facts, job skills, and cultural norms and values Schooling Formal instruction under the direction of specially trained teachers Sociology, Tenth Edition

Functions of Schooling Socialization Primary schooling Basic language and mathematical skills Secondary schooling Expansion of basic skills to include the transmission of cultural values and norms Cultural innovation Educational systems create as well as transmit culture Social integration Brings a diverse nation together Social placement The enhancement of meritocracy Sociology, Tenth Edition

Latent Functions of Schooling Schools as child-care providers Schools consume considerable time & energy- activity thus fostering conformity Engages young people at a time in their lives when jobs are not plentiful Sets the stage for establishing relationships & networks Link between particular schools and career opportunities Sociology, Tenth Edition

Sociology, Tenth Edition Critical Analysis Functionalist approach overlooks that the quality of schooling is far greater for some than for others. U. S. Educational system reproduces the class structure in each generation System transforms privilege into personal worthiness and social disadvantage into personal deficiency Sociology, Tenth Edition

Schooling and Social Inequality Social control Mandatory education laws encouraged compliance, following directions, and discipline Hidden curriculum – subtle presentations of political or cultural ideas in the classroom Standardized testing Is it biased based on race, ethnicity, or class School tracking Assigning students to different types of education programs Does it segregate students into winners and losers? Inequality between schools Public vs. Private schools Parochial schools – operated by Roman Catholic Church Suburban vs. Urban districts Sociology, Tenth Edition

Sociology, Tenth Edition Critical Analysis Social conflict approach minimizes the extent to which schooling upward social mobility for talented men and women from all backgrounds Today’s college curricula (including sociology courses) challenges social inequity on many fronts Sociology, Tenth Edition

Access to Higher Education Money is largest stumbling block to higher education Even for state-sponsored schools Family income is still best predictor for college attendance Families making at least $75,000 send 64% of their children to college Families making under $10,000 send 21.1% of their children to college On average, a person with a college degree will add almost $500,000 to his or her earnings over a lifetime A woman with a bachelor’s degree will earn two-and-a-half times as much as a woman with eight or fewer years of schooling Sociology, Tenth Edition

National Map 20-1 Average Annual Teacher Salaries Sociology, Tenth Edition

Sociology, Tenth Edition Credentialism Evaluating a person on the basis of educational degrees Diplomas and degrees are viewed as evidence of ability Over-education is often the case when people are overqualified for the job at hand Sociology, Tenth Edition

Sociology, Tenth Edition Problems in Schools Many Believe That a So Called “State of Emergency” Best Characterizes Our System of Education These Days School discipline Many believe schools need to teach discipline because it isn’t addressed within the home setting Violence in schools Students and teachers are assaulted Weapons are brought to school Society’s problems spill into schools Answer Adjust attitudes so learning is the focus Skillful and committed teaching Firm disciplinary standards enforced Administrative and parental support Sociology, Tenth Edition

Sociology, Tenth Edition Figure 20-3 Educational Achievement for Various Categories of People Aged 25 Years and Over, 2002 Sociology, Tenth Edition

“Cooling Out” the Poor Transforming Disadvantages Into Deficiency Just as schools can transform social privilege into personal merit, they can transform social disadvantages into personal deficiency Cooling out The self-fulfilling prophecy by which poor students end up settling for no more than society offered them when they were first born Some believe that community colleges play an important part in the cooling out process Allowing students to fail in community college allows society to point the finger at them and ask them to accept personal responsibility for “blowing their opportunities” Are the students at fault here, or is the educational system guilty of not caring enough? Sociology, Tenth Edition

Sociology, Tenth Edition Theodore Sizer’s Ways in Which Bureaucratic Schools Undermine Education Rigid uniformity Insensitive to cultural character of community Numerical ratings Success defined in terms of numbers on test scores Rigid expectations Age and grade level expectations Specialization Many courses, many teachers No one teacher knows a student Little individual responsibility Little empowerment to learn on one’s own Don’t upset or accelerate learning for fear of disrupting system Sociology, Tenth Edition

Sociology, Tenth Edition The “Silent” Classroom the Norm Is to Not Talk in Class, and Students Can Get Upset at Others Who Talk “Too Much” No matter what the class size Only a handful of students speak Passivity is the norm It is deviant to speak up in class What makes a difference Female instructors tend to call on men and women equally, whereas male instructors tend to call on men Reasons Students are conditioned to listen Instructors come to class with lectures prepared and students do not wish to get sidetracked Sociology, Tenth Edition

Sociology, Tenth Edition Many Students Expect Learning to Be Delivered and Don’t Realize They Are Part of the Process Apathy is high among students Reasons: Television Parents Schools Other students High tech may hold one key for sparking interest Bringing multimedia into the classroom Sociology, Tenth Edition

Sociology, Tenth Edition Academic Standards A Nation at Risk - a 1983, governmental commission Troublesome findings concerning what students are and are not learning in school 40% of those screened could not draw inferences from written materials 33% of those screened could complete multi-step mathematical problems Other insights Functional illiteracy – a lack of reading and writing skills needed for everyday living Lack of interest in the importance of education apathetic attitudes toward classes, course materials, doing assignments, and attendance Belief that good grades need not be “earned,” but rather just rewarded (as if they had a right to them) Sociology, Tenth Edition

Sociology, Tenth Edition Academic Standards Global performance U.S. Eighth graders still placed 17th in the world in science and 28th in mathematics! Recommendations from A Nation at Risk - a 1983, governmental commission All schools should require several years of English, math, social studies, general science & computer science No more “social promotion” of failing students from grade to grade Teacher training and salaries should improve Sociology, Tenth Edition

Figure 20-4 Functional Illiteracy in Global Perspective Sociology, Tenth Edition

Sociology, Tenth Edition School Choice Introduction of competition to public schools and giving parents options might force all schools to do a better job Critics charge that these programs erode our nation’s commitment to public education especially in inner city schools Magnet schools – schools that offer special facilities and programs to promote educational excellence in a particular area, i.e. Arts, computers,foreign language, etc Charter schools – public schools that are given more freedom to try out new policies and programs Schooling for profit – school systems operated by private profit-making companies (including public schools) Sociology, Tenth Edition

Sociology, Tenth Edition Mainstreaming Integrating Students With Special Needs Into the Overall Educational Program Five million students are classified as mentally or physically disabled Many of the five million receive marginal classroom experiences Inclusive education maintains that it is good to integrate all children Mainstreaming needs to be approached with a measure of common sense In cases in which one has to serve the severe and profound populations, a segregated classroom may be best Sociology, Tenth Edition

Sociology, Tenth Edition 21st Century Schooling Computers and other high-tech tools will become increasingly important The amount and quality of high-tech equipment may become one of the new marketing tools for schools to out-perform one another Computers, however, only hold part of the answer. We need humans to put into place a program that aims at providing high quality education Will the education system play a role in dividing people into two groups in the future Those literate and illiterate in computer skills Will we become a country of have’s and have not’s divided along lines of high-tech competencies Sociology, Tenth Edition