1. Politics of Education
1.1. The Four Purposes of Education
1.2. Intellectual Purposes of schooling: To transmit basic cognitive skills like reading, mathematics, and writing. To help students achieve better thinking skills like analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.
1.3. Political purposes of schooling: To instill allegiance to the existing political order (patriotism) and to prepare citizens who will participate in this political order. Teaching children the basic laws of society.
1.4. Social purposes of schooling: To help solve social problems. Teaching students to work as one of many different institutions like the family and church. To ensure social cohesion and socialize children into behaviors, roles, and values of society.
1.5. Economic purposes of schooling: To train students for their later occupation and to select, prepare, and allocate individuals into the division of labor.
1.6. My Perspectives on:
1.6.1. The Role of the School- I have a very liberal viewpoint about the role of the school in society. I believe that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to learn and function in society. I think that we all should take an active role in making decisions for the democracy that we are a part of. Schools should do what they can to educate everyone to the best of their ability to become great members of society. I am a firm believer that team work makes the dream work!
1.6.2. Explanations of Unequal Performance- I have a neo-liberal viewpoint about this. I believe that achievement is based on hard work and sacrifice, not necessarily the background the student comes from. However, I realize that sometimes a student could have some disadvantages because of their home life, like not having access to as many books, internet, or other technology. I think each student when given the equal opportunity, can be successful no matter what, but there may be challenges they have to overcome to reach their goals.
1.6.3. Definition of Educational Problems- I do not want to get on my soap box, but I am not one to automatically jump on the "equality for all" bandwagon. I definitely believe that all children have the right to learn, but I disagree with the liberal and radical viewpoints on this issue. I do not think that we should drastically alter the normal curriculum, classroom management, or standards that have worked for so long. Yes there needs to be some change to include more minority groups, but to have a tailor-made system that suits only minorities leaves the majority out. In my opinion, majority rules and we need to make sure that we are bringing up the majority to be educated, productive citizens.
2. History of U.S. Education
2.1. Reform Movement
2.1.1. The most powerful reform that I have read about and have heard a lot about is the huge change that took place on May 17, 1954. Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education. The Supreme Court finally ruled that segregation of schools was unconstitutional. This was a huge victory for all. It took a long time for America to get used to it, but it is something that has changed education. I believe that when you have all cultures represented that the students can learn so much more from each other, and also to me it is just wrong that segregation was ever an issue.
2.2. Historical Interpretation if U.S. Education
2.2.1. The Democratic-Liberal School: This viewpoint is the picture of equal rights for all. Democratic-liberals believe that education should not be just for the privileged, but for all Americans.
3. Philosophy of Education
3.1. Pragmatism
3.1.1. Generic Notions: Pragmatists are focused on the solutions to problems and the work it takes to achieve their goals. They do not focus much on the past, but rather what can they do now to impact the end result. It is very action oriented.
3.1.2. Key Researchers: The key researchers of pragmatism are--George Sanders Peirce, William James, and John Dewey.
3.1.3. Goal of Education: In pragmatism, the goal of education is for the student to be able to participate fully in a democratic society and to be able to solve real life problems through questioning and experimenting.
3.1.4. Role of Teacher: The teacher is not a source of all knowledge, but rather a facilitator of learning. Learning is very student-centered and student-guided. The teacher is to encourage and ask questions. There must be some disciplinary action to make sure that learning is taking place, so the teacher is responsible for that. Teachers take a back row seat.
3.1.5. Methods of Instruction: Classic instruction is out the window with pragmatism. Instead the students are using a problem-solving and inquiry method to learn from their own experimentation. They work in groups at times and the classroom may seem a little chaotic sometimes, but students are going about learning in natural ways.
3.1.6. Curriculum: Pragmatism supports an integrated curriculum where whatever is being studied is examined in multiple ways, through mathematics, reading, science, social studies, cooking, etc. They have a core curriculum, but it is very flexible to add a diverse way of learning and does not always stick to the curriculum based on students needs. The curriculum is child-centered and based on imagination and intuition.
4. Sociological Perspectives
4.1. Functional Theories: Functional sociologists view society as a machine, where all the parts work together to produce what it takes to make a society work. One sociologist that was very involved in this theory was Emile Durkheim. He believed that moral values were the foundation of society.
4.2. Conflict Theories: This is a very socialist look. It focuses on the ability of dominant groups to impose their will and ideas on lower groups through force and manipulation. Karl Marx is the individual responsible for the conflict theory point of view.
4.3. Interactional Theories: This theory looks at what students and teachers do in school. How do they interact? A theorist listed is Basil Bernstein. He argued that the structural aspects of the educational system and the interactional aspects of the system reflect each other and must be viewed wholistically.
4.4. 5 Effects of schooling on individuals:
4.4.1. ***Knowledge and Attitudes- Research shows that individuals who receive more education and knowledge through school are more likely to be a part of politics and to be more social. They are more likely to read newspapers, magazines, and books. This is a positive outcome of schooling.
4.4.2. ***Employment- Another effect of schooling is the opportunity to receive great jobs and positions. Large organizations, corporations, and all the high paying jobs require high levels of education. Even though not all highly educated people will actually do a great job in their place of employment, having the higher education does set them apart from those who do not have that background.
4.4.3. ***Teacher Behavior- This is perhaps the greatest influence on students while in school. The teacher is the one who is directly involved in student learning and has to wear a lot of hats to complete the task before them. Teachers do not just teach, they facilitate, listen, observe, excite, encourage, befriend, lead, discipline, and love. Students are very much effected by their teachers and they should be able to learn a lot of valuable lessons by watching and listening to their teacher.
