1. Schools as Organizations
1.1. Federal Alabama Senator
1.1.1. Luther Strange, Richard Shelby
1.2. House Representative
1.2.1. Robert Aderholt
1.3. state superintendent
1.3.1. Dr. Ed Richardson (interim)
1.4. representative on state school board
1.4.1. Debbie Phillips
1.5. local superintendent
1.5.1. Shane Barnette
1.6. all members of local school board
1.6.1. Gene Sullins, Mike Graves, Heath Allbright, Kenny Brockman, Jason Speegle
1.7. School Processes- School processes are elusive and difficult to define but they are still a powerful and relevant thing. Planned change requires new ways of thinking. Teachers must be at the forefront of educational change and the definition of the profession must be changed.
1.8. School Culture- Changing the culture of a school in order to make the school more learner centered requires a lot of effort, good will, and intelligence. Altering a schools culture is similar to changing the flow of a river.
2. Curriculum and Pedagogy
2.1. Curriculum theory
2.1.1. I advocate social efficiency- I advocate this theory because I believe that society is constantly changing and that each generations requires different needs. I believe that the needs of the students are based off the needs that society faces.
2.2. Two dominant traditions of teaching
2.2.1. 1. Transformative- desires to change the student in some meaningful way.
2.2.2. 2. Mimetic- holds that the purpose of education is to transmit knowledge.
3. Equality of Oppurtunity
3.1. class- Most children who are upper and middle class are expected to finish school. A majority of low income students, however, are not. This is generally in the expectations of the parents. High income parents generally expect to see there child educated while lower income families do not necessarily put all their stock into education.
3.2. race- a persons race is said to have a direct impact on how much education they get. It is also said that minority students do not attain the same access to education as what the majority race does.
3.3. gender- In today's society, women are attending college at a higher rate than men. They are also staying in school longer. Men are pursuing the trade field more so in todays society. This proves that the gap in education between the sexes has closed considerably.
3.4. Coleman study from 1982
3.4.1. 1. The achievement differences between the private sectors and the public sector are reduced more for other private schools than for catholic schools but differences remain.
3.4.2. 2. Private schools demand more from their students than public schools do.
4. Educational Inequality
4.1. two types of cultural difference theory
4.1.1. First, John Ogbu argues that african american children do less well in school because they adapt to their oppressed position in class.
4.1.2. Second, Bourdieu's argues that social and cultural capital are more subtle ways that social class advantages reproduce educational inequalities.
4.2. school centered explanations for educational inequality
4.2.1. 1. School Financing- inequality based off of unequal funding.
4.2.2. 2. Within school differences- this explanation is centered around curriculum and ability grouping.
4.2.3. 3. Effective school research- research done on the ins and outs of each individual school. How they learn best and along that line of thinking.
4.2.4. 4. Between school differences- this explanation is centered around curriculum and pedagogic practices.
5. Educational Reform
5.1. two school based reforms
5.1.1. 1. School business partnerships- During the 80's, business leaders became increasingly concerned that the nations schools were not producing the kinds of graduates necessary for a revival of the U.S. economy. There is little significant evidence that this has improved schools.
5.1.2. 2. School to work programs- offers relavent education, allows students to study different careers. Skills are obtained from structured training. Valued credentials establish industry standard.
5.2. two community reforms that impact education
5.2.1. 1. Full service schools- aim to prevent problems as well to support them. In this model, schools serve as a community. Provides things like after school programs, adult education, mental health services
5.2.2. 2. Children's zone- wishes to keep children where they are and use them to change the society in which they live in, instead of removing them from the neighborhood. Parents of the children are taught how to to interact with there children in a academic way.
6. Politics of Education
6.1. Purposes
6.1.1. 1. Intellectual- teach cognitive skills, transmit specific knowledge, acquire higher order thinking skills.
6.1.2. 2. Political- inculcate allegiance, prepare citizens for political order, assimilate diverse cultural groups into political order.
6.1.3. 3. Social- solve social problems, work as one of many institutions, ensure social cohesion, socialize children into various roles.
6.1.4. 4. Economic- prepare students for later occupations, select, train , and allocate individuals into the division of labor.
6.2. perspective
6.2.1. 1. The role of the school
6.2.1.1. conservative- providing the necessary educational training to ensure talented and hard working individuals tools to maximize productivity
6.2.2. 2. Explanations of unequal performance
6.2.2.1. liberal- students begin school with different life chances, therefore some groups have more advantages than others.
6.2.3. Definition of educational problems
6.2.3.1. Education system has failed the poor, stifled critical understanding of the problems, traditional curriculum is lacking in all areas, educational system promotes inequality.
7. History of U.S. Education
7.1. Reform Movement
7.1.1. The Progressive reform- This reform had the most influence on the education system today. With movements such as the Civil rights movement, played apart in giving more advantages to those with disadvantages when it came to being educated.
7.2. Historical Interpretation
7.2.1. Democratic Liberal School- Believe that the history of U.S. education involves the progressive evolution of a school committed to providing equal opportunity for all.
8. Sociological Perspectives
8.1. Theoretical perspectives
8.1.1. Functionalism- society is a system of interconnected parts that work together in to maintain a state of balance and social stability for the whole.
8.1.2. Conflict Theory- society is in a state of conflict due to competition for limited resources. Social order is maintained by domination and power, rather than consensus.
8.1.3. Interactionalism- the theory that there are two entities, mind and body, each can have an effect on the other.
8.2. 5 effects of schooling
8.2.1. 1. Knowledge- academic schools create academic minds outside the school house studies show school has a effect on a students self esteem and sense of well being.
8.2.2. 2.Academics- studies show school has a effect on a students self esteem and sense of well being.
8.2.3. 3. Employment- more education equals more income. Those who have more education are more capable of finding better jobs.
8.2.4. 4. Mobility- studies have also shown that education alone does not have big impact on whether a poor person stays poor.
8.2.5. 5. Economy- Generally speaking education has more benefits for the rich than it does for the poor. The rich benefit more from education.