1. Politics of Education Chapter 2
1.1. The 4 purposes of education
1.1.1. Intellectual- is to teach basic cognitive skills, to learn specific knowledge, and to create higher-order thinking in students
1.1.2. Political- is to transmit patriotism, prepare students for participating in political democracies, to help absorb diverse cultural groups into a common political order, and to teach the basic laws of society
1.1.3. Social- is to find solutions to social problems, ensure social cohesion by having more than one institutions, and to socialize students into different roles, behaviors, and values of society
1.1.4. Economic- is to prepare students for their future occupation, and to select, train, and distribute students into the division of labor
1.2. The conservative perspective on the role of the school, the explanations of unequal performance, and the definition of educational problems
1.2.1. Role of the school- views it as essential to both economic productivity and social stability
1.2.2. Explanations of unequal performance- argue that students rise and fall on their own intelligence, hard work, and initiative, and that success is based on sacrifice and hard work
1.2.3. Definition of educational problems- views the problems are state controlled and are exempt from the laws of a competitive free market, schools are constrained by bureaucracy and inefficiency
2. History of U.S. Education Chapter 3
2.1. I believe the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 has had the most influence on education. It emphasizes on equality of students, and aims to shorten the achievement gap.
2.2. Choose and describe one historical interpretation of U.S. Education. Democratic-liberals see the educational history optimistically, they believe that the history of U.S. education involves the progressive evolution, although flawed, of a school system committed to providing equal opportunity for all.
3. Sociological Perspectives Chapter 4
3.1. Theoretical perspectives concerning the relationship between school and society
3.1.1. Functionalism- believe that school provides morality to students, and that is needed for social solidarity.
3.1.2. Conflict theory- believe that society is held together by groups of power through force, cooptation, and manipulation. Schools are where everyone in the system struggles fighting social power.
3.1.3. Interactionalism- their prospective is critiques and extensions of both functional and conflict perspectives. They study the "big picture" (macrosociological) level of analysis and the more detailed (microsociological) level of analysis on school and society.
3.2. 5 effects of schooling on individuals that I think have the greatest impact on students
3.2.1. 1. Knowledge and Attitudes- researchers have found that the higher the social class background of the student, the higher his or her achievement level in in school. More highly educated are more likely to be liberal in their political and social attitudes.
3.2.2. 2. Employment- the higher education a person gets, like graduating college, the greater job opportunities.
3.2.3. 3. Teacher Behavior- a study shows that a teacher's expectations of a student are found to directly influence student achievement.
3.2.4. 4. Student Peer Groups and Alienation- The conflict between adult culture and the student culture can lead to alienation and sometimes violence.
3.2.5. 5. Inadequate Schools- inequalities between different kinds of schools. Private school students receive better education than urban education students.
4. Philosophy of Education Chapter 5
4.1. Existentialism- a modern philosophy that dates back to the Bible.
4.1.1. generic notions- They believe that individuals are placed on this earth alone and must make some sense out of the chaos they encounter.
4.1.2. key researchers- Philosophers Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), Martin Buber (1878-1965), Karl Jaspers (1883-1969), Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1986), and Maxine Greene.
4.1.3. goal of education- They believe education should focus on individual student's needs, including both cognitively and affectively. They also believe individuality is very important, and that the stress of the real world should be addressed.
4.1.4. role of teacher- They believe that teachers should have strong connections with their students. They think teachers should know their own "lived worlds" to be able to explain and help guide students to their "lived worlds". Teachers must take risks and keep pursuing resistant students to help teach them how to become "wide awake".
4.1.5. method of instruction- They believe every child has their own learning style, and it is up to the teacher to learn what that is and to teach the student in that way. The teacher should know the student on a personal level and teach them of the world.
4.1.6. curriculum- They love humanities and literature. Any subjects that evoke awareness, like: art, drama, and music.
5. Education Reform Chapter 10
5.1. Two school-based reforms
5.1.1. 1. School Choice- This was a panacea that was nonbureaucratic, inexpensive, and fundamentally egalitarian because it allowed market forces to shape school policy rather than subjecting educators to the heavy hand of the educational bureaucracy.
5.1.2. 2. School-to-work programs- This programs intent was to extend what had been a vocational emphasis to non-college-bound students regarding skills necessary for successful employment and to stress the importance of work-based learning.
5.2. Two societal, economic, community, or political reforms that impact education.
5.2.1. 1. State takeovers- Most statutes authorize action on the basis of poor academic performance, others refer to district governance and management as well as academics. Most provide for replacement of administrative personnel with a state-appointed administrator, and some provide for a "receiver," or transfer of control to municipal officials, or annexation into a neighboring school district.
