My Foundations of Education

1. Equality of Opportunity

1.1. Impact on Educational Outcomes

1.1.1. Class

1.1.1.1. students in different classes have different educational opportunities and educational experiences; upper and middle class students have higher expectations to finish school than working class students

1.1.2. Race

1.1.2.1. despite Civil Rights race can still have an effect on educational outcomes. Minority students have a higher drop-out rate

1.1.3. Gender

1.1.3.1. while females are historically better students, males are more likely to complete a higher education than females

1.2. Coleman Studies 1966

1.2.1. Response: the first response was that where an individual goes to school has little effect on his or her cognitive growth or educational mobility

1.3. Coleman Studies 1982

1.3.1. Response 1: differences between public and private schools are not significant in terms of learning

1.3.2. Response 2: where an individual goes to school is often determined by their race or socioeconomic level

2. Philosophy of Education

2.1. Pragmatism

2.1.1. viewed as an American philosophy that was developed  in the late 19th century; pragmatists are action oriented, experientially grounded, and will generally pose questions that are constructed as such: "what will work to achieve my desired end?" (p.186)

2.1.1.1. Pragmatic Schema: Problem--->Speculative Thought-----> Action---->Results

2.1.1.2. Generic Notions

2.1.1.2.1. progressive ideas about education; ideas proposed that educators begin with the needs and interests of the child in the classroom; idea that student should have involvement in planning course of study

2.1.1.3. Key Researchers

2.1.1.3.1. John Dewey

2.1.1.4. Goal of Education

2.1.1.4.1. rooted in social order; to integrate children into a democratic society; primary role of education was growth

2.1.1.5. Role of the Teacher

2.1.1.5.1. the teacher was a facilitator not in an authoritarian role; the teacher was to encourage, offer suggestions, and help implement the course of study

2.1.1.6. Method of Instruction

2.1.1.6.1. learning will take place both individually and in groups; formal instruction was abandoned and replaced with individualized study, problem solving and the project method

2.1.1.7. Curriculum

2.1.1.7.1. followed Dewey's notion of core curriculum or an integrated curriculum; discipline-centered curriculum

3. Politics Of Education

3.1. Purposes of Education

3.1.1. 1)  Intellectual

3.1.1.1. teach basic cognitive skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics; to transmit specific knowledge, and to help students acquire higher-order thinking skills such as analysis, evaluation, and synthesis

3.1.2. 2) Political

3.1.2.1. to infuse information and loyalty 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; and to teach children the basic laws of society

3.1.3. 3) Social

3.1.3.1. to help solve social problems; to work as one of many institutions, such as the family and the church to ensure social cohesion; and to socialize children into the various roles, behaviors, and values of society

3.1.4. 4) Economic

3.1.4.1. to prepare students for their later occupational roles and to select, train, and allocate individuals into the division of labor

3.2. Multiple Perspectives

3.2.1. 1) The Role of the School

3.2.1.1. The conservative perspective recognizes the role of the school as providing the necessary educational training that the most talented and hard-working individuals receive the tools necessary to maximize economic and social productivity.

3.2.1.2. The liberal perspective stresses the training and socializing function of the school, like the conservative perspective, but they differ in how they see these aims. The liberal perspective stresses individual as well as societal needs and thus sees the school's role as enabling the individual to develop his or her talents, creativity, and sense of self.

3.2.2. 2) Explanations of Unequal Performance

3.2.2.1. The conservatives argue that individuals or groups of students rise and fall on their own intelligence, hard work, and initiative; and that achievement is based on hard work and sacrifice

3.2.3. 3) Definition of Educational Problems

3.2.3.1. The radical perspective has four major points: 1) The schools have stifled critical understanding of the problems of American society through a curriculum and teaching practices that promote conformity                     2) The educational system has failed the poor, minorities, and women through classist, racist, sexist, and homophobic policies                       3) The traditional curriculum is classist, racist, sexist, and homophobic and leaves out the cultures, histories, and voices of the oppressed 4) In general, the educational system promotes inequality of both opportunity and results.

4. Curriculum and Pedagogy

4.1. Curriculum Theory

4.1.1. Humanist

4.1.1.1. I advocate helping the student to discover who they are and what they can do with their potential rather than attempting to form them into what society wishes them to be

4.2. 2 Dominant Traditions of Teaching

4.2.1. Religion

4.2.2. Language

5. History of U.S. Education

5.1. Historical Interpretation of U.S. Education

5.1.1. In 1918, Charles Eliot's Committee of Ten came up with seven Cardinal Principles or main goals of eduation

5.1.1.1. 1) Health

5.1.1.2. 2) Command of Fundamental Processes

5.1.1.3. 3) Worthy of home-membership

5.1.1.4. 4) Vocation

5.1.1.5. 5) Citizenship

5.1.1.6. 6) Worthy use of Leisure

5.1.1.7. 7) Ethical Character

5.2. Most Influential Reform Movement on Education

5.2.1. In my opinion the most influential reform movement in reference to education would be the movement that changed the previous idea that education for women was considered harmful and too stressful.

