My Foundations of Education
by Barbara Coleman Black
1. Educational Reform Chapter 10
1.1. Two School-Based reforms • School-Business Partnerships—the Education system has been fortunate because during the past decade a group of foundations has contributed a significant amount to the education system, in many states. From the Walton Foundation who funded the charter schools, the Gates who contributed millions to small schools and teacher effectiveness. Then you have Ravitch and Miner who contributed to neo-liberal reforms and even the Facebook founder Zuckerberg who has given well over $100 million dollars to the school system in New Jersey to make improvements. This was all brought about because business leaders became concerned that schools were not producing graduates that could boost or help the U.S. economy. They came up with this buy-in and thought it was a win-win for everyone, but there is not much evidence that it is working. Most Americans think it was a lot of talk and the entrepreneurs wanted names out there but there was little money given so the effects will have to wait to be seen. • School-to-Work Program—this is a great venue for students that have no desire to go on to college and can offer skills for work directly out of high-school. This was signed in 1994 as a School-to Work Opportunity as an opportunity as a vocational emphasis for the non-college bound students as a way to find successful employment. Schools received federal and state funding and then through partnerships they were asked to design a program that made sense for everyone. Each state is similar but they do vary in some ways but the idea was to reevaluate and explore different career paths, give them skills and work-based learning techniques and credentials. The thought process of the program was well intended the program itself as let many students down. When we consider other countries such as Japan and Germany the U.S. who do not wish to go on to college are not given a career path once they leave high-school. Describe at least two • Economic Reform---there were several court cases to school financial reform from Rodriquez vs. San Antonio, Robinson vs. Cahill and Abbott vs. Burke. The courts all cited discrimination in funding for some school districts. The educational reforms have established an improvement for the low income and the minority students particularly in the urban areas. The school system however cannot address what happens outside the 4-walls of the classroom responsible for the educational inequalities. They have no bearing on the affordable housing or the health care community’s clinics. • School-Community-Societal Reform—combining all three are essential to reduce the achievement gap. Successful school reform is based on a number of vital backing such as leadership as a driver for change, parent/community working together, profession capacity, student learning and finally instructional lead. This is needed the most in schools that have the highest poverty and so educational reforms should include policies that would assist in this. The real issue in U.S. is that it works well for higher socioeconomic backgrounds (well established neighborhoods) and extremely poor for the lower socioeconomic backgrounds (poverty neighborhoods). As a country and as a nation need to provide the basic needs for all children and turn the focus on the academic needed by all and turn it into meaningful learning.
2. Politics of Education Chapter 2
2.1. 1) The role of the school— The role of the school can be a very broad statement but directly its purpose is to educate our society through many different functions. It is a central focus and whether they have a conservative or a liberal perspective the school is still a major function of society. 2) Explanations of unequal performance—Depending on where your alliance is radical or liberal you will get two very different answers on the unequal performance areas in our school system today. Liberals will state the facts that individuals or groups of students begin school life with different opportunities. This can lead to advantages that have a better success rate than others. They believe that society should come up with programs to change that so that every child has the same opportunity. Radicals also believe that lower socioeconomic backgrounds lead to inadequate opportunities. However, radicals blames that on educational failures caused by economic systems and not educational systems. They believe the only way to change it is to change the political-economic structure, And 3) definition of educational problems—There are three points of educational problems from three different views which are the conservative perspective, a liberal perspective and a radical perspective. Conservatives will tell you it is a decline in standards, cultural literacy, values, and authority. Liberals will argue that we limit the chances of underprivileged and minority children, so the problem of underachievement is a major concern. That the schools also place too much concern on discipline and not enough on development, that we tend to compromise the multicultural society and we have a major problem with discrimination between low and high socioeconomic backgrounds. Then you have your radical perspective which is similar to the liberal standpoint but the tone of their statements is much stronger. They believe that we have failed not only the underprivileged and minority but also women through ways as classist, racist, sexist and certain policies. That we are teaching conformity rather than independent thinking. Overall they believe that the education system has promoted inequality for both opportunity and results.
