1. Educational Inequality
1.1. Two types of cultural deprivation
1.1.1. Working class and nonwhite students often enter school at a disadvantage due to the lack of cultural resources, such as books and educational stimuli.
1.1.2. Working class and nonwhite students underachievement is a result of a deprived culture. They lack the value system of middle class students, such as hard work, and initiative.
1.2. School-centered explainations
2. Curriculum & Pedagogy
2.1. Humanist Theory
2.1.1. Humanist theory focuses on self-directed learning. It requires students to know how to learn and want to learn. It favors self-evaluation and a nonthreatening environment for learning.
2.2. Traditions of Teaching
2.2.1. Mimetic tradition - purpose of education is to transmit information. The best method is the didactic method, which relies on the lecture.
2.2.2. Transformative tradition - purpose of education is to change the student in some meaningful way. Either intellectually, creatively, spiritually, or emotionally. This is done through dialectical methods, which involves the use of questioning.
3. Equality of Oppertunity
3.1. The impact of class on educational outcomes.
3.1.1. Social class is directly related to level of education attainment. Upper and upper middle-class students are more likely to have higher academic achievement. This is due to the expense of education, expectations of family members, and labeling ostensibly according to ability, but covertly according to social class.
3.2. The impact of race on educational outcomes
3.2.1. Race is closely related to class. Minorities do not receive the same educational opportunities as whites. studies show that minorities score lower on the SAT and therefore do not have the same opportunities to get scholarships or go to college.
3.3. The impact of gender on educational outcomes.
3.3.1. Today girls are rated better students, and are less likely to drop out of school than boys. Boys still outperform girls in mathematics. The gap between male and female educational attainment has significantly reduced in the last 20 years.
3.4. Responses to the Coleman STudy
3.4.1. Differneces between Catholic and public schools do exist but the differences in learning were insignificant.
3.4.2. Where a student goes to school is related to his/her race and socioeconomic background. However, the socioeconomic composition of the school impacts the students achievement more than the individual's race or class.
4. Schools as Organizations
4.1. Major Stakeholders
4.1.1. State Senator - Clay Scofield
4.1.2. House of Representatives - Randall Shedd
4.1.3. State Superintendent - Michael Sentance
4.1.4. State board representative - Cynthia Sanders McCarty Ph..D.
4.1.5. Local Superintendent - Rodney Green
4.1.6. Local Board representative - Jackie T. Sivley
4.2. Elements of Change
4.2.1. Conflict- In order to democratize schools hidden problems, issues, and disagreements must surface. Conflicts must be managed and resolved.
4.2.2. New Behaviors - New relationships and behaviors are a requirement of change. The change process must include building communication and trust.
4.2.3. Team Building - The entire school must participate in team building. Otherwise, issues of exclusiveness and imagined elitism may surface, and perceived "resistance to change" will persist.
4.2.4. Process and content - The process a team uses in going about its work is as important as the content of educational changes it attempts.
5. Educational Reform
5.1. School-Based Reforms
5.1.1. School based reforms such as school choice, charter schools, and school vouchers are reforms that address failing public schools. These reforms give families educational options to ensure children's needs are met by the school they attend.
5.1.2. School to work programs were designed to give non-college bound students necessary skills for employment. The School-to-work Act of 1994 provided seed money for the development of school-work systems. All of these systems had to include school-based learning, work-based learning, and connecting activities.
5.2. Societal, Economic, Community, Political Reforms
5.2.1. School finance reforms have attempted to reduce the achievement gap caused by poverty. Most policies have proven to be insufficient at reducing the gap. School reform is necessary to win the battle for equity in education.
5.2.2. Full service and community schools focus on educating the whole community instead of only the whole child. They focus on meeting student's and their families needs; educational, physical, psychological, and social. They target at-risk neighborhoods.
6. Politics of Education
6.1. Purposes of Education
6.1.1. Intellectual
6.1.1.1. Refers to teaching basic reading, writing, and mathematics and teach students skills such as analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.
6.1.2. Political
6.1.2.1. preparation of students for their political and civic lives; assimilate diverse cultural groups to common political order; teach students the basic laws of society
6.1.3. Social
6.1.3.1. Refers to the need to teach students "social skills." To teach the common roles of individuals in society. Very important to the stability of society.
6.1.4. Econimic
6.1.4.1. To prepare student for future occupations and select, train, and allocate them in the division of labor.
6.2. Perspectives
6.2.1. the role of the school
6.2.1.1. The conservative perspective believes schools socialize children into adult roles in order to maintain social order. Students should compete individually and be rewarded individually.
6.2.2. explanations of unequal performance
6.2.2.1. The conservative perspective success or failure is based on a person's intelligence, hard work, and initiative. Failure could be caused by deficiency.
6.2.3. definition of educational problems
6.2.3.1. The liberal view argues that the underachievement of poor and minority children is due to limited chances provided by the school. Also that too much focus on discipline and authority limits the development of students.
7. Sociological Perspectives
7.1. relationship between school and society
7.1.1. functionalism
7.1.1.1. views education as means of creating moral unity and therefore harmony and cohesion in society; emphasizes shared values
7.1.2. conflict theory
7.1.2.1. based on the ability of dominant groups to push their ideas on weaker groups and therefore possess the economic, political, cultural, and military power that hold society together.
7.1.3. interactionalism
7.1.3.1. emphasizes process and structure at a basic level; questions the most obvious and normal interactions and behaviors
7.2. five effects of schooling on individuals
7.2.1. knowledge and attitudes
7.2.1.1. The more education one has the greater their knowledge and sense of well-being and they are more likely to be social involved.
7.2.2. Employment
7.2.2.1. Although employers require an ever growing amount of formal education from their employees, most research shows that the amount of education is only weakly related to job performance.
7.2.3. teacher behavior
7.2.3.1. Teachers' attitudes toward students have enormous effects on students achievements as well as their self perception.
7.2.4. Inadequate schools
7.2.4.1. Students who attend urban and private schools benefit from a better education experience as well as higher social value of their diplomas.
7.2.5. gender
7.2.5.1. Gender discrimination has long been rooted in the values of our society. However, the gender gap of the past has all but disappeared.
8. History of U.S. Education
8.1. historical interpretation
8.1.1. Supporters of the conservative perspective believe that the historical pursuit of social and political objectives has harmed the traditional academic goals of school.
8.2. reform movement
8.2.1. The emergence of the public high school saw an increase of over 2 million students in public high schools in less than forty years. Over this time school attendance became compulsory and unselective where it was voluntary and selective.
9. Philosophy of Education
9.1. pragmatism
9.1.1. Generic notions
9.1.1.1. Pragmatism focuses on the interest of the children and allows them to plan their course of study. Dewey believed this would ultimately propel democracy.
9.1.2. key researchers
9.1.2.1. Key researchers of pragmatism are George Sanders Peirce, William James, and John Dewey.
9.1.3. goal of education
9.1.3.1. The goal of education in pragmatism is to integrate children into a democratic society.
9.1.4. role of teacher
9.1.4.1. Pragmatism places the teacher in a facilitator role, offering encouragement and suggestions.
9.1.5. method of instruction
9.1.5.1. Pragmatism throws out formal instruction and children are allowed to go about learning in nontraditional, organic ways. Both individual and group learning are supported.
9.1.6. curriculum
9.1.6.1. Pragmatism supports an integrated child-centered curriculum. However, the curriculum is not fixed, it changes with the needs and interest of the child and society.