1. Chapter 2: Politics of Education
1.1. Identify and describe the four purposes of education.
1.1.1. 1. Intellectual- "to teach basic cognitive skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics; to transmit knowledge and to help students acquire higher-order thinking skills such as analysis, evaluation, and synthesis"
1.1.2. 2. Political- "to inculcate allegiance to the existing political order; to prepare citizens who will participate in this political order; to help assimilate diverse cultural groups into a common political order; to teach children the basic laws of society"
1.1.3. 3. Social- "to help solve social problems; to work as one of many institutions such as family and the church to ensure social cohesion; and to socialize children into various roles, behaviors, and values of society"
1.1.4. 4. Economic- "to prepare students for their later occupational roles and to select, train, and allocate individuals into the division of labor"
1.2. Describe the Role of the School.
1.2.1. "The school's role in the broadest sense is directly concerned with the aims, purposes, and functions of education in society."
1.2.2. This basically means that the role of the school is to mold students into successful, responsible members of society.
2. Chapter 3: History of U.S. Education
2.1. Describe a reform that you think has had the most influence on education.
2.1.1. Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education
2.1.1.1. "The Supreme Court ruled that state-imposed segregation of schools was unconstitutional."
2.1.1.2. This ruling reversed "separate but equal".
2.1.1.2.1. Essentially, the mere idea of "separate but equal" is a complete contradiction in itself.
2.1.1.2.2. Students should be able to coexist in the same classroom no matter the color of their skin or cultural background.
2.1.1.2.3. This ruling completely changed the landscape of education for future generations for the better.
2.2. Describe one historical interpretation of U.S. Education.
2.2.1. Conservative Perspective
2.2.1.1. "U.S. students knew very little and that U.S. schools were mediocre."
2.2.1.2. Diane Ravitch argues that she believes that "the curriculum ought to be fair and nonracist" but "that efforts at multiculturalism are often historically incorrect and neglect the fact that the heritage of our civilization, from a conservative vantage point, is Western."
2.2.1.3. In conclusion, scholars believed that the typical American student was not being challenged in order to expand their knowledge.
3. Chapter 4: The Sociology of Education
3.1. Define each of the theoretical perspectives
3.1.1. Conflict- "Ability of dominant groups to impose their will on subordinate groups through force, cooptation, and manipulation
3.1.1.1. " Karl Marx is the intellectual founder of the conflict school in the sociology education.
3.1.1.2. This perspective tries to weed out the weak so that only the strong, majority survive.
3.1.2. Functional- "Stress the interdependence of the social system"
3.1.2.1. Emily Durkheim essentially created the sociology education.
3.1.2.2. Her beliefs set an "emphasis on values and cohesion set the tone for how present-day functionalists approach the study of education."
3.1.2.3. This perspective shows the importance of all areas working together for a common goal.
3.1.3. Interactional- "attempt to make the commonplace strange by turning on their heads everyday taken-for-granted behaviors and interactions between students and students and students and teachers"
3.1.3.1. "Basil Bernstein argued that the structural aspects of the system reflect each other and must be viewed wholistically.
3.1.3.2. This perspective focuses on the reaction of the systems in the actual school setting and attempts to relay them in a reflective way.
3.2. Identify and describe 5 effects of schooling on individuals.
3.2.1. Knowledge and Attitudes
3.2.1.1. As students receive more knowledge and schooling, they become more responsible and engaged members of society.
3.2.2. Employment
3.2.2.1. An individual with a higher level of education can expect to earn a higher income and have more employment opportunities.
3.2.3. Education and Mobility
3.2.3.1. Highly educated individuals can also expect more advancement opportunities within their career.
3.2.4. Teacher Behavior
3.2.4.1. A teacher's behavior can have a positive or negative effect on a student's view of the importance of education.
3.2.5. Gender
3.2.5.1. Although gender related gaps are still present in today's schools, they have been significantly diminished. Gender should not determine a student's perceived potential.
4. Chapter 5: Philosophy of Education
4.1. Pragmatism: problem > speculative thought > action > results
4.1.1. Generic Notions
4.1.1.1. "Better society through education"
4.1.1.2. This philosophy is student centered and relies on the needs and wants of the student. Pragmatism suggests that students should be responsible and, therefore, somewhat in charge of their areas of study.
4.1.2. Key Researchers:
4.1.2.1. George Sanders Pierce and William James: "By their fruits ye shall know them."
4.1.2.2. John Dewey: proposed the terms instrumentalism ans experimentalism
4.1.2.2.1. Instrumentalism- pragmatic relationship between school and society
4.1.2.2.2. Experimentalism: application of ideas to educational practice on an experimental basis
4.1.3. Goal of Education:
4.1.3.1. "Rooted in social order"
4.1.3.2. The purpose of education is to prepare students for life as adults in a democratic society.
4.1.4. Role of Teacher:
4.1.4.1. "Peripheral position of facilitator"
4.1.4.2. The teacher is there for support and lesson planning.
4.1.5. Method of Instruction:
4.1.5.1. "Children learn both individually and in groups"
4.1.5.2. Students were allowed some freedoms from formal and traditional classroom instruction.
4.1.5.2.1. Examples: field trips, projects, group work, group centered furniture
4.1.6. Curriculum:
4.1.6.1. "Core curriculum"
