1. Philosophy of Education
1.1. Realism
1.1.1. Generic Notions
1.1.1.1. believed only through studying the material world was it possible for an individual to clarify or develop ideas.
1.1.2. Goal of Education
1.1.2.1. Both Plato and Arisotle believed that important questions concerning such notions as the good life, truth, beauty, and so on could be answered through the study of ideas.
1.1.3. Role of the Teacher
1.1.3.1. Teachers, according to contemporary realists, should be steepened in the basic academic disciplines in order to transmit to their students the knowledge necessary for the continuance of the human race
1.1.4. Methods od Instruction
1.1.4.1. Realist would support a number of methods- in particular, lecture and question and answer
1.1.5. Curriculum
1.1.5.1. Would consist of the basics: science and math, reading and writing.
1.1.6. Key Researchers
1.1.6.1. Realism is associated with both Plato and Aristotle.
2. Schools as Organizations
2.1. State Senator
2.1.1. Lamar Alexander
2.2. Represenative of State
2.2.1. Bob Corcer
2.3. Local Super Intendant
2.3.1. Wanda Shelton
2.4. Local School Board
2.5. State Super Intendant
2.5.1. Candice Mqueen
2.6. How is our school system different that Japans ?
2.6.1. Japans schooling is thought to be a superior education system
3. Curriculum and Pedagogy
3.1. The developmentalist curriculum
3.1.1. Is related to the needs and interests of the student rather than society.
3.1.2. This approach to teaching is student centered and concerned with relating the curriculum to the needs and interests of each child at particular development stages
3.2. The hidden curriculum
3.2.1. Includes what what is taught to students through implicit rules and messages, as well as through what is left out of the formal curriculum
3.2.2. Hidden curriculum is also known as informal curriculum
4. Equality of Opportunity
4.1. Educational achievement and attainment of one marginalized population
4.1.1. Females
4.1.1.1. achieve higher levels in reading at ages 9,13,and 17
4.1.1.2. achieve slightly higher levels I mathematics at age 9 and at lower levels at 13 and 17
4.1.1.3. achieve lower levels in science at ages 9,13, and 17
4.2. Comment on the Coleman Case
4.2.1. Do School differences make a difference in terms of student outcomes ?
4.2.1.1. My opinion is of course they do... plain and simple some environments are better for learning than others. If students are set up in a controlled learning environments then its plain to me that these students will learn at a higher rate.
5. Educational Reform
5.1. School business partnerships
5.1.1. During the 1980's , business leaders became concerned that the nations schools were not producing the necessary graduates.
5.1.2. Several school-business partnerships were formed, the most notable of which was the Boston Compact begun in 1982
5.1.3. These partnerships have gained considerable media attention, however there is little evidence that this is an effective method.
5.2. School-To-Work-Programs
5.2.1. In the 1990s, school-business partnerships became incorporated into school-to-work programs
5.2.2. On may 4th 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the schools-to-work Opportunities Act of 1994. This law provided seed money to states and local partnerships of business, labor, government, education, and community organizations to develops school-to-work-programs
6. Politics of Education
6.1. Radical
6.1.1. They do not believe that free market capitalism is the best form of economic organization, but rather believes that democratic socialism is a fairer political economic system.
6.1.2. They believe that the capitalist system is central to U.S. social problems
6.1.3. They believe that social problems are structural in nature- that is, they are caused by the structure of U.S. society and therefore the solutions must be addressed to this structure, not to individuals.
6.2. Conservative
6.3. Liberals
6.4. Neo Liberal
6.5. Progressive
6.5.1. Progressive visions tend to view the schools as central to solving social problems, as a vehicle for upward mobility, as essential to the development of individual potential, and as an integral part of a democratic society.
6.6. Traditional
7. History of U.S Education
7.1. What Reform movement has had a huge impact?
7.1.1. The National Commission of Excellennce (1983)
7.1.1.1. This movement "provided a serious indictment of U.S. education and cited high rates of adult illiteracy, declining SAT scores, and low scores on international comparisons of knowledge by U.S. students as examples of the decline in literacy."
7.1.1.2. Stated 5 new standards. 1) Students out of high school must take the "new basics". 2) All schools at all levels raise their expectations 3) That more time bespent teaching the "new basics" 4) Make teaching a more rewarding job 5) Citizens require that their elected officials support and fund these reforms.
7.2. A view on the history of U.S education.
7.2.1. Democratic liberals believe that the history of education in the U.S. involves the progressive evolution.
7.2.1.1. They believe that it is better to expand opportunities to larger segments of the population.
7.2.1.2. They also believe that it would be best to reject the conservative view of schools as elite institutions.
8. Sociological Perspectives
8.1. Theoretical Perspectives (relation between school and society)
8.1.1. Has been described as both fundamental and complex
8.1.2. Since these topics are too broad it is common to view them in the most basic form.
8.1.3. Theory is a major factor when discussing these issues.
8.1.3.1. Theory is one of the best conceptual guide to understanding the relation between school and society.
8.1.3.2. It gives one of the intellectual scaffolding from which to hang empirical findings.
8.2. Effect of schooling on individuals
8.2.1. Knowledge and Attitudes
8.2.1.1. Sociologist disagree strongly about the importance of schooling in terms of knowledge and attitudes.
8.2.1.2. Research indicated that the more educated the student is, the more likely they are to read books and the newspaper. Also more likely to be involed in community elections.
8.2.1.3. Public vs. Private schools
8.2.1.3.1. It is a proven fact that stricter classrooms in which you find in private schools improve student learning
8.2.1.3.2. When students are compelled to take more academic based classes, this obviously helps the student learn more
8.2.1.3.3. All in all there seems to be a great benefit in attending private schools opposed to public schools when looking for a more advanced education.
8.2.2. Employment
8.2.3. Education and Mobility
9. Educational Inequality
9.1. There are two major sociological theories of education .
9.1.1. Functionalists
9.1.1.1. Functionlist believe that the role of schools is to provide a fair and meritocratic selection process for sorting out the highest and best individuals regardless of family background.
9.1.1.2. The functionalists vision of a just society is one where individual talent and hard work based on universal principles of evaluation and are more important than ascriptive characteristics.
9.1.2. Conflict theorists
9.1.2.1. They believe that the role of svhoolong is to reproduce rather to eliminate inequality.
9.1.2.2. Are also concerned with inequality and its eradication
9.2. School centered explanation
9.2.1. One student centered explanation sees the diffrences as the result of student diffrences prior to entering school.
9.2.2. School-centered explanations, however suggest that school processes are central to understanding unequal educational performance.