1. Politics of Education
1.1. The Purposes of Education
1.1.1. Intellectual- These are to teach basic cognitive skills. (reading, writing, and mathematics) It is to transmit specific knowledge to help students acquire higher-order thinking skills such analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.
1.1.2. Political- to inculcate allegiance to the existing political order (patriotism); to prepare citizens who will participate in this political order (in political democracies); to help assimilate diverse cultural groups into a common political order; and to teach children the basic laws of the society.
1.1.3. Social- to help solve social problems; to work as one of many institutions , such as family and church (or synagogue) to ensure social cohesion; and to socialize children into the various roles, behaviors and values of the society. This process, referred to by sociologists as socialization, is a key ingredient to the stability of any society.
1.1.4. Economic- to the prepare students for their later occupational roles and to select, train, and allocate individuals into the division of labor. The degree to which schools directly prepare students for work varies from society to society, but most schools have at least an indirect role in this process.
1.2. Perspectives
1.2.1. The Role of the School
1.2.1.1. The conservative perspective sees the role of the school as providing the necessary educational training to make sure that the most hard working individuals receive the tools necessary to enhance economic and social productivity. Conservatives also believe that schools socialize children into the adult roles necessary to the maintenance of the social order. They see the order of the school to be to transmit cultural traditions through curriculum.
1.2.2. Explanations of Unequal Performance
1.2.2.1. The radical perspective believes that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds begin school without equal opportunities. They believe that the conditions that result in educational failure are caused the economic system, not the educational system. They believe it can only be changed by changing the political-economic structure.
1.2.3. Definition of Educational Problems
1.2.3.1. The liberal perspective states that schools have limited the life chances of the poor and minority children. They believe that the underachievement by these groups is a critical issue. Schools put too much emphasis on discipline and authority, which limits their role in helping students develop as individuals. The traditional curriculum leaves out the diverse cultures of the groups that make up the pluralistic society.
2. History of U.S Education
2.1. Brown VS. The Board of Education (1954)
2.1.1. Brown VS. The Board of Education (1954)- This reform is one of the most discussed and most famous reform in education.
2.1.2. It enhanced the Equality of Opportunity. This court case ruled that segregation of schools was unconstitutional. This reversed the "separate but equal" doctrine that was declared in the Plessy VS. Ferguson Case.
2.1.3. Although the law stated that there were to be changes, real change didn't happen overnight. This gave equal schooling opportunity to blacks.
2.2. The Democratic-Liberal School (Historical Interpretation of U.S Education)
2.2.1. Democratic liberals believed that the history of U.S education involves the progressive evolution, albeit flawed, of a school system that committed to provide equal opportunity to all.
2.2.2. Historians suggest that every period of educational growth involved the attempts of liberal reformers to expand educational opportunities to a larger piece of the population. They wanted to reject the conservative view.
2.2.3. The evolution as portrayed by Lawrence A. Cremin, was in terms of two related processes: Popularization and multitudinous. To him, it involved the expansion of opportunity and purpose. Democratic liberals tend to interpret the U.S educational history optimistically.
3. Philosophy of Education
3.1. Existentialism
3.1.1. Generic notions- believed that people are placed on the earth to make their own choices and create their own meaning. "Existence precedes essence" (Sartre) People create themselves in their own way. They make their own destiny. Some rejected the idea of God while other researchers embraced the idea of God.
3.1.2. Key researchers- Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), Martin Buber (1878-1965), Karl Jaspers (1883-1969), Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1986), Maxine Green.
3.1.3. Goal of Education- Thought that education should stress individuality. Education should meet the needs of the individual. Education is seen as a liberating activity from the rest of the world.
3.1.4. -Role of Teacher- Teachers must understand their world as well as the students own world in order to help them achieve the best world that they can. The teachers role is extremely personal. They must open up to their students.
