Chapter 18 Education Education for a Changing World Attainment, Achievement, and Equality The Structure of Educational Institutions

Education The process by which a society transmits knowledge, values, norms, and ideologies. A form of socialization that is carried out by institutions outside the family, such as schools, colleges, preschools, and adult education centers.

Interactionist View of Schools School has a distinctive set of interactions and patterns of socialization. Research focuses on the interactions among students,between students and their teachers, or among teachers and administrators.

Conflict View of Schools Schools are institutions whose purpose is to maintain social-class divisions and reproduce society’s existing stratification system. Research asks whether schools are creating equal opportunities or are working to justify and reproduce existing patterns of inequality.

Problems of Schooling in the Developing World 90 million children worldwide are denied schooling at even the first-grade level. 232 million have no access at all to secondary education.

Providing for the Children UNICEF researchers found the cost of basic education for all children worldwide: – Governments would need to spend an additional $7 billion per year over the next 10 years. – This is less than one-tenth of the world’s annual military spending.

Schools and Adolescent Society Schools structure the lives of children and adolescents. They create a social world for adolescents that is separate from adult society. Teen peer groups develop fierce loyalty and conformity to the peer group, strictly observing group norms and not tolerating any deviance from those norms.

Educational Attainment The number of years of school a person has completed is correlated with: income; occupation, prestige, attitudes and opinions. Barriers include inequality and tracking.

Dropping Out 1970 Drop out statistics: – 10.8 % of white students – 22.2 % of black students 1999 Drop out statistics: – 7.3 % of white students – 12.6 % of black students

Reasons for Dropping Out of School Poor academic performance Demands of work and family roles Marriage Pregnancy

The Structure of Educational Institutions There is a clearly defined status hierarchy in most schools. Schools have large administrative staffs and numerous specialists such as guidance counselors and special education teachers.

The Structure of Educational Institutions Schools are often criticized for being “top heavy” with administrators who do not teach and whose regulations stifle creativity in the classroom. Schools must respond to many different public needs and values (leanring disabilities, sports teams, student health, record keeping, etc.).

Changing the System: Class Size: Higher-quality education is associated with fewer students per teacher. School Choice – one of the most controversial issues, a likely outcome is increased racial segregation. Home Schooling – estimated that there will be about 3 million home-schooled children by 2010.