1. Chapter 12 Education George Ritzer Presented by Rolande D. Dathis

2. Thinking About Education Structural/Functional Theories Durkheim on Education A Later Structural-Functional Approach Conflict/Critical Theories Capitalist Systems and Education Social Reproduction Industrialized Society and Education Credentialing Interact/Actionist Theories Cultural Dopes

3. Applying sociological theories to Education Structural /functional theory argues that education should prepare individuals for the various important positions in society. Education should provide specialized training for the specific function each individual will have. Conflict/critical theory explains that schools sustain and reproduce the capitalist system by training students to be hardworking and passive. Education serves as a tool to produce and reproduce social inequalities and fortifies the system of social stratification. This approach underlines that the education system facilitates those on top and to negatively affect those on the bottom of the stratification system.

4. Applying sociological theories to Education Inter/actionist theory- “The focus is more on interaction in schools, on what students and teachers say and do…….Schools confer label that reinforce and reproduce students earlier behavior” (Ritzer 2015p 409).

5. Thinking about education/Key terms Social reproduction refers to the” reproduction of class relations and the capitalist order”(Ritzer 2015p406). Credentialing refers to the association between educational levels and high-status functions. Cultural dopes refers to individuals who are controlled instinctively by a lot of external forces, like school regulations or teacher demands.

6. Inequality in education Patterns of inequality- High academic achievements in the US are from students whose parents are very educated. -Black students are less likely to graduate from high school or college than White students. - Hispanic students are for the most part disadvantaged in terms of achievement.

7. Inequality in education -Women are more likely to graduate from high school and college than men. The Coleman report - schools are different in quality a lot less than generally thought. The Bell Curve –students who study more get the highest IQs. Effects of preschool- enriched preschooling can enhance students’ ability to perform as well as becoming successful in adulthood.

8. Inequality in education cont’d Voucher schools- various are religious schools that can offer scholarships to poor students but may blur the separation of church and state and skim off resources and students from the public school system. Homeschooling- progressively more popular, homeschooling inquires about students’ improvement in social skills and their limitations of worldviews.

9. Inequality in education cont’d Charter schools- publicly funded schools that operated under different regulations than the state- run schools, charter schools define their own vision and mission but have had administrative failings and depend on self- selection that may increase racial segregation.

10. Inequality in education cont’d College success -successful students at all socioeconomic levels are much likely to get a bachelor’s degree.