1. Politics of Education
1.1. progressivism
1.1.1. Schools should be the catalyst for making things better
1.1.2. See schools as the central to solving social problems
1.1.3. School is essential to the development of individual potential
1.2. Liberal Perspective
1.2.1. Began primarily with FDR's New Deal
1.2.2. Belief that the capitalists system can give unfair advantage to the wealthy and powerful
1.2.3. Primarily concerned with balancing capitalism with the needs of the US public
2. Philosophy of Education
2.1. Pragmatism was John Dewey belief that a better society would bloom from education. He believed in a form of education that relied heavily on the students freedom to learn in the best way for them.
2.2. John Dewey
2.2.1. Diane Ravitch
2.2.1.1. Emile Durkheim
2.3. Dewey felt the goal of education was a steady balance of structured curriculum as well as the social growth of students. He felt the ultimate goal was student growth.
2.4. Teachers are no longer authoritarians in Dewey's philosophy. They are more facilitators. They offer suggestions and ask questions to help students grow and gain knowledge.
2.5. Students will learn in both groups as well as individually. Students were encouraged to peruse learning in both ways. Furniture was no longer nailed to the floor and students expected to sit for hours upon hours.
2.6. Curriculum begins as a core content style curriculum. Teachers mold the curriculum by asking questions that allow students to bridge the gap of known to unknown themselves.
3. Schools as Organizations
3.1. State Senators: Jeff Session and Richard Shelby
3.1.1. Representatives: Victor Gaston and Mike Hubbard
3.1.1.1. State Superintendent: Tommy Bice
3.1.1.1.1. State School Board Rep: Stephanie Bell
3.2. Comparison: Finland pg. 229
3.2.1. Only 15% of teaching program applicants are accepted.
3.2.2. Collaboration is supported among co-workers.
3.2.3. Teachers are treated with much respect and are offered competitive wages.
4. Equality of Opportunity
4.1. Coleman Study
4.1.1. Pertained to Geoffrey Borman and Maritza Dowling
4.1.2. Segregation within the school system
4.1.3. Felt that were you went to school was related to race and background but felt race and socioeconomics of school was greater
4.2. Educational Achievement and Attainment of Women
4.2.1. Higher proficiency of reading
4.2.2. More women attending Post- Secondary school
4.2.3. Less likely to drop out of school and any time before
5. Educational Inequality
5.1. School Centered Explanation
5.1.1. Belief of Johnathan Kozol
5.1.2. "Savage Inequalities"
5.1.3. Kozol believed in High quality Equal education
5.2. Sociological Explanation of Unequal Achievement
5.2.1. This was a belief of the Functionalist
5.2.2. Individual talent and hard work are more important than characteristics
5.2.3. Unequal educational outcomes are the result in part of unequal educational opportunities
6. History of U.S. Education
6.1. The emergence of the public high school
6.1.1. Committee of Ten
6.1.2. High School began involuntary for those under 16
6.1.3. Proposed a 5 model curriculum
6.2. Democratic-Liberal School
6.2.1. Belief every attempt at educational reform was an attempt to reach more of the population
6.2.2. Believe social goals became a more important part of the curriculum as it expanded
6.2.3. Believe in the stride to educational equality and excellence simultaneously
7. Sociological Perspectives
7.1. Interactional Theories
7.1.1. Turns the focus on student- student and student- teacher relationships
7.2. Employment
7.3. Teacher Behavior
7.4. Student peer groups
8. Curriculum and Pedagogy
8.1. Historical Curriculum: Developmentalists
8.1.1. John Dewey based this curriculum on the needs of students not society.
8.1.2. Emphasizes the process of teaching as well as the curriculum.
8.1.3. Emphasizes the relating of school to real life experiences.
8.2. Sociological Curriculum: Functionalists
8.2.1. Derived from the works of Emile Durkheim
8.2.2. Give students the tools needed to ensure social stability.
8.2.3. Specific content took a backseat top teaching the learning process.
9. Educational Reform and School Improvement
9.1. School to work Programs
9.1.1. Linked students and schools with the workplace
9.1.2. 1994 Government introduced the school to work act
9.1.3. Encourage restructuring toward a contextual learning environment
9.1.4. Three core elements
9.2. Community School
9.2.1. Focus on partnership between school and community
9.2.2. Deals with community support, family support, academics and other numerous things
9.2.3. Help improve educational outcomes for children