2.1.1. • Political—To prepare students for political order so that all students will know the basic laws of society • Social-What constitutes a good life and good person? To assist in solving social problems and social cohesiveness. This will allow children to socialize in different roles and behaviors. • Economic—To prepare students for their occupational roles after schooling is complete. To also train and allocate individuals into the divisions of labor of their choice. • Intellectual—To teach basic cognitive skills like reading, writing and math and then to add specific knowledge with studies such as history, science and literature to the classrooms. The goal was to help students obtain higher learning skills such as analytical, evaluation and ideas to form theories.
3. Educational Inequality Chapter 9
3.1. • Two types of Cultural Deprivation Theory Children should not be deprived of their own culture. In doing this then we are saying that the school system is or may be prejudice. By the school having less interest in the cultural means that you will have fewer parents’ engagement. The school board needs to ensure that each teacher has the materials needed to prevent deprivation. Some examples are areas of schools in poverty areas, you will see a higher percentage of deprivation because of educational disadvantages. There are students who have not advanced or acquired skills because they weren't mandated to get academic achievement. If we don't expect excellence from the students then they will not give their best. We should always teach the student not the subject. This theory also explains that the middle-class will gain cultural capital which will help them to succeed. On the other hand they say that the working classing can't easily acquire cultural capital which hampers their education and social mobility. The cultural deprivation theory failed because the education programs that it supported assumed that disadvantaged children could not achieve what more advantaged children were able to. • Describe at least four school-centered explanations for educational inequality. Race-Gender-Special Education-Lower-Income Neighborhoods/Teacher Education Ratio Race and ethnics have plays a major role in the inequalities in our school system today. We still have a language barrier in our ELL classes with many different cultural in America. While I believe we have made great efforts and changes from the 1960’s I still believe there is some racial inequalities in our school systems today on some areas of the country. All over the world, educational achievement varies by gender and it is not just in education system. As a society we seem to stereotype female’s ability to receive a quality education to include traditional attitudes towards gender roles, early marriages and pregnancies. While I agree that females may have a higher percentage of drop out rate because of pregnancy, we don’t consider that she may complete her GED or the fact that she has a boyfriend that helped her along the way. Access to resources play an important role in educational inequality and children with special needs are not receiving sufficient public education in many school systems today. There are schools in the local area not receiving the proper education or attention they need because lack of funding or funding dispersed elsewhere because school systems don’t see the future of helping these kids. Finally, the students may notice in the school and unbalanced scale or lack of classes offered as well as a run own facility due to funding. You may see a specific advanced mathematics and science not offered in a low-income school because they can’t afford a teacher that has the credentials to teach that class.
4. Curriculum and Pedagogy Chapter 7
4.1. • one historical curriculum theory that you would advocate • one sociological curriculum theory that you would advocate 1. There were several good ones but the one that has a big impact would be Social efficiency curriculum. It stresses the curriculum and what would allow or enhance ones values into society. We can use education as an effective resource some may say and then it would allow the people to control society. We then begin to discuss the development of standardize testing and we come up with a concept that it will determine how a student will turn-out in society. My opinion is that testing does not determines ones value or worth because each student test differently. We seem as a society to not agree on testing, whether it is done as an IQ test or testing that is done throughout the school systems. I am not sure as a nation we will ever agree with the testing and how successful or unsuccessful it is. The big issues is that we seem to think the test will make that students career choice for them. They score low that may end up as a blue collar worker with no hope to obtain a college degree. Then others say that if you score high that you will pursue higher education as a necessity and move on to be coming a successful person. I do agree it needs to be measured but I don’t think a test score can dictate your life’s success. 2. This curriculum discusses why things are taught and it does not only look at what you are taught. When I thought of hidden curriculum the word “hidden” is a term that you would not associate with teaching and learning. However, it has a huge impact in the school system today. All students have what is known as different manners, viewpoints, and attitudes that are learned or formed while they are in the classroom. Students have to deal daily with social status, kids stereotyping each other and themselves, what society says you should be and act as well as the standard politics that go in the school. We have what is known as formula curriculum which is known as things that the school/teacher has taught you. But when you think of hidden curriculum you get the opinions, implied messages and then material that is not a part of the formal teachings. You also form an opinion on how you “assume” your teacher feels about certain social/environmental situations. This opinion can be formed when a teacher seems to form an opinion because of reading materials. If you are an ELL student then that student will assume that as a teacher you don’t appreciate other cultures, race or languages. An example of this would be the book “Beyond Home Plate” is a book that has racial issues and for some a “hidden” agenda as to why it was chosen to bring a book in the classroom. It can also have long term effects on reading or make that ELL student have a negative resentment about their race or image. So hidden curriculum can be detrimental for any student and for all ages.
