1. Sociological Perspectives
1.1. Theoretical Perspectives
1.1.1. functionalism-Functionalists think one part of society works with the other to make it work.
1.1.2. conflict theory- This perspective is about struggles of power between teachers, students, and administrators. Political, economic and military power.
1.1.3. interactionalism- A critique of funcctionalism and conflict theories are together. It says that both theories are abstract. It doesn't provide a picture of what school is like everyday.
1.2. Five Effects on Schooling
1.2.1. 1. Attitude and Knowledge- Depending on your background, it gives a sense of how hard you work at school. More time at school effects how much is learned and differences in school matters.
1.2.2. 2 Employment- Students work harder knowing it is going to give them higher gain in the future with better job opportunities.
1.2.3. 3 Teacher Behavior- Teachers help influence how a students educational experience goes. They encourage and mold students so it is important that they are a good role model.
1.2.4. 4 Gender- Even though girls start off further ahead than boys, it can give them a sense of desire to work harder but they endure more struggle that society puts on them, like self esteem issues,
1.2.5. 5 Inadequate schools- children who attend poorer schools preform poorer. Just as minority students do who attend fancier schools. Private and suburban school preform better and receive a better education.
2. Philosophy of Education
2.1. world view of one of student-centered philosophy of education
2.1.1. 1Pragmatism- it developed in the nineteenth century. Some of the most influential philosophers were George Pierce, John Dewey, and William James. It was derived from the Greek word pragma, which means work. It encourages people to do meaningful work to achieve a desired ed. John Dewey was a philosopher who followed Charles Darwin. He believe natural selection enhanced the interaction of the organism. Generic Notions: Instructionalism and experimentalism was founded on pragmatism. He believe a better society came from education. The teachers needed to be centered around children's needs, allow them to participate and group learning. Goals of education: Dewey believed if you rooted education with the democratic points of view, this would prepare children to participate in a democratic society. The main goal was growth. Role of the teacher: Teacher oversees everything, plans lessons, helps them study and questions students. Methods of Instruction: Group learning, problem solving, or inquiry method, books written by students and teachers, hands on learning and field trips. No formal instruction. Curriculum: Something was to be solved using all academics and technical disciplines together. It changes as students change. It is all focused on the child.
3. Schools as Organizations
3.1. Stakeholders in the Jefferson County School District
3.1.1. Federal Alabama senators and House of Representative,
3.1.1.1. Richard Shelby, Luther Strange. Bradley Byrne, Martha Roby, Mike Rogers, Robert Aderholt, Mo Brooks, Terri Sewell, and Gary Palmer
3.1.2. state superintendent
3.1.2.1. Kay Ivey
3.1.3. local superintendent
3.1.3.1. Dr. Pouncey
3.1.4. all members on local school board)
3.1.4.1. Ed Richardson, Jackie Zeigler,Betty Peters, Stephanie Bell, Yvette M. Richardson, Ed.D., Ella Bell, Cynthia Sanders McCarty, Ph.D., Jeffrey Newman, and Mary Scott Hunter
4. Equality of Opportunity
4.1. how class, race, and gender each impact educational outcomes
4.1.1. 1. Class impacts outcomes because children of lower class families statistically do not do as well as students from middle and high class families. With this, educational standards are set lower with that specific class. Race affects outcomes because minoritiy students are not given the same opportunities as white students are. Gender affects outcomes because women are treated unequal to men, as in women with math. They are discriminated against occupationally and socially.
4.2. two responses to the Coleman Study from 1982?
4.2.1. 1. The debate over high school acheivement. They found that when it comes to education, private schools are better. They are no different in other ways but educationally. Catholic schools seem to favor low income students in urban areas but are becoming more elite.
4.2.2. 2. Where students go to school is often related to race and class but the class and race of the school has a greater outcome than the individual. some say that race and class do not matter when it comes to success but some argue that it predicts success.
5. Educational Reform
5.1. two school-based reforms (school-based, school-business partnerships, privatization, school-to-work programs, teacher education or teacher quality)
5.1.1. 1.Charter Schools- Charter schools emerged in 41 states after 1991. Now there are 3700 nationwide. They are schools that are not held to the same standards as public schools. They are responsible for student success and have a waiting list for admission. They provide effective and efficient alternatives for low income children, which means a good education for a lower price.
