CHAPTER 13 Education

HOW EDUCATION HAS CHANGED

Education and Schooling Education—a social institution that transmits attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, values, norms, and skills through formal systematic training Schooling—narrower term referring to formal training and instruction in a classroom

Changes in U.S. Education Universal education has expanded. Community colleges have flourished. Student diversity has increased. Public higher education has burgeoned.

Educational Attainment

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON EDUCATION

Functionalism Functionalism emphasizes the benefits of education. Looks at how education fits with the rest of society and helps meet society’s needs

Manifest Functions Socializing children Transmitting knowledge and culture Increasing cultural integration Encouraging cultural innovation Allowing upward mobility and benefitting taxpayers

Educational Payoff

Latent Functions Providing child care Providing social services Matchmaking Decreasing job competition Creating social networks Creating business opportunities

Conflict Theory Conflict theory addresses the ways in which education perpetuates social inequality. Asks why education benefits some people more than others.

Social Class Social class predicts educational attainment. Access to capital reinforces and reproduces the existing class structure. –Economic capital—income and monetary assets –Cultural capital—social assets such as education and attitudes –Social capital—social networks

Application Identify the type of capital: economic, cultural, or social. Andrea has been familiar with the college experience her whole life. Her grandparents, parents, and siblings have all gone to college. Tina is the daughter of a college professor and knows many of the people on campus.

Gatekeeping Conflict theory points to gatekeeping— when those in power control access to education and jobs Intelligence quotient (IQ)—an index of an individual’s performance on a standardized test relative to the performance level of others

Gatekeeping Tools IQ tests SAT Advanced Placement (AP) classes

The Hidden Curriculum Transmits nonacademic knowledge, values, attitudes, norms, and beliefs Schools in low-income and working-class neighborhoods stress obedience, following directions, and punctuality. Elite private schools encourage leadership, creativity, and people skills.

Credentialism Conflict theory also points to the use of credentialism in maintaining social class distinctions. Credentialism refers to the increasing demand for certificates and degrees.

Feminist Theory Feminist theorists consider how gender affects education. In almost every country, women’s literacy rates lag behind those of men. In the U.S. social class and race/ethnicity create bigger gaps than gender.

Gender Gap in Higher Education U.S. women have slightly higher college graduation rates than men. Women still lag behind in science, technology, engineering, and math.

College Graduation Rates

Symbolic Interactionism Symbolic interaction theories consider how social contexts affect the process of education. Looks at tracking, labeling, and student engagement

Tracking Tracking—(streaming, ability grouping) assigning students to specific educational programs and classes Sometimes based on stereotypes and results in labeling Tracking creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. Students achieve what is expected of them.

Student Engagement Symbolic interactionists are also interested in student engagement—how involved students are in their own learning. Parental involvement has a strong and positive effect on student achievement. The No Child Left Behind Law seems to have diminished student involvement. Low-income, minority students are the least likely to be involved.

Application Identify the correct theoretical perspective. Education produces gender inequality. Education reinforces the social class structure. Education results in self-fulfilling prophecies.

SOME PROBLEMS WITH U.S. EDUCATION

Quantity and Quality of Schooling Students from other countries outperform U.S. students in science and math. U.S. schools have shorter school days. Many U.S. schools suffer from inadequate funding.

Teachers’ Effectiveness According to most college faculty, students are not prepared for college. Many U.S. teachers teach out of their field. Public school teachers earn less than employees in other occupations.

Control Over Curricula No Child Left Behind Act (2002) –Required testing students in reading and math, school restructuring, and standards for teachers’ qualification. –Math performance up –Reading performance unchanged In some states, the Board of Education has considerable control over curriculum.

Dropping Out 10% of Americans ages 16 to 24 are high school dropouts. Foreign-born youth tend to drop out because of problems with the language, job conflicts, teen pregnancy, and gang membership. U.S.-born youth tend to drop out because of family problems or lack of motivation.

Dropout Rates

Grade Inflation The number of students earning “A” grades is increasing while performance on standardized tests is decreasing. Teachers and professors experience pressure to inflate grades. Grade inflation gives students an exaggerated and unrealistic sense of their ability and accomplishments.

Preparation for College

Cheating 60% of high school students admit to cheating on tests. Between 50-75% of college students say they have cheated.

NEW DIRECTIONS IN U.S. EDUCATION

School Vouchers School vouchers—publicly funded payments toward tuition and fees at students’ schools of choice Pros: provide parents with more options; level the playing field Cons: divert resources from public education; violate separation of church and state

Charter Schools Charter schools—self-governing public schools that have an agreement with the state to improve students’ education Pros: reduce bureaucratic red tape; provide innovative teaching Cons: can avoid accountability; drain resources from other public schools; are more racially segregated

Magnet Schools Magnet schools—public schools that offer students a distinctive program and specialized curriculum Pros: mix diverse students with common interests Cons: enrollment is limited

Home schooling Home schooling—teaching in the home as an alternative to enrolling students in a public or private school Data are mixed on the success rates of these programs. Increasingly, parents who home-school are white, wealthy, and well-educated.

Application Identify the type of innovation. A specialized high school emphasizing music A program that pays parents to send their children to a parochial school A public middle school that is self- governing but responsible to the state

REVIEW 1.What is education? 2.Distinguish among the different sociological explanations of education. 3.Discuss the current problems in U.S. education. 4.Discuss the pros and cons of the new directions in education.