4.1.1. 1. Explain a curriculum theory which you advocate (humanist, social efficiency, developmentalist, or social meliorist). Developmentalist is a theory which I believe is curriculum that is important to have in the classroom. As a new and upcoming teacher in the classroom I am not stating the other theories are not important because they are. I just believe that all students learn on different levels and this theory explains that. It is a curriculum around the psychological development of the learner and it focuses on the needs of that particular student not on the 20% of the class that may go to college. This is the least influence theories in the public schools curriculums because everyone believes that it does not prepare them to function in society or in work force. This theory is based on the emotional and behavior qualities and because we use the child/students characteristics as the source of the curriculum then they feel that is not helping them succeed in life. This is used a lot in the special needs classroom and they can and do function in the society and I wish that every school had this curriculum in their school system. 2. Identify and describe the two dominant traditions of teaching. The two leading practices of fieldwork teaches are the traditional and scientific and they have different purposes imbedded within them. The traditional is more along the line of content knowledge whereas scientific is data collection/theory testing. The scientific practices in fieldwork uses the scientific methodology and learning in the field becomes as rigorous as learning in the classroom from a planning standpoint. The teachers that teach in traditional classrooms you will see the lesson plans given out through explanation/lecture, note-taking and directed observation. This allows conditions for little engagement and less opportunity for active student participation. The most they can do is explain and discuss previously class assignments with very little thought process. 1. Explain a curriculum theory which you advocate (humanist, social efficiency, developmentalist, or social meliorist).<o:p></o:p> Developmentalist is a theory which I believe is curriculum that is important to have in the classroom. As a new and upcoming teacher in the classroom I am not stating the other theories are not important because they are. I just believe that all students learn on different levels and this theory explains that. It is a curriculum around the psychological development of the learner and it focuses on the needs of that particular student not on the 20% of the class that may go to college. This is the least influence theories in the public schools curriculums because everyone believes that it does not prepare them to function in society or in work force. This theory is based on the emotional and behavior qualities and because we use the child/students characteristics as the source of the curriculum then they feel that is not helping them succeed in life. This is used a lot in the special needs classroom and they can and do function in the society and I wish that every school had this curriculum in their school system.<o:p></o:p> 2. Identify and describe the two dominant traditions of teaching.<o:p></o:p> The two leading practices of fieldwork teaches are the traditional and scientific and they have different purposes imbedded within them. The traditional is more along the line of content knowledge whereas scientific is data collection/theory testing. The scientific practices in fieldwork uses the scientific methodology and learning in the field becomes as rigorous as learning in the classroom from a planning standpoint. The teachers that teach in traditional classrooms you will see the lesson plans given out through explanation/lecture, note-taking and directed observation. This allows conditions for little engagement and less opportunity for active student participation. The most they can do is explain and discuss previously class assignments with very little thought process. <o:p></o:p>
5. Equality of Opportunity Chapter 8
5.1. • Class—Middle and Upper Middle-Class students have an advantage when it comes to education. They are given different experiences in high-school and opportunities because of the school systems and backgrounds they come from. Teachers “label” students and assume that children from an upper and middle class family will attend college based on affordability. They also assume that students from working class and low-income family may not be able to afford college and will not be attend because of funds. Children that attend a school in a prestige neighborhood are subjective to peer pressure and groups and college is a “known-fact” that you will be attending and pushed to be a part of an elite club. There are studies done that show “class” is directed related to achievement on test scores for reading and basic skill tests. Part of that may be because low-income families do not have the affordability of reading materials that upper and middle-class families have or that low-income families may have little ones that have to work rather than work on their reading skills. It is true that, the more elite college the more likely they will look at enrolling a middle to upper-class student. This finding makes you wonder about equality of opportunity and college bound students. • Race-It is still an issue per stats/records in the U.S. and it can impact on how much education you can receive. There is a significance on the drop out percentage between the White student and the Hispanic-American student. The SAT scores are high