5.1.2. 2. Vouchers- They have issued vouchers for school in several states, which have brought forth issues concerning separation of church and state. This was rule invalid because the vouchers were given directly to the families and not to religious schools.
5.2. at least two societal, economic, community, or political reforms that impact education
5.2.1. 1. School Finance- Rodriquez v. San Antonio ruled there was no constitutional right to an equal education, so it was litigated at the state level. The court rules in 1990 for more funding in poorer areas. Now there are other supplemental programs.
5.2.2. 2. Full Service and community Schools- This aims to educate the whole community, not just the students. It aims to meet the families educational, physical, psychological and social needs. Schools will serve as a community center with extended hours.
6. Politics of Education
6.1. Purposes of Education
6.1.1. 1. Intellectual- to teach cognitive skills like reading, writing, and math to transmit specific knowledge and to help students acquire higher order of thinking.
6.1.2. 2. Political- To inculcate allegiance to the existing political order to prepare citizens who will participate and to assimilate divers cultural groups.
6.1.3. 3. Social- To help solve social problems, to work in more than one institutions, to socialize children.
6.1.4. 4. Economic- Prepare students for their later occupation and to select, train and allocate individuals in the labor division.
6.2. Perspective
6.2.1. 1. The Role of School- The conservative perspective sees school as a necessary thing for both the individual and the economy. They see it as training for children to socialize into adult roles. This perspective looks to maximize economic and social productivity in the future..
6.2.2. 2. Explanations of Unequal Performance- The liberal perspective says that children are going into school with different life chances. They implement many programs trying to make it equal for each child to succeed,
6.2.3. 3 Definition of Educational Problems- The liberal perspective focuses on the under achievement of poor and minority children. The schools put too much emphasis on discipline instead of helping children. He also says that the curriculum is focused on a set way instead of including the diverse cultures.
7. History of U.S. Education
7.1. Reform Movement
7.1.1. 1. I believe the time frame of the industrial revolution had the most influence. Horace Mann advocated for free public education and got a school board created and the first state normal school. The movement for women began in 1820 in the US. In 1821, the first female seminary opened in NY. After this many female schools opened and the idea spread over the U.S. This movement included the abolishment of slaves and the 13th amendment.
7.2. HIstorical Interpretation on Education
7.2.1. 1.The Democratic-Liberal school. This interpretation of school promotes equality and opportunity for everyone. This interpretation questions whether or not the U.S. has lowered their educational standards. Lawrence Cremin addresses this issue in his book. The opportunity in America for our diverse population may be good, the results are of question.
8. Curriculum & Pedagogy
8.1. Theory for which I advocate
8.1.1. 1 The Developmentalist Curriculum- This theory relates to the student. It originated form the works of Dewey and is centralized around the students and the relationship with the curriculum. This focuses on what is taught and how it is taught and relating school to life experiences.
8.2. Two dominant traditions of teaching
8.2.1. 1. Mimetic Tradition- it is a transmission of knowledge from one person to another. It is like mimicing someone or something. The knowledge can be possessed or shown but also dispossessed. This tradition requires phyisical and motor skills as well as book learning.
8.2.2. 2. Transformative Tradition- This is where a tansformation happens in the person that is being taught It can include changes in their personalities or character. It is like modifying or adding to what alreafy exists.
9. Educational Inequality
9.1. two types of cultural differences theory
9.1.1. 1. Macrosocial perspective is where working class students adapt to class structure. Culture and class differences are a product of an unequal economic system and schools reward middle class communication codes.
9.1.2. 2. Workin class and nonwhite students are resisting the doinant culture of the schools. They embrace a different antischool culture. They embrace a working class culture, resist school and resist success.
9.2. four school-centered (not student-centered) explanations for educational inequality
9.2.1. 2. School research- research about students doing poorer because they attend inferior schools is part of the problem. Research on if student differences are more important than school differences
9.2.2. 3. Curriculum and ability grouping- different groups of students in the same school perform differently shows that schools have characteristics that affect the outcomes. Also, it is assumed that students are on the lower track so they are not offered challenging curriculum.
9.2.3. 4. Gender and schooling- this is an issue of how differently men and women see the world. This is based off of feminism because women say that men do no understand. Feminists say that schooling limits the educational opportunities and life chances of women. It is through curriculum and gender roles.
9.2.4. 1. School financing- the different in funding of well off and poor cities. some funding comes from property taxes which is why poorer schools get less funding per child.