Bureaucracy in Education Federal government Department of education (No Child Left Behind) State Department of Education (DESE) Board of Education Superintendent Central Office Administrators Curriculum specialists, CFO Building head principals Assistant principals Counselors Building instructional specialists TeachersStudents
Formal schooling Formal schooling Education that is provided and regulated by society Education that is provided and regulated by society
Ch12 Section 1 Advantages of formal education (aka bureaucratic or factory model) Advantages of formal education (aka bureaucratic or factory model) Tendency to specialize in subject areas Age based classrooms Efficiency Educate more students for less money
Criticisms of Formal schooling Children are not inorganic raw materials made to be molded into factory products Children are not inorganic raw materials made to be molded into factory products Too rigid Too rigid Too standardized ….b/c one-size does not fit all Too standardized ….b/c one-size does not fit all Not individualized Not individualized
Your Opinions List five things that are wrong with Ursuline List five things that are wrong with Ursuline List five things that are right or positive List five things that are right or positive about Ursuline
positive Serviam Serviam Uniforms Uniforms Interesting teachers Interesting teachers Pretty campus Pretty campus Math lab Math lab Advisement Advisement Students are given Autonomy Students are given Autonomy Friendly environment Friendly environment Teach values Teach values Strict Strict No one left behind if they ask for help No one left behind if they ask for help Nice administrators Nice administrators Classes are fun Classes are fun Options with electives Options with electives
complaints No discipline No discipline No options for classes teachers don’t care No options for classes teachers don’t care Bad food Bad food Lame teachers Lame teachers Aren’t flexible Aren’t flexible Laptops Laptops Little academic emphasis Little academic emphasis Inflexibility Inflexibility Too much busy work Too much busy work Little discussion ALL ppt Little discussion ALL ppt We get little respect We get little respect Unhappy teachers Unhappy teachers Costs a lot Costs a lot Too many movies Too many movies
Educational success and its obstacles parents teachers students
School reforms
Democratic reforms in the classroom Open classroom A non-bureaucratic approach to education based on democracy, flexibility and noncompetitive learning. Enhances and reinforces creativity Montessori philosophy – every child helps decides his-or her approach to learning.
Cooperative learning Pg 391 Instructional method that relies on cooperation among students Students learn together and teach together
Integrative curriculum Pg 391 an approach to education based on student-teacher cooperation
Open Classroom experiment 1. Pick a topic in sociology (in this chapter) 2. Decide how you want to … (a) gain more knowledge about the topic and (b) demonstrate your knowledge 1. Get it approved by ME then Begin the process
Must have proof of work done Topics must be connected to Sociology Demonstration ideas Make a skit that exemplifies an idea or sociological concept Make a skit that exemplifies an idea or sociological concept Create poem that demonstrates idea Create poem that demonstrates idea Draw or illustrate ideas that typify a concept Draw or illustrate ideas that typify a concept Write a story that uses sociological concepts Write a story that uses sociological concepts
Create a collage that exemplifies an idea or sociological concept Create a collage that exemplifies an idea or sociological concept Break down a story (from Am. Lit, for example) explain how it relates to concepts in sociology Break down a story (from Am. Lit, for example) explain how it relates to concepts in sociology
Assessment based on Scope Scope The area covered by a given activity or subject Depth How deep you go into the content you cover – the complexity of the topic
Back To Basics Movement pg 393 Gov. report A Nation at Risk Stated that Gov. report A Nation at Risk Stated that Americans were deficient in “education” and therefore were at risk of being taken over (economically) by world- wide competitors
Back to Basics Movement prompted Schools to return back to teaching the “basics” Example: 4-years math 4-years science 4 years reading/writing 4 years of social studies
School Choice Movement Voucher system Voucher system pg 393 A system by which public funds may be used to support tuition (payment) to a school of your choice
Charter schools pg 394 Publicly funded schools that operate like private schools by public school teachers and administrators Publicly funded schools that operate like private schools by public school teachers and administrators
Magnet schools pg 394 Public schools that focus on particular disciplines or areas – fine arts, science, technology, etc… Public schools that focus on particular disciplines or areas – fine arts, science, technology, etc…
For profit schools Pg 394 Schools that are operated by private companies on government funds.
Educational Tracking (398) The European model of education Schools place students in “tracked” programs according to their academic ability. Examples: College-bound track Service industry track Carpentry track Technical service track Nursing track Business track School
School desegregation The achievement of racial balance in the classroom Multicultural education An education curriculum that emphasizes differences among gender, ethnic, and racial categories
Compensatory education Specific curricular programs designed to overcome a deficiency ex. head start
Pros and cons of educational reform Using as graph, indicate (at least) one advantage and (at least) disadvantage of each educational reform movement Voucher system Voucher system Charter schools Charter schools Magnet schools Magnet schools For profit schools For profit schools Tracking Tracking School desegregation School desegregation Multicultural education Multicultural education Compensatory education Compensatory education
Sociological perspectives (1) Functionalists perspective emphasizes the positive functions of the educational system (2) Conflict perspective emphasizes the inequities and negative aspects of the educational system (3) Symbolic interactionism emphasizes how culture transmits attitudes and values
Section 2 Functionalist … on education Schools serve a purpose; they create a common identity for all students Manifest functions – intended results Latent functions – unintended consequences
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Conflict perspective Popular conceptions about education are not necessarily true Popular conceptions about education are not necessarily true
Theories Meritocracy A society in which social status is based on ability and achievement Competition A system in which rewards are based on relative performance
If one is rewarded for ACT scores, does this mean American education is a meritocracy? If one is rewarded for ACT scores, does this mean American education is a meritocracy? Or are some at a disadvantage? Or are some at a disadvantage?
Educational equality An attempt to produce the same results for lower-class and minority children as it does for other children An attempt to produce the same results for lower-class and minority children as it does for other children
Intelligence Cognitive ability Capacity for thinking abstractly Cultural bias unfair measurement of the cognitive abilities of people in some social categories ChitlingTestShort.html ChitlingTestShort.html
School desegregation The attempt to achieve a racial balance in the classroom
Compensatory education Specific curricular programs designed to overcome educational deficiency
Symbolic interactionism “We don’t know how to learn, we learn how we know”
Hidden curriculum Hidden curriculum The non-academic agenda that teaches discipline, order, cooperativeness, and conformity The non-academic agenda that teaches discipline, order, cooperativeness, and conformity a hidden agenda is also present in textbooks a hidden agenda is also present in textbooks Espousing patriotism, civic duty and responsibility Espousing patriotism, civic duty and responsibility
Self-fulfilling prophecy A prediction about oneself that results in behavior that makes the prediction come true