difference between the White student, African-American Student and the Hispanic-American Student. So not only are the drop-out lower in the Whites but Whites tend to score higher in SAT scores. The SAT/ACT score has to be take to get into college so scholarships, so it is also stated that there are fewer scholarships on the academic side based on this. We say that race went out the window after the Civil Rights Act but studies show that minorities do not receive the same educational opportunities as whites, and that appears to be a race issue. • Gender-In the past, women were less likely to receive the same level of education as men did thought they were better students. That has changed, and women are less likely to drop out of school, and they have better reading scores then men. Men do score better in Mathematics and most men score higher on their SAT then female’s do. There is still an advantage for men when they compete for honors and it is still known that men receive special treatment, though they still argue that is not true. However, it is still little doubt that society discriminates against women both in their profession and socially. 1. Equality of Opportunity/Effective School—This is measured by the equality of results rather than equality of effort. When doing test the researchers collected data, by using educational resources available to different groups of children, while selecting their achievements to include test scores. This allowed and probably for the first time, an educated and knowledgeable answer on how much and in what ways were the schools able to overcome the inequalities that are associated with background and equality. First, it showed that variations in school quality both in public and private schools (that was measured by the academic activities and it student achievement which was different in public and private schools). Differences in students' family backgrounds, by comparison, showed a substantial association with achievement, so you can say that differences in schools do make a difference. Some still argued that his finds are debatable and depending on your point of view will be in the political arena for many years to come. 2. High School Achievement—In Coleman’s readings he was convinced that parents should be able to decide a different school zone from the one chosen if the opportunity was available. His view point is that most are trapped into a dead end school that offer little to no career path for their child based on their living standards. Instead of the school systems raising it up they select to do status quo. This is why he uses the private and public school as examples in his field of studies and why he states that if parents could afford to take them they would and why they offer a better education for the student. If you live in a lower income neighborhood then your school district will be in a lower-income school district. He is explaining that will impact the student, so yes it can be race and socioeconomic related. If the schools have less money because of the lower-income then that does impact the student and the chances for achievement and potential for advancement.
6. History of U.S. Education Chapter 3
6.1. 1. Cycle of Reform: Progressive and Traditional The Cycle of Reform describes that post WWII we saw the creation of comprehensive high-schools. This developed many debates over academic concerns and what is known as pedagogical progressivism and pedagogical traditionalism. This movement focused on the process of education and its goals. This may have also been the first moment when educators began to understand the difference between equity and excellence. This then allowed the examination of reform cycles of progressive and traditional visions of schools. Traditional reform was largely based on routine learning while progressive reform stressed the student’s current experience. Progressive reform and traditional reform actually began in the late 19th century and ran through the first part of the 20th century. The progressive reform actually led leaders to discuss the economics, politics, and culture as it was introduced into the growth of modern capitalism in the United States. Colleges and universities across the U.S. became sites of protests of anti-war and the civil rights. An interesting fact is that there were very little variations in the teaching methods during the 20th century. The reason this is so interesting is that it happened through the cycles of debate and reform, yet secondary teachers were still known to give lectures involving the students. The mid-60’s thru the mid-70’s displayed great confusion in the education system. This was a time that challenged traditional schooling and offered educational opportunities for the disadvantaged, which emphasized concerns of equity during this time. 2. The Post-WWII Equity Era: 1945-1980 The Progressive Era continued during this time and the debate about the goals of education, such as academic and social skills. The heated discussion on whether all students should receive the same education remained an important topic. During this time the demand for extension of educational opportunity became what was probably the most noticeable feature of educational reform. The Common School Era opened access to Elementary Education and the Progressive Era to Secondary Education. The 20th Century stressed the compatibility of expanded educational opportunities to add in maintenance of educational standards which created significant problems. This brought out the importance between equity and excellence in the debates of this period.