4.1.6.2. Curriculum is fluid and changes as society or the student's needs and interests change.
5. Chapter 6: Schools as Organizations
5.1. Major Stakeholders in my district:
5.1.1. State Senator:
5.1.1.1. Clay Scofield- District 9
5.1.2. House of Representatives:
5.1.2.1. Kerry Rich- House District 26
5.1.2.2. Will Ainsworth- House District 27
5.1.2.3. David Standridge- House District 34
5.1.2.4. Randall Shedd- House District 11
5.1.2.5. Ed Henry- House District 9
5.1.3. State Superintendent:
5.1.3.1. Michael Sentance
5.1.4. Representative on State School Board:
5.1.4.1. Cynthia Sanders McCarty, Ph. D.- District 6
5.1.5. Local Superintendent:
5.1.5.1. Timothy Morgan- Boaz City Schools Interim Superintendent
5.1.6. Boaz City Schools Board of Education:
5.1.6.1. Rhonda Smith- President
5.1.6.2. Rich Thompson- Vice President
5.1.6.3. Tim Whitt
5.1.6.4. Jeff Roberts
5.1.6.5. Chad Cofield
5.2. Elements of Change
5.2.1. "Conflict is a necessary part of change."
5.2.1.1. As with any area of our lives, when changes arise so do conflicts. The ability to resolve such issues is an important part of any successful school.
5.2.2. "New behaviors must be learned."
5.2.2.1. Any time that a group of people come together to form a collaborative group, differences will emerge. It is important that we learn and grow from these experiences.
5.2.3. "Team building must extend to the entire school."
5.2.3.1. It is important to make sure that every member of the the team feels needed and important. People want to work harder when they feel they are appreciated.
5.2.4. "Process and content are interrelated."
5.2.4.1. The team must be willing to work together and share ideas in order for a project ti be successful.
6. Chapter 7: Curriculum & Pedagogy
6.1. Developmentalist Curriculum
6.1.1. "Related to the needs and interests of the students rather than the needs of society"
6.1.2. Provides flexibility
6.1.3. Relates school to real life situations
6.1.4. Student-centered
6.2. Traditions of Teaching
6.2.1. Mimetic Tradition
6.2.1.1. "Purpose of education is to transmit specific knowledge to students"
6.2.1.2. Lecture or presentation as the main form of communication
6.2.1.3. Transferring information from one to another
6.2.2. Transformative Tradition
6.2.2.1. "Purpose of education is to change the student in some meaningful way, including intellectually, creatively, spiritually, and emotionally "
6.2.2.2. Multidimensional theory of teaching
7. Chapter 8: Equality of Opportunity
7.1. Describe how class, race, and gender each impact educational outcomes.
7.1.1. Class: economic means of the student
7.1.1.1. Education is expensive and can put a heavy burden on families.
7.1.1.2. "There is a direct correlation between parental income and children's performance on achievement tests."
7.1.2. Race:
7.1.2.1. "minorities have, on average, lower SAT scores than white students"
7.1.3. Gender:
7.1.3.1. "In the last 20 years, gender differences between men and women, in terms of educational attainment, have been reduced."
7.1.3.2. "Males are more likely to score higher on the SATs than females."
7.2. Coleman Study from 1982
7.2.1. Jencks (1985)
7.2.1.1. "He estimated that the annual increment attributable to Catholic schooling was tiny."
7.2.2. Alexander and Pallas (1983)
7.2.2.1. "But judged against reasonable benchmarks, there is little basis for this conclusion."
8. Chapter 9: Educational Inequality
8.1. Explain the two types of cultural deprivation theory.
8.1.1. "Working-class and nonwhite 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. "Students who achieve poorly have not been raised to acquire the skills and dispositions required for satisfactory academic achievement."
8.2. Describe at least four school-centered explanations for educational inequality.
8.2.1. School Financing
8.2.1.1. "children from low socioeconomic backgrounds do not receive equal opportunity, at least in terms of funding"
8.2.2. Effective School Research
8.2.2.1. "The finding that within-school differences are as or more significant than between-school differences."
8.2.3. Between School Differences: Curriculum and Pedagogic Practices
8.2.3.1. "There are significant differences between the culture and climate of schools in lower socioeconomic and higher socioeconomic communities."
8.2.4. Within School Differences: Curriculum and Ability Grouping
8.2.4.1. "Education in the United States assumes that students in the lower tracks are not capable of doing academic work and thus schools do not offer them an academically challenging curriculum."
9. Chapter 10 : Educational Reform
9.1. Describe two school-based reforms (school-based, school-business partnerships, privatization, school-to-work programs, teacher education or teacher quality) ,
9.1.1. Privatization
9.1.1.1. "Corporations see the multi-billion education industry as a lucrative market."
9.1.1.2. "From the 1990s, the traditional distinction between public and private education became blurred."
9.1.1.3. Some corporations or companies are taking over failing school systems.
9.1.1.3.1. Although this could have a positive result, I'm sure some of those big companies do not have students' best interests at heart.
9.1.2. School-Business Partnerships
9.1.2.1. "During the 1980s, business leaders became increasingly concerned that the nation's schools were not producing the kinds of graduates necessary for a revitalization of the U.S. economy."
9.1.2.2. "School-business partnerships have attracted considerable media attention, but there is little evidence that they have significantly improved schools or that, as a means of reform, school-business partnerships will address the fundamental problems facing U.S. education."
9.1.2.3. Although this type of partnership has some benefits such as scholarships, it is difficult to say that it is effective.
9.2. Describe two societal, economic, community, or political reforms.
9.2.1. Full Service and Community Schools
9.2.1.1. "Specifically designed to target and improve at-risk neighborhoods, full-service schools aim to prevent problems, as wel as to support them."
9.2.1.1.1. These types of programs can be life saving to a struggling child.
9.2.2. Harlem Children's Zone
9.2.2.1. Idea of Geoffrey Canada
9.2.2.2. "Baby College"- teach parents how to have academic conversations with their children