1. Functions of Schooling F S Hung http://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/~fshung

2. Functions of schooling Socialization Screening Human capital investment Class reproduction

3. Socialization Functionalism (Emile Durheim, 1922; Talcott Parsons, 1959) ed. as ‘functional’ to the larger society’s integration or survival ed. as the socialization (integration) of young members into society ed. as conformation to society’s values and goals ed. to produce “ideal adults” of society

4. Screening ed. as credentials (proof of possessing knowledge) (Michael Spence, 1973) ed. to identify students with particular attributes, but not to produce or improve attributes ed. credentials as a hiring screen (“statistical discrimination”)

5. Screening Knowledge (credentials) as a major mechanism for the struggles between groups in society (Max Weber, 1958, 1968); as a mjor exclusion to non- members

6. Human capital investment T.W. Schultz (1961), Gary Becker (1964) human capital –Abilities acquired by & embedded in individuals –increases one’s earnings over life time –contributes to society’s economic growth education & training are important investments on human capital –knowledge & skills

7. Human capital investment education is not a ‘commodity’ nor ‘commodification’; though education can be ‘commercialized’ or ‘commercialization’ (Hung)

8. Class reproduction Michael Apple (1979, 1982, 1988) –Schools operate to produce the ideological hegemony of the dominant class –Schools are the major sites in which ideological conflicts/struggles are often fought

9. Class reproduction Bowles and Gintis (1976) –Capitalist schools are mini-factories, promoting same values in the capitalist labor market –“the social relations of schools reproduce the social division of labour under capitalism”

10. Class reproduction Martin Carnoy & Henry Levin (1985) –Conflict in schools is ultimately between the dominant and the dominated sectors of society –The dominant class seeks to impose its values, norms, purposes, and goals on schools and to socialize the young into its idelology