Chapter 14 Education

The State of Education: A Global Perspective Education- social institution by which society transmits knowledge- including basic facts, job skills, and cultural norms and values- to its members Schooling-formal instruction carried out by specially trained teachers Schooling is more available in some parts of the world than others

Low-Income Countries: Too Little Schooling All nations provide for primary education of at least some children In the poorest nations many children do not go to school Secondary education of children is even less common Poor nations are agrarian and rural, and families take primary responsibility for education

Low-Income Countries Children work at an early age Governments in poor nations are trying to increase literacy by extending school Literacy is important for economic development in poor countries of the world Gender also is related to education in poor countries Patriarchy and education Males have greater opportunities

Low-Income Countries Low rates of literacy are related to a lower quality of life for the world’s poor Poorer health Fewer job opportunities Slows economic development

High-Income Countries: Unequal Schooling Higher rates of schooling and literacy Mandatory education Education is a necessity for jobs Post-secondary education is made available to a larger segment of the population

Education in U.S. History Thomas Jefferson Literacy and democracy Gender inequality and the lack of educational opportunities for women Racism, slavery and African-American education Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) Industrialization and the need for a skilled labor force

Education in U.S. History By 1918 all states had laws making education mandatory Requiring students to attend school till the age of 16 or through the completion of the eight grade The twentieth century saw the expansion of education

The Academic Performance of U.S. Schools A larger share of the U.S. population earns a college degree than any other nation Scholastic Assessment test scores are below the 1967 average for both men and women

The Effects of Race, Ethnicity and Class Testing African-American students score about 180 points below the average for white students on SAT Hispanics 130 points below non-Hispanic whites Native Americans 75 points less

The Effects of Race, Ethnicity and Class African American children living in a single parent family Racial stereotypes and educational bias Hispanic children and language barrier Native American children and cultural alienation Poverty

Dropping Out Before completing high school is a major problem About 10.9 percent of the population aged 16-24 have left school before graduating (figure was 14 percent in 1960) Dropping out is related to being socially disadvantaged Economically and culturally Dropping out puts one at risk for other social problems

Functional Illiteracy Not being able to read and write or do basic arithmetic well enough to carry out daily responsibilities About 20 percent or more of the population lack the necessary skills to function in society Affects job opportunities Source of embarrassment and shame

Segregated Schools and Busing Segregated schools-post slavery through the twentieth century Supreme Court case- Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) Separate but equal Law and educational segregation in the South Supreme Court case- Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)

Segregated Schools and Busing Residential segregation and continued educational segregation Busing to achieve integration Blacks reacted to busing with mixed opinions White flight and the continuation of educational segregation White opposition The 1990’s and the end of busing

School Funding Inequality in educational resources between states and within states Public schools are funded by state and local taxes Economic disparities between rich and poor communities in sources of income and educational spending for students

School Funding Cultural Capital Differences in the home life of rich and poor children is a major factor in education Families with more income are able to give their children more cultural capital More conducive environment Parental education

Tracking A policy of assigning students to different educational programs Supporters of tracking argue that tests will be used to assign students to tracks best suited to address each child's abilities Critics argue that students are placed in tracks on the basis of culturally biased tests Tracking transforms a social advantage into an educational advantage

Gender Inequality Reproduction of gender inequality in schools Gender and educational steering by teachers and counselors based on cultural prescriptions of gender in society Educational resources (books) and different images of the role of men and women Gender role models in school and cultural learning

Gender Inequality Congress (1972) and Title IX of the Educational Amendments to the Civil Rights Act Increase in girls in gifted programs in elementary schools Increase in the number of women going on to college

Immigration: Increasing Diversity Educating the more than one million immigrants that enter the U.S. annually English Immersion versus Bilingualism English immersion- teaching immigrants using English Bilingual education-policy by which schools offer classes in most subject areas in a student’s native language while also teaching them English English as a second language

Schooling People With Disabilities In 1975 Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act Mainstreaming- integrating special students into the overall educational program Special classes- for special students approach

The Teacher Shortage 200,000 teaching jobs remain unfilled Causes larger classes and greater burden on staff Low salaries a factor Excessive bureaucracy and school violence are also a factor

School Violence School violence has been a growing concern and includes: Homicides Aggravated assaults Rape Robbery

School Violence Type of school and violence Larger schools are more likely to have violence Urban schools are more likely to have violence Poverty and school violence

School Violence Reactions to school violence by schools and communities Zero-tolerance policies Dress codes Conflict resolution programs

Structural- Functional Analysis: The Functions of Schooling The focus is on the role of education in society How education leads to transmitting knowledge and skills How education leads to occupational roles How education integrates someone into the larger society Latent functions Child care

Symbolic-Interaction Analysis: Labels in the Schools The focus is on how individuals experience education How educational labels shape the student’s future Labels and the self-fulfilling prophecy- situation in which people who are defined in one way, eventually think and act as if the definition were true

Social-Conflict Analysis: Schooling and Inequality How education results in the reproduction of education Class Gender Race Education and the hidden curriculum and the teaching of conformity Political Economic Cultural

Conservatives: Increased Competition Charter Schools—public schools that are given more freedom in order to try out new policies and programs Subject to less regulation if students perform well Now 1.5% of public school students

Conservatives: Increased Competition Magnet schools- public schools that offer special facilities and programs in pursuit of educational excellence Private companies to engage in schooling for profit School vouchers-funds to be used by parents for private school or out of school district

Liberals: Increase Special Programs Support public education Some free choice in schooling Equalize school funding Bilingual education Expanded programs for minorities

Radicals: Attack Structural Inequality Academic shortcomings are a function of structured inequality in society Equalize school funding Eliminate inequality throughout society