My Foundations of Education

1. Educational Inequality

1.1. Explanation of Unequal Educational Achievement: Functionalist Theory:

1.2. 1.) Concerned about the existence of profound and persistent inequalities.

1.3. 2.) Believe that the role of schools is to provide a fair and meritocratic selection process for sorting out the best and brightest individuals, regardless of family background.

1.4. Vision of a just society is one where individual talent and hard work based on universal principles of evaluation are more important than ascriptive characteristics based on particularistic methods of evaluation.

1.5. Expect that the schooling process will produce unequal results, but these results ought to be based on individual differences between students, not on group differences.

1.6. Unequal educational outcomes are the result of unequal educational inequality.

2. Politics of Education

2.1. Perspective

2.1.1. 1.) Conservative

2.2. Vision

2.2.1. Traditional

3. Philosophy of Education

3.1. Progressivism

3.2. To teach students alternative and fundamental ways of learning that encourage growth.

3.3. Key Researchers: John Dewey

3.4. Goal of Education: Children are encouraged to develop and map their own course of study.

3.5. Role of the Teacher: More of a facilitator rather than authoritative, autocratic figure in the classroom. The progressive teacher encourages critical thinking skills in order to allow students to become independent learners.

3.6. Method of Instruction: Suggests that children can learn both individually and in groups. Problem-solving methods, hands-on activities, and group-based learning are incorporated.

3.7. Nature of Curriculum: Field Trips, outdoor classrooms, etc., are implemented to encourage a more organic way of learning.

4. History of U.S. Education

4.1. The Emergence of the Public High School:

4.1.1. Was not just voluntary anymore

4.1.2. Main Goals: 1.) Health 2.) Command of fundamental processes 3.) Worthy home-membership 4.) Vocation 5.) Citizenship 6.) Worthy use of leisure 7.) Ethical Character

4.1.3. Historical Interpretation: Conservative Perspective

5. Curriculum and Pedagogy

5.1. One Historical Curriculum I would advocate would be Social Efficiency Curriculum

5.2. One Sociological Curriculum I would advocate would be both Functionalist theory and Conflict theories

6. Schools as Organizations

6.1. State Senator: District 7, Paul Sanford

6.2. State House of Representatives Member: District 7, Ken Johnson

6.3. State Superintendent: Tommy Bice

6.4. Representative on State School Board: District 7, Jeffrey Newman

6.5. Local Superintendent: Matt Massey

6.6. Local School Board: Dan Nash, Mary Louise Stowe, Jeff Anderson, Angie Bates, David Vess

7. Equality of Opportunity

7.1. Educational Achievement and Attainment of Women.

7.2. 1.) Females achieve at higher levels in reading at ages 9, 13, 17.

7.3. 2.) Females have outperformed males in reading since 1973.

7.4. 3.) Females achieve at slightly higher levels in mathematics at age 9.

7.5. 4.) Females achieve at lower levels in science at ages 9, 13, 17.

7.6. 5.) According to studies, achievement gaps have decreased since the 1970's and much of the progress occurred up until 1988.

7.7. 6.) From 1988 and on, the gaps have widened or at best, remained steady.

8. Educational Reform

8.1. School-Based reform: School Choice:

8.2. Intersectional School Choice: include public and private schools.

8.3. Intrasectional School Choice: include only public schools.

8.4. Political Reform: No Child Left Behind:

8.5. Logical extension of the Standards Movement

8.6. Mandates the uniform standards for all students in order to reduce and eventually eliminate the social class and race achievement gap by 2014.

9. Sociological Perspectives

9.1. Theoretical Perspectives: Functional Theory: "Big Picture" in society. This theory focuses on the interdependence of the social system. This theory views society as a machine where one part is an essential key to make another part function. Values and cohesion are strongly utilized and enforced.

9.2. Effects of Schooling: 1.) Knowledge and Attitudes 2.) Employment 3.) Social Mobility