1. Chapter 17 Henslin’s Sociology: A Down To Earth Approach
Education
Chapter 17
Henslin’s
Sociology: A Down To Earth Approach

2. The Development of Modern Education
How did modern education develop?
In most of human history, education consisted of informal learning, equivalent to acculturation.
In some earlier societies, centers of formal education did develop, such as among the Arabs, Chinese, Greeks, and Egyptians.
Because modern education came about in response to industrialization, formal education is much less common in the Least Industrialized Nations.

3. Education in Global Perspective
How does education compare among the Most Industrialized, Industrializing, and Least Industrialized Nations?
In general, formal education reflects a nation’s economy.
Consequently, education is …
Extensive in the Most Industrialized Nations (Japan)
Undergoing vast change in the Industrializing Nations (Russia)
Spotty in the Least Industrialized Nations. (Egypt)

4. The Functionalist Perspective:
Providing Social Benefits
What is the functionalist perspective on education?
Among the functions of education are the teaching of knowledge and skills, providing credentials, cultural transmission of values, social integration, gate-keeping, and mainstreaming.
Functionalists also note that education has
replaced some traditional family functions.

5. The Conflict Perspective:
Reproducing the Social Class Structure
What is the conflict perspective on education?
The basic view of conflict theorists is that education reproduces the social class structure; that is, through such mechanisms as unequal funding and operating different schools for the elite and for the masses, education perpetuates society’s basic social inequalities from one generation to the next.

6. The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective:
Fulfilling Teacher Expectations
What is the Symbolic Interactionist perspective on education?
Symbolic Interactionists focus on face-to-face interaction.
In examining what occurs in the classroom, they have found that student performance tends to conform to teacher expectations, whether they
are high or low.

7. Problems in U.S. Education—and their Solutions
What are the chief problems that face U.S. education?
In addition to violence, the major problems are low achievement (as shown by SAT scores), grade inflation, social promotion, and functional illiteracy

8. What are the potential solutions to these problems?
The primary solution is to restore high educational standards, which can be done only after providing basic security for students.
Any solution for improving quality must be based on expecting more of both
students and teachers