Ch. 12 Education

Development and Structure of Education Bureaucracy in Education Schools today are still based on specialization, rules and procedures, and impersonality Standardization leads to transferability, and equality of education Critics claim that old factory, bureaucratic model is not appropriate for schooling – Formal schooling – education that is provided and regulated by society – The school’s bureaucratic nature is unable to respond to the expressive creative, and emotional needs of all children

Democratic Reforms in the classroom In 1647 Massachusetts required towns of 50 or more to have a schoolmaster American progressive education movement of the 1920s and 30s was a reaction to strict Victorian authoritarianism of early 19 th century school – John Dewey led the progressive education movement which emphasized: Knowledge related to work and individual student interests – Almost disappeared in the 50s but came back in the 60s as humanistic movement 3 ways to express humanistic educational impulse: open classroom, cooperative learning, intergrative curriculum

Open classroom Open classroom – a non-bureaucratic approach to education based on democracy, flexibility, and non-competitiveness Competition is not a good motivator for children No graded report cards based on comparison of student performance

Cooperative learning Cooperative learning – instructional method that relies on cooperation among students Teachers are guides not controlling agents Students learn more when actively involved w/ others in class Benefits of cooperative learning – Uncooperativeness and stress among students is reduced – Academic performance increases – Students have more positive attitudes toward school – Racial and ethnic antagonism decreases – Self-esteem increases

Integrative Curriculum Integrative Curriculum – approach to education based on student-teacher collaboration Subject matter is selected and organized around certain real-world themes or concepts

Back-to-basics Movement Worried by low scores on achievement tests, supporters pushed for a return to a traditional curriculum based on more bureaucratic methods A Nation at Risk – a report that warned that America was at risk of being overtaken by some of its world economic competitors Solutions – – Teaching basic skills such as reading and mathematics – Graduation requirements should be strengthened 4 years English, 3 years of math, science, and SS, and ½ year of computer science – School days and/or school year lengthened – Standardized achievement tests given to move from one grade to the next – High school students should have more homework – Discipline tightened

Alternative to the Public School System School choice – the best way to improve public schools is by using the free enterprise model and creating some competition for the public school system Methods to accomplish this goal: voucher system, charter school, magnet schools, for- profit school

Voucher system Voucher system – system in which public school funds may be used to support public, private, or religious school Parents who choose public schools pay nothing Parents who choose private or religious schools receive a government voucher to pay a portion of tuition – Voucher is equal in value to what the government spends per child in public school Currently only affects 1/10 of 1% of American school kids Favored by African and Hispanic Americans

Charter School Charter School – public schools that are operated like private schools by public school teachers and administrators Do not answer to local school boards Can shape their own curriculum and use traditional and non- traditional teaching methods Success is directly tied to the commitment and talent of the teachers and principals, and to the support of parents

Magnet Schools Magnet Schools – public schools that focus on particular disciplines or areas, such as fine arts or science Designed to enhance school quality and to promote desegregation

For-profit schools For-profit schools – schools run by private companies on government funds By borrowing from modern business practices these schools could be – Efficient – Productive – Cost effective Issues – Mixing profit and public service – What’s more important students needs or profit margins – Who would oversee the schools – Voters would lose the power to influence officials and educational policy

Functionalist Perspective Manifest Functions of Education Social institutions develop because they meet one or more of society’s basic needs Manifest function – an action that produces an intended and recognized result – Schools teach reading, writing, and math

– Transmit culture Instill basic values, norms, beliefs, and attitudes of society Ex. – value of competition – Create a common identity for members of society Learning an official language Sharing a national history and patriotic themes Being exposed to similar informational materials promote a shared identity – There is a debate over bilingual education, does it disrupt the common identity » This has led 23 states to adopt English as their official language

– Select and screen talent For over 50 years scores on intelligence and achievement tests have been used for grouping children in school Test scores have been used for tracking – Tracking – placement of students in programs according to academic ability levels – Promote personal growth and development Exposes students to a wide variety of perspectives and experiences that encourage them to develop: – creativity, – verbal skills, – artistic expression, – intellectual accomplishment – cultural tolerance schools attempt to prepare students for the world of work

Latent function Latent function – an action that produces an unintended and unrecognized result – Day-care facilities for dual-employed couples or single parents – Dates and/or marriage partners – Prevent delinquency by holding juveniles indoors during the day – Training of athletes – Tracking can perpetuate an unequal social-class structure from generation to generation