1. Politics of Education
1.1. Conservative Perspective
1.1.1. Individuals and groups must compete in the social environment in order to survive, and human progress is dependent on individual initiative and drive.
1.1.2. System that is most respectful of human needs
1.1.3. Individuals have the capacity to earn or not earn their place within an economy. Portrayed as the only one capable of solving his or her own problems.
1.2. Traditional Vision
1.2.1. Hard work, family unity,and individual initiative.
1.2.2. Believe schools should pass on the best of what was and what is.
1.2.3. Got liberal to the left and Conservative to the right on the spectrum.
2. History of U.S. Education
2.1. Reform Movement-Education for All
2.1.1. Before 1875, fewer than 25,000 students were enrolled in public schools. Between 1880 and 1920, 2,382,542 students attended public schools.
2.1.2. One of the great changes was when school went from voluntary to mandatory for students.
2.1.3. All students should be taught in the same manner and should have the same basics. Language, English, Mathematics, History, and Science.
2.2. Historical Interpretation-The Democratic-Liberal School
2.2.1. Progressive evolution of a school system committed to provide equality of opportunity for all.
2.2.2. Lawrence Cremin portrays education in two related processes: popularization and multitudinousness.
2.2.3. Democratic-liberals interpret U.S. educational history optimistically.
3. Sociological Perspectives
3.1. Theoretical Perspectives between school and society
3.1.1. Functional Theories
3.1.1.1. Society that stresses the interdependence of the social system.
3.1.1.2. From a functional point of view, educational reform is suppose to create structures, programs, and curriculum that are technically advanced, rational, and encourage social unity.
3.1.2. Conflict Theories
3.1.2.1. The ability to impose their will on groups through force, cooptation, and manipulation.
3.1.2.2. Conflict sociologists emphasize struggle. Schools are similar to social battlefields, where students struggle against teachers, teachers against administrators, and so on.
3.1.3. Interactional Theories
3.1.3.1. Primarily critiques and extensions of the other perspectives.
3.1.3.2. Attempt to make the commonplace strange by turning on their heads everyday taken-for-granted behaviors and interactions.
4. Philosophy of Education
4.1. Generic Notions
4.1.1. Idealism-Plato believed that education was a means of moving individuals toward achieving a goal.
4.1.2. Realism- Aristotle believed that only through studying the material world was it possible for an individual to clarify or develop ideas.
4.1.3. Pragmatism- George Peirce, William James, and John Dewey said pragmatism is a philosophy that encourages people to find processes that work in order to achieve their desired ends.
4.1.4. Existentialism and Phenomenology- Phenomenologists focus on the phenomena of consciousness, perception, and meaning as they arise in a particular individual's experiences. Existentialists (Sartre) believe that individuals are placed on earth alone and must make some sense out of the chaos they encounter.
4.1.5. Neo-Marxism-Samuel Bowles, Herbert Gintis, Michael Apple, Paulo Freire, and Henry Giroux. Approaches that trace their intellectual roots and theoretical assumptions to Karl Marx.
4.1.6. Postmodernist- Developed out of a profound dissatisfaction with modernism. traces its intellectual heritage to the Enlightenment. Derrida, Baudrillard, and Lyotard
4.2. Key Researches
4.3. Goal of Education
4.3.1. Idealism- search for truth through ideas rather than through examination of the false shadowy world of matter.
4.3.2. Realism- to help individuals understand and then apply the principles of science to help solve problems plaguing the modern world.
4.3.3. Pragmatism- School as a place where ideas can be implemented, challenged, and restructured, with the goal of providing students with the knowledge of how to improve the social order.
4.3.4. Existentialism and Phenomenology-Focus on an individual's needs both cognitively and affectively.
4.3.5. Neo-Marxism-Reproduce the economic, social, and political status quo and have the potential to empower students to question it.
4.3.6. Postmodernist-to explore the differences inherently contradictory positions in an effort to achieve understanding, respect, and change.
4.4. Role of Teacher
4.4.1. Idealism- Plays an active role in discussion, posting questions, selecting materials, and establishing an environment. ensures the teacher's desired outcome.
4.4.2. Realism- should be steeped in the basic academic disciplines. enable students to learn objective methods of evaluating works.
4.4.3. Pragmatism- teacher is no longer the authoritarian figure from which all knowledge flows; the teacher assumes the peripheral position of facilitator.
4.4.4. Existentialism and Phenomenology- Should understand their own "lived worlds" as well as their students. Take risks.
4.4.5. Neo-Marxism-engage students in a critical examination of the world.
4.4.6. Postmodernist- teachers should be agents of change. Critical Pedagogy
4.5. Method of Instruction
4.5.1. Idealism- encouraged to discuss, analyze, synthesize, and apply what they have read to contemporary society.
4.5.2. Realism-Lecture and question and answer
4.5.3. Pragmatism- problem solving or inquiry method. Individually or in groups.
4.5.4. Existentialism and Phenomenology-each child has a different learning style and it's up to the teacher to discover what works for each child.
4.5.5. Neo-Marxism-Dialectical approach to instruction. Q&A method designed to move the student to new levels of awareness and ultimately to change.
4.5.6. Postmodernist-providing students with new forms of knowledge rooted in a pluralistic and democratic vision of society.