6. Sociological Perspectives

6.1. Relationship between School and Society

6.1.1. Functionalism

6.1.1.1. Functional sociologists stress interdependence in their model of the social system. Functionalists compare society to a machine that only works when different parts work together. Functionalists emphasize cohesion.

6.1.2. Conflict Theory

6.1.2.1. Conflict sociologists say society is glued together by economic, cultural, political, and military power. They do not see the relationship between society and school as a straightforward issue. Conflict sociologists emphasize struggle.

6.1.3. Interactualism

6.1.3.1. The intersectional theories come from the idea that the functional and conflict theories are too abstract. Intersectional theories are very critical of the relationship between school and society. They emphasize structure.

6.2. 5 Effects of Schooling on Individuals

6.2.1. 1) Schooling has been known to effect an individual's attitude. Individuals who have been educated tend to have a greater sense of well-being and better self-esteem.

6.2.2. 2) Schooling can be a big factor in employment. Graduating from college will greatly increase employment opportunities.

6.2.3. 3) Schooling can affect an individual through their teachers' attitudes and behaviors; when teachers demand and praise their students more it allows for the student to learn more and feel better about themselves; when teachers have low expectations of their students the students have low expectations for themselves

6.2.4. 4) Student peer groups and alienation also play a role in the effects of schooling on an individual. Student subcultures play an important role in shaping an individuals  educational experience. This experience will affect the students social, economical, and cultural views on equality.

6.2.5. 5) Students are affected on the level of their education as well. Inadequate schooling can cause serious negative effects towards a student's future because he or she may be set up for a life of disappointment with a lack of fulfillment.

7. Educational Inequality

7.1. Cultural Deprivation Theory

7.1.1. poor have deprived culture; middle class culture values hard work and initiative

7.1.2. concerns the relative failure of many of the compensatory education programs that were based on its assumptions about why disadvantaged children have lower levels of educational achievement than privileged children

7.2. School-Centered Inequality Explanations

7.2.1. 1) School Financing: there are vast differences between in funding for school funding for poorer districts and affluent districts.

7.2.2. 2) Effective School Research: research that suggests there are characteristics of unusually effective schools that help to explain why their students achieve greater academically

7.2.3. 3) Curriculum and Ability Grouping: theory that helps to explain why there are different groups within the same school that achieve higher academic achievements; it is suggested that in order to eliminate some of the inequality that when students reach higher academic achievement they not all be grouped together, but rather have students who have not achieved blended with these students

7.2.4. 4) Gender: feminists feel as though educational opportunities for women are often limited in many ways

8. Educational Reform

8.1. School-Based Reform

8.1.1. school choice began to be encouraged amongst families; competition began among schools to become better learning environments and draw in students

8.1.2. Teacher quality and education became important factors in hiring educators; teachers began getting higher education and going through more qualifications to teach

8.2. Societal Reform

8.2.1. state interventions and mayoral control began in many areas in the US; greater school financing by state began once the state began having more control over schools

8.3. Political Reform

8.3.1. the government came up with 6 goals in 1990 (goals by GHW Bush) to have completed by 2000 for schools in America

8.3.1.1. goals included an increase in literacy, graduation rates, and higher expectations of American students

9. Schools as Organizations

9.1. State Senators

9.1.1. Richard Shelby

9.1.2. Jefferson Sessions

9.2. House of Representative

9.2.1. Mac McCutcheon

9.2.2. Victor Gaston

9.3. State Superintendent

9.3.1. Michael Sentance

9.4. Madison City Schools (My District)

9.4.1. Superintendent

9.4.1.1. Dr. Fowler

9.4.1.2. NOTE: Dr. Fowler is moving to a new position and MCS is currently in search of a new superintendent

9.4.2. School Board

9.4.2.1. President: Dr. Terri Johnson

9.4.2.2. Vice President: Ms. Ranae Bartlett

9.4.2.3. Board Members

9.4.2.3.1. Mrs. Connie Cox Spears

9.4.2.3.2. Mr. David Hergenroeder

9.4.2.3.3. Mr. Tim Holtzclaw

9.5. Elements of Change

9.5.1. Culture

9.5.1.1. changing the culture of a school in order to make school more learning centered  requires time, effort, intelligence, and good will

9.5.2. Processes

9.5.2.1. School is deeply political in nature therefore change is difficult to come by.  Negotiation takes up a large portion of how change occurs in education.