4.4.4. ***Student Peer Groups- Students' peers are also a huge influence on who they become. We all remember the cliques and certain groups from school and how that can really effect someone. If you are labeled a "nerd" or "loser" or "smarty-pants" all your school years, you start to believe those things if you do not overcome that. However, peer groups can also have a very positive effect on someone. There is always going to be some peers who are mean and will be ugly, but there are also friends who will stick up for you and help you. I still have some of my friends from school and I consider them more like family. They have highly influenced my life in a positive way.
4.4.5. ***Inadequate Schooling- This can also play a big factor in student education. There are a lot of inequalities in education because there are so many differences in urban schools, private schools, and suburban schools. Urban schools particularly are failing at properly educating students while private schools and other elite schools are producing very academically inclined students.
5. Schools as Orgaizations
5.1. Major Alabama Stakeholders
5.1.1. Alabama Senators: Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby
5.1.2. Alabama House of Representatives District 1: Phillip Pettus (R)
5.1.3. State Superintendent: Michael Sentance
5.1.4. State School Board Representative: Jeffrey Newman
5.1.5. Florence, AL Superintendent of Education: CURRENTLY VACANT POSITION
5.1.6. Florence City School Board Members: Bill Gullett. Laura Hardeman, Bill Griffin, Vicky Kirkman, Britton Watson, Connie Wallace (Assistant Superintendent/CSFO), Dr. Jimmy Shaw (Assistant Superintendent of Instruction)
5.2. Four Elements of Change:
5.2.1. The first step to implementing change in a school is exposing conflicts. Conflict is a necessary part of change. If there have been any problems or conflicts between individuals or groups of individuals, it has to be brought out into light. You can not solve the root of the problem, unless all of it has been exposed and discussed.
5.2.2. Second, new behaviors must be learned. To have change, everyone must be on the same page. New relationships and ways of communicating must emerge. Everyone must figure out how to best communicate with each other and trust must be built. New leadership, ideas, and initiative will come about. Collaboration and conflict resolution are important steps to take.
5.2.3. The third step is team building. Everyone needs to realize that they are on the same team with the same goals. Decision making needs to be shared by all staff members and no one needs to feel like they are not involved. This eliminates any feelings of exclusiveness and the feeling that others are more important. Everyone is on the same, level, playing field.
5.2.4. The fourth and last step to initiating change is that the process and content of the school must be interrelated. The process that the staff uses to conduct change and the actual content of change must be similar and used consistently. This builds trust within the school and keeps everyone on track for future projects to work just as smoothly.
6. Curriculum and Pedagogy
7. Equality of Opportunity
7.1. There are many factors that impact educational outcomes. Some of them are:
7.2. CLASS: Studies have shown that educational outcomes are directly tied to social class and income of parents. Students from the lower class are not given as many opportunities as those in the middle and upper classes. Education can be expensive and it is favorable for wealthier students to receive a better education and have better achievement scores.
7.3. RACE: It is undeniable that race is a factor that effects student outcomes. Segregation has been a problem in our country for a long time. Even after the Civil Rights legislation in the 1960's, the US still struggles to give all races equal rights. There are numerous statistics that show that African American and Hispanic students have a much lower graduation rate and much lower scores. Minorities do not receive the same opportunities as whites and their rewards when they do succeed are significantly less.
7.4. GENDER: There is no doubt that in the past, women had a much lower achievement rate than men. There have been significant changes in this however since the world has grown more accustomed to the success of women. Now, women have surpassed men in a lot of academic areas. Men still hold strong in mathematics though. There is still a viewpoint of society that men are superior and they get the highest paying jobs, but women have given them a run for their money. There will always be some stereotypes between men and women educational outcomes, but for the most part we are all on an equal playing field now.
7.5. COLEMAN STUDY FROM 1982:
7.6. There were two responses to the Coleman study. 1. The first reaction to the Coleman study of 1982 was that the things that Coleman saw as significant, some people saw as small gaps. One man, Jencks, argued that there are differences between public and Catholic schools statistically, but there is not much difference in learning. He thinks that Coleman's results are negligible. 2. The second reaction was that the differences in a public and private education are nothing to worry about compared to the segregation problems that still remain in our country. The racial and socioeconomic composition of a school has a greater effect on student achievement than an individual's race and class.
8. Educational Inequality
8.1. Cultural Deprivation Theories:
8.1.1. 1. This cultural deprivation theory suggests that nonwhite and working-class families do not have the cultural resources, like books and other educational things, so they arrive at school at a significant disadvantage for learning.
8.1.2. 2. Another point about cultural deprivation theories is that the poor have a deprived culture and lack the values of the middle-class. The middle-class value hard work and working toward achieving goals, where as the poor often do not value those things. Poor students often lack the drive and will to make themselves successful. This deprivation creates students who underachieve and do not reach their potential.
8.2. Four examples of School-centered Explanations for Educational Inequality:
8.2.1. 1. School Financing. Schools are financed through a combination of different revenues from local, state, and federal sources. One significant source is local property taxes. There is a big difference in property taxes in rural areas and urban areas. The suburban and rural areas tend to house the wealthier people and their land yields more property taxes, therefore you see schools in those areas have more funding and more success. Many people have discussed that they see this as unfair, but the supreme court has not yet ruled it as unconstitutional.
8.2.2. 2.