4.6. Curriculum
4.6.1. Idealism-study of classics. Great Books
4.6.2. Realism-basics; science and math, reading and writing, and the humanities.
4.6.3. Pragmatism-core or integrated.
4.6.4. Existentialism and Phenomenology- heavily biased toward the humanities.
4.6.5. Neo-Marxism-socially constructed.
4.6.6. Postmodernist-written in a language difficult to understand. Critical pedagogy
5. Schools of Organizations
5.1. State of Alabama/DeKalb County
5.1.1. State Senator- Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions
5.1.2. House of Representatives- Will Ainsworth
5.1.3. State Superintendent- Tommy Bice
5.1.4. State School Board
5.1.4.1. President- Gov. Robert Bentley
5.1.4.2. Vice-President- Jeffery Newman
5.1.4.3. Interim Secretary & Executive Officer- Phillip Cleveland
5.1.4.4. President Pro Tem- Yvette Richardson
5.1.4.5. District 1- Matthew Brown
5.1.4.6. District 2- Betty Peters
5.1.4.7. District 3- Stephanie Bell
5.1.4.8. District 5- Ella Bell
5.1.4.9. District 6- Cynthia McCarty
5.1.4.10. District 8- Mary Hunter
5.1.5. Local Superintendent- Hugh Taylor
5.1.6. Local Board
5.1.6.1. Chairman- Matt Sharp
5.1.6.2. Vice-Chairman- Jeff Williams
5.1.6.3. Members- Randy Peppers, Mark Richards, and Terry Wootten
5.2. U.S. Schools vs. International Schools
5.2.1. U.S. Schools
5.2.1.1. Is ran by the people
5.2.1.2. Fundamentally inclusive
5.2.1.3. Egalitarian ethos
5.2.2. International Schools
5.2.2.1. Have a National Ministry of Education or Department of Education that runs them
5.2.2.2. Not inclusive
5.2.2.3. Highly centralized
6. Curriculum and Pedigogy
6.1. Historical Curriculum
6.1.1. Social Efficiency Curriculum
6.1.1.1. Developed in the early twentieth century
6.1.1.2. Was rooted in the belief that different groups of students, with different sets of needs should receive different types of schooling.
6.1.1.3. Emerged from the perspective visions of Dewey about the need for individualized and flexible curriculum.
6.2. Sociological Curriculum
6.2.1. Modern Functionalist Theory
6.2.1.1. Developed through the works of Talcott Parsons and Robert Dreeben
6.2.1.2. Stressed the role of the schools in preparing students for the increasingly complex roles required in modern society.
6.2.1.3. The specific content of the curriculum is less important than the role of schools in teaching students how to learn
7. Equality of Opportunity
7.1. Special Needs
7.1.1. EHA-1975
7.1.1.1. The right of access to public education programs
7.1.1.2. the individualization of services
7.1.1.3. The principle of "least restrictive environment
7.1.1.4. broadened services to be provided by schools and set of procedures for determining them.
7.1.1.5. general guidelines for identifying disability
7.1.1.6. the principles of primary state and local responsibilities.
7.1.2. Purpose was to guarantee that children with special needs were properly identified and placed in appropriate classes
7.1.3. critics argued that the law produced adverse effects.
7.1.4. The REI(1980) called for inclusion of almost all children into the mainstream, which caused chaos and the inability to educate mainstream children effectively.
7.2. The Coleman Study
7.2.1. I agree that private schools demand more from their students than public schools which make them more effective learning environments.
7.2.2. I also believe that if a student is able and truly wants to learn, they can do that at any kind of school if they put forth the effort it takes.
8. Educational Inequality
8.1. Societal Reform
8.1.1. Consortium for Chicago School Research argues that successful school reform must include: leadership as the driver for change, parent-community ties, professional capacity, student-centered learning climate, and instructional guidance.
8.1.2. Darling-Hammond's five elements include: meaningful learning goals, intelligent, reciprocal accountability systems, equitable and adequate resources, strong professional standards and supports, and schools organized for student and teacher learning.
8.2. Sociological explanation of unequal achievement
8.2.1. Functionalists
8.2.1.1. Role of schools is to provide a fair and meritocratic selection process for sorting out the best and brightest individuals, regardless of family background.
8.2.1.2. Believe that unequal educational outcomes are the result, in part, of unequal educational opportunities.
8.2.2. Conflict Theorists
8.2.2.1. Concerned with both equality of opportunity and results
8.2.2.2. Call for more radical measures to reduce inequality.
8.3. School-centered Explanations
8.3.1. School financing
8.3.1.1. It is obvious that the higher poverty communities have schools that are funded much better than the lower poverty schools.
8.3.1.2. The affluent communities are able to provide more per-pupil spending than poorer districts
8.3.2. Effective School Research
8.3.2.1. Student differences are more important than school differences, then teachers cannot be blamed for the lower academic performance of nonwhite and working class students.
8.3.2.2. If school efforts are not significant, then schools and, more specifically, teachers can do little to make a positive difference.
9. Educational Reform
9.1. School Based Reform
9.1.1. School based
9.1.1.1. Intersectional choice plans include public and private schools
9.1.1.2. Intrasectional choice only included public schools
9.1.1.3. Charter schools are public schools that are free from many of the regulations applied to traditional schools and in return held accountable form student performance.
9.1.1.4. Vouchers helped lower income families have the same choices that middle class families had for education.
9.1.2. School- Business Partnerships
9.1.2.1. Little or no evidence that they have improved schools.
9.1.3. School-to-work programs
9.1.3.1. The intent was to extend what had been a vocational emphasis to non-college-bound students regarding skills necessary for successful employment and to stress the importance of work-based learning.
9.1.4. Teacher Education
9.1.4.1. The emergence and development was a response to the initial debates concerning the failure of the schools.
9.1.5. Teacher Quality
9.1.5.1. Helped in how to recruit and retain high quality teachers, which is among the most important problems in American education.