3.1.5. Method of Instruction- They view learning as a very personal practice. They believe that everyone learns in a different way and that it is the teachers job to figure out how they learn. Martin Buber believed that the student and teacher should share a sort of "friendship". The teacher must help students understand the world by asking questions, giving activities, and they must work together to come to an understanding.
3.1.6. Curriculum- They wanted the curriculum to expose children at a young age to problems and possibilities. They chose curriculum that focused on humanities. (literature, art, drama, music)
4. Sociological Perspectives
4.1. Functionalism
4.1.1. Belief that education, in all societies, is critically important in creating the moral unity necessary for social cohesion and harmony. Schools are responsible for socializing students into appropriate values and sort them according to their abilities.
4.1.2. Schools are supposed to create programs, and curriculum that are advanced, rational, and encourage social unity.
4.2. Conflict Theory
4.2.1. Conflict sociologist do not see the relation between school and society as unproblematic or straightforward.
4.2.2. Conflict sociologists emphasize struggle. In this point of view, they see schools as social battlefields, where the students are fighting and struggling against the teachers and so on and so forth. They view that the achievement ideology disguises the real power of the school, which reflects and corresponds with the power relations within the larger society. They believed that the power relations between the dominant and subordinate groups structured society.
4.3. Interactionalism
4.3.1. This theory focuses on the everyday behaviors and interactions between teachers and students, and students and students. They focus on the things that are not usually looked into. They believe that it is those undiscovered things that are the most problematic.
4.3.2. Some have stated that the structural aspects of the educational system and the interactional aspects reflect each other and must be viewed wholistically.
5. Schools as Organizations
5.1. Stakeholders in MY District-
5.1.1. State Senators- Richard Shelby, Jefferson Sessions.
5.1.2. District 27 House of Representatives- Will Ainsworth
5.1.3. State Superintendant- Michael Sentance
5.1.4. Representative on state school board- Terry Kennamer
5.1.5. Marshall County Superintendent- Cindy Wigley
5.1.6. Board of Education Dr. Cindy Wigley Superintendent Mr. Bill Aaron President Dr. Vince Edmonds Vice President Mr. Terry Kennamer Board Member Mr. Mark Rains Board Member Mr. Tony Simmons Board Membe
5.2. Elements of Change
5.2.1. Conflict- There will always be conflicts when it comes to change. Previous conflicts and problems must surface and be communicated about.
5.2.2. New Behaviors- Change requires new relationships and new behaviors to be formed. communication and trust are very important behaviors to learn. There must also be working together for conflict resolution.
5.2.3. Team Building- The entire school must participate in teaming up together to make shared decisions.
5.2.4. Process and Content- The process for changing is as important as the content for change. There must be collaboration to increase the substance of change.
6. Curriculum and Pedagogy
6.1. Developmentalist Curriciulum-
6.1.1. Related to the needs of the student rather than the needs of the society.
6.1.2. Developed by Dewey's writings and used in progressivism.
6.1.3. Relates curriculum to the child at particular stages in life.
6.2. Teaching Traditions-
6.2.1. Mimetic- based on the view point that the purpose of education is to transmit specific knowledge to students. Used the didactic method. Relied on lecture or presentation as the form of communication. Focus on the relationship between teacher and student. Uses learning goals to see whether or not the students have acquired them.
6.2.2. Transformative- Believe that the purpose of education is to change the student in a meaningful way. They do not see the transmission of knowledge as the only component of education. Teaching and learning are linked. They do not believe in the teacher as the authority figure. Uses the dialectical method (use of questioning). Used in John Dewey's progressivism.
7. Equality of Opportunity
7.1. How diversities impact educational outcomes:
7.1.1. class- education is very expensive and some classes can not afford the amount or type of education as others. Schools represent the values of middle and upper class. Teachers have been found to think more highly of the more wealthy kids. Class is related to expectations, curriculum, and achievement. Lower class are not as likely to be able to attend college.
