Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon BECOMING A TEACHER, 7e Forrest W. Parkay & Beverly Hardcastle Stanford Chapter 4 Social Realities And Today’s Schools This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; Any rental, lease, or lending of the program.

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What Is the Role of Schools in Today’s Society? Schools and Prosocial Values The well being of any society requires support of such values When polled, ninety percent of the public believed the following values should be taught in the public schools : honesty democracy Acceptance of people of different races and ethnic backgrounds Caring for friends and family Moral courage Patriotism/love of country

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What Is the Role of Schools in Today’s Society? Schools and the Socialization of the Young Schools are where the young learn to participate responsibly in our nation’s society Schools are where individuals from different ethnic, racial, religious, and cultural backgrounds can learn the values and customs of the majority English language Major national holidays Basic workings of capitalism and democracy

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What Is the Role of Schools in Today’s Society? Schools and Social Change Schools can provide students with the knowledge to improve society Schools and Equal Educational Opportunity To create a community that works for the common good, students need to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to participate in civic action to make society more equitable and just

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon How Can Schools Be Described? Schools can be categorized according to their curricula: college prep, vocational, or general Metaphors for Schools Words like: tribes, clans, gardens, prisons, banks, homes, churches, mental hospitals, and teams An effective school consists of a community of caring adults who attend to the academic, social, and emotional needs of the children in their care

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon How Can Schools Be Described? Schools and Social Class Some individuals believe that schools reproduce the existing society Done by presenting different curricula and educational experiences to students from different socioeconomic classes Schools in effect preserve the stratification within society and maintain the differences

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What Are Schools Like as Social Institutions? The School as a Reflection of Society Schools mirror the national culture and the surrounding local culture Rural, Suburban, and Urban Schools Often have significantly different cultures Schools and Community Environments The differences among the environments can be enormous

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What Are Schools Like as Social Institutions? The Culture of the School The physical environment Reflects and helps create the school’s culture Formal practices of schools Self-contained classrooms Open-space classrooms Departmentalization School traditions Reflect what the students, teachers, parents, and surrounding community view as important

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What Are Schools Like as Social Institutions? The Culture of the Classroom Each classroom develops its own culture or way of life Effective teachers develop positive, task- oriented cultures Ineffective teachers develop negative cultures

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What are the Characteristics of Successful Schools? Measures of success Schools achieve at a high level and complete requirements for graduation They achieve results that surpass those expected from comparable settings They are schools that are improving, not getting worse

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What are the Characteristics of Successful Schools? Research on School Effectiveness How to build an effective school Strong LeadershipHigh expectations Emphasis on basic skills Frequent, systematic Evaluation of Student learning Sense of purpose Focus on Student learning Emphasis on Authentic pedagogy Greater school Organizational capacity Orderly school environment Collegiality and a Sense of community Greater external support

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What Social Problems Affect Schools and Place Students at Risk? Identifying Students at Risk Growing numbers of students live in socially toxic environments Tend to get low grades Perform below grade level academically Are older due to retention Have behavior problems at school

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What Social Problems Affect Schools and Place Students at Risk? Children and Poverty Almost 17 percent of children live in families below the poverty line 24 percent with parents or caregivers who do not have full time, year round employment In 2002, the flagging economy sent 1.4 million more people into poverty Nearly have were children

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What Social Problems Affect Schools and Place Students at Risk? Homelessness Half of all homeless children do not attend school regularly due to numerous barriers Health problems Hunger Difficulty obtaining clothing School supplies Providing documentation Can be difficult to identify The McKinney-Vento Act requires states to provide homeless children with a free public education Must remove obstacles to school registration

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What Social Problems Affect Schools and Place Students at Risk? Family Stress Substance abuse Psychological abuse Sexual abuse Physical abuse Financial problems

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What Social Problems Affect Schools and Place Students at Risk? Substance Abuse In a 2003 poll, drug use among students remained at alarming levels 54 percent had tried an illicit drug by the time they finished High School Alcohol use remains extremely widespread among today’s youth An alarming number of young people see drugs as a way of coping with life problems

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What Social Problems Affect Schools and Place Students at Risk? Violence and Crime Students ages were victims of 764,000 violent crimes Were the victims of 1.2 million crimes of theft 71 percent of schools experienced one or more violent incidents 36 percent reported one or more such incidents to the police

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What Social Problems Affect Schools and Place Students at Risk? Violence and Crime School Shootings Violence in television Violent point and Shoot video games Selling drugs Increase use Of guns

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon Complications during pregnancy and in the birthing process Less likely to receive prenatal care They tend not to eat well balanced diets What Social Problems Affect Schools and Place Students at Risk? Teen Pregnancy In spite of a decline in teenage pregnancy, birth, and abortion, teen pregnancies still remain a serious problem in society Are not free of harmful substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and drugs Are “at risk” for chronic educational, occupational, and financial difficulties Their offspring are “at risk” for medical, educational, and behavioral problems

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon What Social Problems Affect Schools and Place Students at Risk? Suicide among Children and Youths Suicide is the third leading cause of death among youth ages fifteen to twenty-four Female students are two times more likely to seriously attempt suicide Latino students are two times more likely than white students Gay and lesbian youth are two to three times more likely than their heterosexual peers

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon How Are Schools Addressing Societal Problems? Peer Counseling Full-Service Schools School-Based Interprofessional Case Management Compensatory Education Alternative Schools and Curricula

Copyright © 2007 Allyn and Bacon How Can Community-Based Partnerships Help Students Learn? The Community as a Resource for Schools Civic Organizations: Sources of funding Volunteer Mentor Programs Corporate-Education Partnerships: Work on creating model schools Schools as Resources for Communities Beyond the School Day Social Services