1. Sociology of Education
1.1. Relationship between school and society- Schools, as well as parents, churches, and other groups, shape children's perceptions of the world by a process known as socialism.
1.1.1. Functionalism
1.1.1.1. Functionalism stresses the interdependence of the social system.
1.1.2. Conflict Theory
1.1.2.1. Whereas functionalists emphasize cohesion in explaining social order, conflict sociologists emphasize struggle.
1.1.3. Interactionalism
1.1.3.1. Interactional theories about the relation of school and society are primarily critiques and extensions of the functional and conflict perspectives.
1.2. Five Effects of Schooling on Individuals
1.2.1. Knowledge and Attitudes
1.2.1.1. Self explanatory, the background and attitudes of the student have a major effect of schooling.
1.2.2. Employment
1.2.2.1. Students tend to believe that graduating college will lead to greater employment opportunities. This gives them motivation.
1.2.3. Education and Mobility
1.2.3.1. More education leads to economic and social mobility; individuals rise and fall based on their merit.
1.2.4. Teacher Behavior
1.2.4.1. Teachers' expectations of the students directly influence student achievement.
1.2.5. Student Peer Groups and Alienation
1.2.5.1. Student cultures play an important role in shaping students' educational experiences.
2. Philosophy of Education
2.1. Pragmatism
2.1.1. This philosophy developed in the nineteenth century. Pragmatism comes from the Greek word pragma, meaning work. This philosophy encourages people to find processes that work in order to achieve their desired ends. It focuses more on contemporary issues instead of the past. Pragmatists are action oriented and experientially grounded.
2.2. Generic Notions
2.2.1. Dewey's ideas about education, often referred to as progressive, proposed that education start with the needs and interests of the child in the classroom.
2.3. Key Researchers
2.3.1. Tend to focus on on science and philosophy.
2.4. Goal of Education
2.4.1. Dewey's vision of schools was rooted in the social order. He believed that school should provide "conjoint, communicated experience"- that it should function as preparation for life in a democratic society.
2.5. Role of Teacher
2.5.1. In a progressive setting, the teacher is no longer the authoritarian figure. The teacher encourages, offers suggestions, questions, and helps plan courses of study.
2.6. Method of Instuction
2.6.1. Dewey proposed that children learn both individually and in groups. He believed that children should start their mode of inquiry by posing questions about what they want to know.
2.7. Curriculum
2.7.1. Existentialists and phenomenologists would choose curriculum heavily biased toward humanities. They believe in exposing students at early ages to problems and solutions.
3. Schools as Organizations
3.1. State Senators
3.1.1. Richard Shelby
3.1.2. Jefferson Sessions
3.2. House of Representatives....
3.2.1. Louise Alexander
3.2.2. Alan Baker
3.3. Alabama State Superintendent
3.3.1. Michael Sentance
3.4. Limestone County Superintendent
3.4.1. Tom Sisk
3.5. Limestone County School Board
3.5.1. Charles Shoulders
3.5.2. Bret McGill
3.5.3. Marty Adams
3.5.4. Edward Winter
3.5.5. Bradley Young
3.5.6. Anthony Hilliard
3.5.7. Earl Glaze
3.6. Elements of change within school and culture
3.6.1. Conflict-Efforts to democratize schools do not create conflicts, but they allow previous problems to surface.
3.6.2. New Behaviors- building communication and trust
3.6.3. Team Building-shared decision making
3.6.4. Process and Content-The process a team uses in going about its work is as important as the content of educational changes it attempts.
4. Educational Reform
4.1. Two School Based Reforms
4.1.1. Charter Schools- Public schools that are free from many of the regulations applied to traditional public schools.
4.1.2. Vouchers- Voucher advocates argue that schools choice will have three important educational impacts: equal opportunity regardless of income, charter and voucher schools will provide better education for lower income families, Urban public schools will be forced to improve or close their doors.
4.2. Two Other Types of Reforms
4.2.1. Full Service- Focus on meeting students' and their families needs.
4.2.2. School Finance Reforms- These reforms helped students rank equally regardless of income for schools.
5. The History of Education
5.1. Types of Historical Interpretations
5.1.1. The Democratic-Liberal School
5.1.1.1. This group believed that the US educational system must move closer to equality and excellence without sacrificing one of the other too dramatically.
5.1.2. The Radical Revisionist School
5.1.3. Conservatives
5.2. 20th Century Reform
5.2.1. I believe the reforms of the 20th century had the largest impact on our country. For example, The Brown vs. Board of Education court case triggered the Civil Rights Movements.
6. The Politics of Education
6.1. The Four Purposes of Education
6.1.1. Political- The purpose is to prepare citizens and teach children basic laws of society
6.1.2. Social- The purpose is to solve social issues and to use the process known as socialism
6.1.3. Economic- The purpose is to prepare students for their later occupational roles/ work
6.1.4. Intellectual- The purpose is to teach basic skills such as reading and mathematics, to transmit knowledge
6.2. Four Perspectives on Education
6.2.1. Conservative
6.2.1.1. This perspective originated from the 1800's. They believed in competing in social environment, and human progress is dependent on individual initiative and hard work. However, this perspective did not take how the students were taught into consideration. They believed that educational problems consisted of the following:
6.2.1.1.1. Decline of Standards
6.2.1.1.2. Decline of Cultural Literacy
6.2.1.1.3. Decline of Values or Civilization
6.2.1.1.4. Decline of Authority
6.2.2. Liberal
6.2.3. Radical
6.2.4. Neo-Liberal
7. Curriculum and Pedagogy
7.1. Developmentalist Curriculum
7.1.1. This curriculum is characterized by Dewey's perspective. It is related to the needs and interests of the student rather than the society.
7.2. Two Dominant Traditions of Teaching are...
7.2.1. Mimetic Tradition- This is based on the viewpoint that the purpose of education is to transmit specific knowledge to students.
7.2.2. Transformative Tradition- This rests on a different set of assumptions about the teaching and learning process. It defines the function of education more broadly.
8. Equality of Opportunity
8.1. How does class, race, and gender affect education?....
8.1.1. Class- Students in different social classes have different kinds of educational experiences. For example, education is extremely expensive. Obviously, education systems are in the favor of wealthier families.
8.1.2. Race- It is extremely difficult to separate race from class. In a society as segregated as the US, minority groups receive fewer educational opportunities.
8.1.3. Gender- Even though women are often rated as being better students than men, in the past they were less likely to attain the same level of education.
8.2. Two Responses from the Coleman Study....
8.2.1. First Response: Where an individual goes to school has little effect on his or her cognitive growth or educational mobility.
8.2.2. Second Response: Differences among students do make a difference. Private schools were more effective learning environments than public schools.
9. Educational Inequality
9.1. Two Types of Cultural Deprivation Theories....
9.1.1. First: Some researchers argue that African-American children do less well in school because they adapt to their oppressed position in the class and caste structure.
9.1.2. Second: Some researchers see working-class and nonwhite students as resisting the dominant culture of the schools.
9.2. Student-Centered Explanations...
9.2.1. Genetic Differences- Biological explanations of human behavior are viewed as limited.
9.2.2. School Financing- There are vast differences in funding between affluent and poor districts.
9.2.3. Between School Differences- Schools do affect educational outcomes, at times, independent of extra-school factors.
9.2.4. Within School Differences- Different groups of students in the same schools perform very differently. This suggests that there may be school characteristics affecting these outcomes.