7. Sociological Perspectives Chapter 4
7.1. • Employment—Students have heard most of their lives that by graduating college they’d have better employment opportunities and that is fairly accurate. Most companies are looking for higher educated employees, but that does not mean that college graduates are better performers on the job. Most people learn how to do their jobs with on the job training, so it comes as no surprise that a college education does not make them know a certain job over someone that went into the work-force from high-school. However, most college graduates are able to start their career in a mid-level job with a higher salary rather than starting out as an entry-level position. • Education and Mobility—The argument here is that the number of years each student may go to school measures their educational accomplishment, but where the students choose to go to school will affect their mobility. It is true that a private school may offer the same type of education as a public school, but people may view the private school diploma as a “mobility escalator” because it appears to be a prestigious education. Some people debate that a public school setting is actually a greater “equalizer” based on your social-class. If you happen to be considered “Upper Class” you may also be considered to have an increased education, and this is known as occupational “mobility”. There is little evidence that supports the theory that education alone would provide the student with any sort of economic or social mobility. • Teacher Behavior—As one could imagine, teachers do have a significant impact on students, from learning to behavior. As a teacher, not only do they have to fill that role but they may also have to be a friend, or a sounding board for both students and other faculty members. They may also be required to be the disciplined authority figure. Teachers that have structured classrooms set standards for the students which encourage self-esteem. It has been stated that teachers that expect more from a student and give praise, it will lead to a student to be more perceptive in class and help with their self-esteem. • Inside the Schools—When you review the school system size, it is common to think that a larger school will offer more facilities, like a gym or track or even a bigger football field. However, you also have to take into consideration that the larger the school, the more bureaucracy you must endure. The sociologists of education would like to remind us that core curriculum is not something to take lightly and it will display both social and cultural context. Not all school systems have the same curriculum, nor do they teach the same way, but it will impact those students who wish to continue their education. • Knowledge and Attitudes—There are different opinions between the importance of what is learned and the attitudes obtained while in school. Sociologist agree on the impact education has on students. Some research indicates that the difference in school systems based on academic programs will make a difference in learning. You will also find that when there is more structure in the classroom, especially with academic oriented ones. Academic oriented classroom produce higher achievement levels with their students and have greater social participation.
7.1.1. 1. School and society can be studied through theoretical perspectives of interactionalism, functionalism, and conflict theory. Interactionalism is about having face-to-face interactions. Functionalism shows how aspects of society can acclimate through change. It does so in a large-scale perspective, while trying to keep society headed towards symmetry. Conflict theory depicts the battle between the rich trying to control those that are less fortunate. It also is a way of showing how schools educate students, which allow them to find good paying jobs so they can in-turn give back to the community through support. Conflict Theory, which observes how the turmoil in a society will cause it to change, is about the opposing sides. Equal Rights and Women’s Rights are examples of the conflict theory. This shows the complexity of the society that we live in; when one side can’t seem to see the others point of view. Symbolic interactionism looks at how every individual will give everything in their society a different meaning depending on their past experiences and expectations. It explains the individualism in society with interaction into others point of views and can make people change their assumptions of what is the norm. People do change based on who they are around and maybe through habits because that is what they are comfortable with. Action depends on meaning, and the meaning of something can change. Different people assign different meanings to things. Social interactions can change when you study as a society and students learn to interact with one another.