Education and Equality of Opportunity Chapter3 McGraw-Hill/Irwin ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Equality of Opportunity Equality of opportunity means that all members of a society are given equal chances to pursue wealth and enter any occupation or social class. Equality of opportunity does NOT mean that everyone will have equal incomes and equal status. ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Common-School Model Everyone receives an equal and common education. Children from all social backgrounds attend school where they receive an education that will prepare them to compete on equal terms in the economic system. ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Sorting-Machine Model The school attempts to overcome the role of family background in providing for equality of opportunity. Students from all social backgrounds enter school, where they are classified and placed in ability groups and tracks that will lead to appropriate jobs. Intelligence testing, while it seems scientific, may be culturally biased, and there is the issue of whether an inherited native intelligence exists or whether intelligence is determined by early learning. ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

High-Stakes Testing Model High-stakes testing begins in elementary school, where the results determine promotion from one grade to another. High-stakes tests then determine graduation from high school; admission to undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools; and professional licenses and employment credentials. ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Education, Race, Gender & Income There is a relationship between educational attainment and income. However, this relationship is also affected by factors such as race and gender. In the labor market, gender is as important as education. At all levels of educational attainment, men earn more than women. “White privilege” – at almost every level of educational attainment, “white-non-Hispanics” have higher work-life earnings. Asians have a significantly higher median household income than whites, which appears to be related to higher levels of educational attainment. ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Income Inequality The global labor market contributes to the growing inequality of incomes in the U.S. Because companies can find less expensive workers in other countries, wages are declining for those competing for low-wage jobs, but increasing for those with skills needed for high-paying jobs.  U.S. Census data show that between 1990 and 2000, all but the highest-earning fifth of Americans experienced a decline in their share of total household income. ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Rich and Poor School Districts Factors such as educational expenditures, college attendance, and test scores determine the educational quality of school districts. Economic segregation in schooling contributes to inequalities in educational outcomes. However, because of special funds for high-poverty areas, schools with the highest percentage of poor children spend more per student than other schools--except for those with the lowest percentage of poor students. ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Student "At-Risk Factors" Being in the lowest socioeconomic status Changing schools two or more times from grades 1 to 8 Having average grades of C or lower from grades 6 to 8 Being in a single-parent household during grade 8 Having one or more older sibling who left high school before completion Being held back one or more times from grades 1 to 8 ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Student Dropouts Graduation rates vary widely: for instance, the Detroit, MI school district graduates only 21.7% of students from high school, whereas Fairfax County, VA graduates 82.5%. Children attending an urban school district are more likely to drop out than students in suburban schools. There is also a strong relationship between attendance at high-poverty schools and dropping out. ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Tracking and Ability Grouping Tracking: separates students into different curricula such as college preparatory, vocational, and general. Ability Grouping: places students in different classes or in groups within the same classroom based on their abilities. Family incomes and teacher expectations linked to perceived social classes influence both tracking and ability grouping. ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Social Reproduction The theory that schools might play a role in maintaining differences between social classes Bowles & Gintis believe that school is a medium through which family background in translated into occupational and income opportunities ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Social Reproduction Factors Personality traits relevant to the work task Modes of self-presentation such as manner of speech and dress Ascriptive characteristics such as race, sex, and age Level and prestige of an individual's education All significantly related to occupational success and to social class. ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Child Rearing & Social Reproduction Child-rearing practices are important in developing personality traits related to the workforce, and these vary with social class Schools attended by lower-income students tend to be more authoritarian, preparing students for low-paying jobs where they are told what to do; higher-income schools emphasize independent thinking, useful for higher-paying jobs. ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Questions Can schools provide equality of opportunity? Or does it depend on economic circumstances outside the power of the school? Does the school reduce social differences or heighten them through ability grouping, tracking, teacher expectations, counseling, and inequalities in school financing? Will the equalizing of school finances ensure an equal education for children from all social classes? ©2012 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.