5.2.2. 2. Mayoral control of urban districts- Urban mayors and business leaders argue that centralizing governance into the mayor's office is more effective and efficient than traditional elected school boards. Proponents argue that mayoral control eliminates corruption, leads to effective and efficient management and budgets, increases student achievement, and reduces the political battles endemic to elected school boards.
6. Educational Inequality Chapter 9
6.1. Two types of cultural differences theory
6.1.1. 1. Ogbu's macrosociological perspective- Suggests that working-class students adapt to the unequal aspects of the class structure and points out the ways in which class and cultural differences are reflected in schools.
6.1.2. 2. Bourdieu's concepts of social and cultural capital- Suggests that more affluent families give their children access to cultural capital and social capital.
6.2. Four school-centered explanations for educational inequality.
6.2.1. 1. School Financing- Public schools in affluent areas get more money than public schools in poor areas. This is because the majority of funds come from state and local taxes, with local property taxes a significant source. Since property taxes are higher in more affluent areas they get more funds for their public schools, where as poor areas get less money because property taxes are not as high.
6.2.2. 2. Academic achievement- Work of Coleman and his colleagues argued that Catholic schools produce significantly better levels of academic achievement because of their more rigorous academic curriculum and higher academic expectations.
6.2.3. 3. Curriculum and pedagogic practices- Bernstein suggested that schools in working-class neighborhoods are far more likely to have authoritarian and teacher-directed pedagogic practices, and to have a vocationally or social efficiency curriculum at the secondary level. Schools in middle-class communities are more likely to have less authoritarian and more student-centered pedagogic practices and to have a humanistic liberal arts college preparatory curriculum at the secondary level. Upper-class students are more likely to attend elite private schools, with authoritarian pedagogic practices and a classical-humanistic college preparatory curriculum at the secondary level.
6.2.4. 4. Tracking- Critics of tracking suggest that homogeneous grouping results in unequal education for different groups, with differences in academic outcomes often due to the differences in school climate, expectations, pedagogic practices, and curriculum between tracks.
7. Equality of Opportunity Chapter 8
7.1. Educational Outcomes
7.1.1. Class- Families from the upper class and the middle class are more likely to expect their children to finish school. Families from working-class and underclass often have lower levels of expectation for their children. Children from working-class and underclass families are more likely to underachieve, drop out, and resist the curriculum of the school.
7.1.2. Race- African-American and Hispanic-American students 16-24 years-old are more likely to drop out than white students, 17 year old African-American and Hispanic-American students are also more likely to have a lower level of reading proficiency than white students. Minorities, on average, have lower SAT scores than white students, which affects getting into colleges and getting scholarships.
7.1.3. Gender- Females are less likely to drop out of school than males, and are more likely to have a higher level of reading proficiency than males. Males are more likely to outperform females in mathematic proficiency. Males are more likely to score higher on the SATs than females. There are still significant advantages for men when competing for the most prestigious academic prizes.
7.2. Two responses to the Coleman Study from 1982
7.2.1. 1. Other sociologists examined and reexamined Coleman's data. The studies from other sociologists more or less substantiated what Coleman and his colleagues had found.
7.2.2. 2. A group of minority scholars, led by Ron Edmonds, set about the task of defining those characteristics of schools that made them effective. Edmonds argued that all students could learn and that differences between schools had a significant impact on student learning.
8. Curriculum and Pedagogy Chapter 7
8.1. I advocate the developmentalist curriculum- this relates to the needs and interests of the student rather than the needs of society. This is student centered by relating the curriculum to the interests and needs of the student.
8.2. Two dominant traditions of teaching.
8.2.1. Mimetic tradition- the purpose of education is to transmit specific knowledge to students.
8.2.2. Transformative tradition- the purpose of education is to change the student in some meaningful way, including intellectually, creatively, spiritually, and emotionally.
9. Schools as Organizations Chapter 6
9.1. The elements of change within school processes and school cultures.
9.1.1. School processes- bureaucracies is an element of change because it helps create negotiations for better change, but it stomps out spontaneity and freedom needed
9.1.2. School cultures- requires time, effort, intelligence, and good will. Effort to democratize schools, new behaviors must be learned, team building extended to the entire school, and process and content are interrelated are elements of change.
9.2. Major stakeholders in my district: Huntsville, AL
9.2.1. -house of representative for my district- 5th district Mo Brooks
9.2.2. -state superintendent- Michael Sentence
9.2.3. -representative on state school board for my district- 8th district Mary Scott Hunter
9.2.4. -local superintendent- Matt Massey the superintendent of Madison County Schools
9.2.5. -all members on local school board- president Kay Ivey, secretary and executive officer Ed Richardson, 1st district Jackie Zeigler, 2nd district Betty Peters, 3rd district Stephanie Bell, 4th district Yvette M. Richardson, 5th district Ella B. Bell, 6th district Cynthia Sanders McCarty, 7th district Jeffrey Newman, 8th district Mary Scott Hunter