7.1.2. gender- In the past, women were less likely to get the same level of education as men. Females today are less likely to drop out. They are more likely to have higher reading and writing proficiency. Males tend to be better at math. Males are more likely to score higher on SATs. Women post-secondary institutions are not as academically or socially prestigious as those that men attend. Males are usually given higher expectations than women.
7.1.3. race- much larger percentages of black and Hispanic students are likely to drop out of school. Minorities have lower SAT scores and lower reading skills than whites do. Minorities do not receive the same educational opportunities that whites do.
7.2. Coleman study 1982:
7.2.1. Response #1: private schools seem to have certain characteristics related to student outcomes. Catholic schools have become more elite. Greeley argued that Baker and Riordan's evidence ignores the past two decades of findings that support a democratic view of Catholic schools. They are becoming more elite like public schools but also give advantage to low-income, minority students.
7.2.2. Response #2: Where and individual goes to schools is often related to their race and socioeconomic background. The racial and socioeconomic composition of the school has a greater effect on achievement than an individuals race and class. Stated that race and class are predictors of academic success. Borman and Dowling state that school segregation based on race and status and within school interactions dominated by middle class values are largely responsible for gaps in student achievement.
8. Educational Inequality
8.1. Cultural Deprivation-
8.1.1. suggests that working-class and non white families often lack the cultural resources, such as books and other educational stimuli, and thus arrive at school at a significant disadvantage.
8.1.2. Others criticized this by calling it racist. They said that it put the blame on families rather than the school system. It also puts the blame on victims of poverty, when it should blame the social and economic process that produces poverty.
8.1.3. The cultural difference theory attributes cultural differences to social forces such as poverty, racism, discrimination, and unequal life chances.
8.2. School centered explanations for inequality-
8.2.1. School financing- Public schools are financed through a combination of revenues from local, state, and federal sources. However, the majority of funds come from the state and local taxes. Property taxes are a large source. This leaves poor communities at a disadvantage. They don't have the opportunity to raise as much money because their property values are lower.
8.2.2. Effective school research- concluded that if students form the same racial and socioeconomic backgrounds attending different schools within the same community perform at different levels, then it must be something within the school that is affecting their performance. Studies what qualities makes a school successful.
8.2.3. Gender and Schooling- States that men and women see the world differently. Equality between men and women has been continuously fought for since the mid nineteenth century. FEMINIST movement. Women are not treated equally in school systems. Feminists agree that schooling often limits their opportunities and life chances by the way women are portrayed throughout curriculum.
8.2.4. Within School Differences: Curriculum and Ability Grouping- elementary students are divided into groups based on race, gender, teacher recommendations, test scores, etc. Within these groups, curriculum may be taught at a different pace to fit the group. At the secondary level, students are grouped based on their ability and curriculum. These groups often receive different types of education within the same school system. This can cause students not to be able to reach their full potential.
9. Educational Reform
9.1. School- based reforms:
9.1.1. School-Business partnership- businesses connect with schools and offer scholarship programs and adopt schools to try and boost a revitalization of the U.S economy. There is little evidence that these partnerships have significantly improved schools.
9.1.2. Privatization- privatizing public schools. The private schools step in to help public schools with management. Private schools help failing public schools.
9.2. Societal, Community, Economic, and Political Reforms:
9.2.1. Full service and Community schools- a way to attack school inequity. It aims to educate an entire community. These schools focus on meeting students' needs and families educational, physical, psychological, and social needs in a coordinated fashion between school and community services. Schools act as community centers within neighborhoods. After hours, schools offer family services. (Health clinics, drug programs, tutoring programs, etc.)
9.2.2. Harlem Children's Zone- Created by Geoffrey Canada. His idea to help children deal with changes. Instead of removing children from their neighborhood, he wants to leave them there and create changes within the neighborhood. His aim was to "positively contaminate Harlem". Provides programs to offer parental help within the community.