Jennifer L. Fackler, M.A. Education

Education – the social institution through which society provides its members with important knowledge, including basic facts, job skills, and cultural norms and values Takes many forms. Informal discussions at the dinner table. Lectures & labs at large universities. Schooling – formal instruction under the direction of specially trained teachers.

Education: A Global Survey

Schooling & Economic Development Extent of school in any society is tied to its level of economic development. Low & Middle-Income Countries: Utilize families and local communities to teach young people important knowledge and skills. Less than ½ of children ever attend school. High-Income Countries: Utilize formal schooling for educational purposes. Global Educational Statistics 1/3 children never get to the secondary grades. 1/5 people cannot read or write (Global Map 14-1, p. 413). Schooling typically reflects the national culture. Ex: Iran’s schooling is closely tied to Islam. Ex: NYT Article on Curriculum Change in TexasNYT Article on Curriculum Change in Texas

Illiteracy in Global Perspective

Problems in the Schools People are divided on whether public schools are doing their job.

Discipline & Violence Schools now grapple with many serious issues like teen pregnancy, substance abuse, and outright violence. Thus many people believe discipline is no longer being effectively taught within schools. Typically violence and other discipline problems are not created in schools, but instead spill into schools from the surrounding society.

Student Passivity Many schools are filled with bored students. Our education system encourages student passivity. Bureaucracy Rigid Uniformity – schools ignore the cultural character of local communities and the personal needs of their students Numerical Ratings – success is defined by numbers like attendance and drop-our rates and teachers frequently “teach to the test”; creativity, enthusiasm, and other things difficult to quantify are often overlooked Rigid Expectations – students are expected to move at the same pace regardless of their skill or interest level Specialization – students are shuffled about to specialists such that no school official comes to know them well Little Individual Responsibility – students are not empowered to learn on their own; teachers have little say in how they teach their classes Silent College Classrooms: Passivity is a classroom norm.

Dropping Out Dropping Out – quitting before earning even a HS diploma Leaves young people unprepared for the world of work and at high risk of poverty. The dropout rate has declined slightly in recent decades. Whites are least likely to drop-out and Hispanics are the most likely to drop-out. Poor students are 4x more likely to drop-out. Suggests a multigenerational cycle of disadvantage. Less than half of students graduate from HS in many of our largest urban districts [e.g., Detroit (22%), NYC (39%), Houston (49%)]. There are a variety of reasons why students drop-out. Such as? Language Barriers Pregnancy Necessity of Work

Academic Standards Our nation’s quality of schooling is very poor. NCEE’s Nation at Risk (1983): Only ~1/5 17 YOs can write a persuasive essay. Only ~1/3 17 YOs can solve a mathematical problem requiring several steps. 1/3 of HS students fail to master the basics in math, reading, and science on the NAEP exam. Even though we spend more money per student than any other nation, we place 29 th in science and 35 th in math among 57 countries. Functional Illiteracy – a lack of the reading and writing skills needed for everyday living Problem for ¼ US children and ~14% of US adults.

Academic Standards Calls for Reform Include: Requiring several years of English, mathematics, social studies, general science, and computer science. Not promoting students until they meet a minimum standard. Improving teacher training and increasing teacher salaries. Part of the problem may be cultural (Japan vs. US – p. 425), so cultural change may be necessary (such as having students spend more time in school). What else could we do to improve our academic standards?

Education in the U.S.

Theoretical Analysis

Functions of Schooling S-F analysis focuses on how schooling supports the operation and stability of society. They note that schooling serves many functions, including: 1. Socialization – trained teachers (vs. just families) passing on specialized knowledge that adults will need 2. Cultural Innovation – teachers invent culture and pass it along to students, particularly at centers of higher education 3. Social Integration – schools mold a diverse population into one society sharing norms and values 4. Social Placement – schools identify talent and match instruction to ability; schools support meritocracy by rewarding talent and hard work and providing a path to upward social mobility 5. Latent Functions Child Care Keeps Young People Out of the Job Market Marriage Marketplace School Networks  Valuable Career Resource

Schooling & Social Interaction S-I focus on how people create reality in their day-to-day interactions and this happens within schools. Example: Influence of Stereotypes in the Classroom Thomas Theorem & Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: People who expect others to act in certain ways often encourage that very behavior. Elliott’s 1968 Eye Color Experiment (p. 416) Elliott told her students that those with brown eyes were smarter and worked harder than those with blue eyes. Result: “It was horrifying how quickly they became what I told them they were.”

Schooling & Social Inequality S-C theorists challenge the S-F idea that schooling develops everyone’s talents and abilities. They note instead that schooling causes and perpetuates social inequality in three ways: 1. Social Control – the push for public education in the late 19 th c. was the result of capitalists’ nee for an obedient and disciplined workforce; schooling teaches the importance of following orders 2. Standardized Testing – the tests themselves reflect our society’s dominant culture, putting minorities at a disadvantage; by defining majority students as smarter, STs unfairly transform privilege into personal merit 3. Tracking – assigning students to different types of educational programs; class status influences tracking and provides advantages to higher-class students S-C theorists also study private and public schooling, access to higher education, and the transformation of privilege into personal merit.

Private Education (S-C) 90% of students attend public schools and the remaining 10% attend private schools.private schools Most private schools are religiously-affiliated. Private schools are favored by parents who want religious instruction and/or who seek higher academic and disciplinary standards for their children. Private school students outperform public school students. Why? Smaller classes. More demanding coursework. Greater discipline.

Public Education (S-C) There are also many differences among public schools. Largely due to funding, which is often affected by property taxes. Thus children in more affluent areas receive a better education that children in low-income communities. There have been some solutions proposed to address this problem, but it remains a major issue. Example: Busing, Equal Money Across the State School funding is not the only reason why affluent students perform better. Cultural Capital Home & Local Environment

Access to Higher Ed (S-C) Advanced schooling is the key to a good job in the modern US. A college degree can add about $1M to a person’s lifetime income. A college degree can add about $1M to a person’s lifetime income But… why? Only 66% of HS grads enroll in college right away. And only 37% of people aged are enrolled in college. One major factor affecting access to higher ed is income. College is expensive! College is expensive Thus affluent people are more likely to attend college. Minority status negatively effects income, which means minority status also negatively affects access to higher ed. Minority   Income &  Income   Higher Education So… Minority   Higher Education Minority = Gender, Race, Ethnicity, ClassGender

Privilege & Personal Merit (S-C) Schooling transforms social privilege into personal merit. How? Schooling transforms social privilege into personal merit Standardized Testing By defining higher education as a sign of personal merit. But being situated within a society that makes higher ed far easier to obtain for those with social privilege. Richer students are far more likely to get into college. Richer students are far more likely to complete their degrees. This helps people who are already advantaged and hurts those who are already disadvantaged. Companies then higher those with higher ed, perpetuating the cycle.

Theoretical Analysis

Schooling: Looking Ahead

Education: Looking Ahead We lead the world in sending people to college, but our public education system has many serious problems. We are falling behind many other nations in the quality of our schooling. This has implications for our future! Many problems of schooling have their roots in the larger society. Educational problems are social problems without a quick fix. School will improve only to the extent that students, teachers, parents, and local communities commit themselves to educational excellence. There are a variety of new ideas about schooling that may change the educational landscape in the US. IT is a large part of this. Any questions?