ED 302 Foundations

1. Sociological Perspectives(4)

1.1. 1. Functionalism- a picture of society that stresses the interdependence of the social system. Functionalists view society as a kind of machine where one part articulates with another to produce energy required to make society work.

1.2. 1. Conflict Theory- argue that the social order is not based on some collective agreement but on the ability of dominant groups to impose their will on subordinate groups through force, cooperation, and manipulation. From a conflict point of view, schools are similar to social battlefields, where students struggle against teachers, teachers against administrators and so forth.

1.3. 1. Interactionalism-is primarily critiques and extensions of the functional and conflict perspectives. It arises from the observation that functional and conflict theories are very abstract, and emphasize structure and process at a very general level of analysis.

1.4. 2. Education and Mobility p. 122 Education is the great equalizer in the status race. Where you attend has great impetus. Poor and rich people see no effect on their social status as a result of their education attainment. Competition is not fair. Winners win with exceptions and losers are dropped from the competition. Rules are not always fair.

1.5. 2. Inside the Schools p. 123 Curriculum is determined by those who want to perpetuate certain values and beliefs. Not all students study the same curriculum Curriculum determines who goes to college. Cultural transmission, selective channeling of opportunity and social mobility are determined at the school level and its curriculum.

1.6. 2. Teacher Behavior p.124 Teachers may have as many as 1000 interactions with students on a daily basis. Teacher expectations directly influence student achievement. Self-fulfilling prophecy has a direct impact on student success. The more teachers demanded from their students results in higher student self esteem and success.

1.7. 2. Education and Inequality p.125 American society resembles a triangle where most people are at the base. The top 20% in the U.S. possess 75% of the wealth. The top 2% of the world possess 80% of the wealth. Are social classes perpetuated by society and schools?

1.8. 2. Inadequate Schools p. 126 Affluent schools provide better social mobility than poorer schools.

2. Philosophy of Education(5)

2.1. Pragmatism-John Dewey George Sanders Pierce William James John Locke Jean-Jacques Rousseau Learning through experience (experiential learning “What is practical has meaning and value” The approach to learning is by scientific inquiry. Pragmatism encourages people to find processes that work to achieve their desired outcome. Ex. Problem – speculative thought – action - results. Philosophies that were born from Pragmatism Progressivism – John Dewey Social Reconstructionism – George Counts, The Goal of Education Provide students with the knowledge to improve society. Role of the Teacher – facilitator of learning activities Methods of Instruction – learn individually as well as in groups. Curriculum – Integrated core subjects, teaching across the curriculum

3. Schools as Organization(6)

3.1. School Process and Cultures--Schools are separate social organizations because; They have definitive populations, They have political structures. They represent a multitude of social groups. They are prevailed by the “we feeling”. They have their own special culture. Teachers are in conflict with students. Curriculum v. social goals of students. Administrators and teachers are in conflict. Structure v. teaching. Communities are in conflict with administration. Studies show that the principal establishes the goals levels of academic and social expectations and the effectiveness of disicipline. Effecting change in schools is difficult at its minimum. Bureaucracies control everything focusing on rules, regulations and conformity. Bureaucratic rationality suppress creativity. Changing a school culture requires patience, skill and good will. “Schools of Tomorrow…Today Project” in New York City Schools focuses on child-centered teaching. Changing a school; Conflict is a necessary part of change. New behaviors must be learned. Team building must extend to all parts. Process and content are interrelated.

3.2. Federal Senator- Richard Shelby Luther Strange. State Senator- Paul Bussman Randall Shedd. State Superintendent- Ed Richardson. Cullman County Superintendent- Shane Barnett.. City Superintendent- Susan Patterson.

3.3. Assumptive evaluations-hands on, can put a value to, project. Formative evaluation- overall work, opinion of student

4. Equality of Opportunity(8)

4.1. Class Schools represent the middle and upper class. Parental income is directly related to educational achievement and test performance.

4.2. Race Race has a direct impact on how much educational attainment a person achieves. Minorities do not receive the same educational opportunities as white Americans.

4.3. Gender In the last twenty years significant gains have been made to equalize gender educational and professional attainment. Disparities still exist in education and job salaries.

4.4. The Coleman Study 1982 Private school students outperform public school students. Differences in schools do make a difference. The difference is in how much more demanding private schools are of their students.

5. Educational Inequality(9)

5.1. Functionalist Theorists support the idea that each students’ success is determined by their own hard work and desire to succeed. Conflict Theorists support the idea that student success is affected by their environment.

5.2. School Financing- public schools are financed through a combination of revenues from local, state, and federal sources. The majority of funds come from state and local taxes. The more affluent communities are able to provide more per-pupil spending than poorer districts. This is unequal funding. pg 428

5.3. Effective Schools= they have found that with-in school differences are more significant than between school differences. Ronald Edmonds argued that that researchers needed to compare schools within lower class communities. The effective school literature suggests that there are characteristics of unusually effective schools that help to explain why their students achieve academically. pg 432.

5.4. Between School Differences- Curriculum and Pedagogic Practices- Effective school research points how differences in what is often termed school climates affect academic performance, This research looked at schools within the city verses schools in the lower class. Schools do affect educational outcomes.

5.5. Within-School Differences- Curriculum and Ability Grouping-There are many differences within schools as well because of different school characteristics that affect the outcome. Ability grouping and curriculum grouping is an important organizational component of U.S. schooling. Research indicates that differences in tracks help to explain the variation in academic achievement of students in different tracks.

6. Educational Reform(10)

6.1. School based reforms- School-to-work Programs- relevant education, allowing students to explore different careers and see what skills are required in their working environment. Skills, obtained from structure training and work-based learning experiences, including necessary skills of a particular career as demonstrated in a working environment. Valued credentials, establishing industry-standard benchmarks and developing education and training standards that ensure that proper education is received for each career.

6.2. Teacher education- The perceived lack of rigor and intellectual demands in teacher education programs. The need to attract and retain competent teacher candidates. The necessity to reorganize the academic and professional components of teacher education programs at both the baccalaureate and post baccalaureate levels.

6.3. Full Service Community Schools- Another way to attack education inequity is to examine and plan to educate not only the whole child but also the whole community.Full service schools focus on meeting students' and their families educational, physical, psychological, and social needs in a coordinated and collaborative fashion between school and community services.

6.4. Connecting School- Leadership as the driver for change. Parent-community ties. Professional capacity. Student-centered learning climate. Instructional guidance.

7. Politics of Education(2)

7.1. 1. Intellectual purpose- to teach basic cognitive skills such as reading and writing; to transmit specific knowledge

7.2. 1. Political purpose- to inculcate allegiance to the existing political order; to prepare citizens who will participate in this political order; teach children the basic laws

7.3. 1. Economic purpose-to prepare students for their late occupational roles and to select and train people for the division of labor

7.4. 1. Social purpose- to help solve social problems; to work as one of many institutions, such as family and the church; to socialize children into the various roles, behaviors, and values of the society

7.5. 2. conservative perspective sees the role of the school as providing educational training to ensure that the most talented & hard working people receive what they need to maximize productivity

7.6. 3. liberal perspective argues that individual students or groups begin school with different life chances, some groups have more advantages than others

7.7. 4. the radical perspective argues that the educational system has failed the poor. The minorities and women through classist, racist, sexist, and homophobic policies. The traditional curriculum leaves out cultures, histories, and voices of the oppressed.

8. History of U.S. Education(3)

8.1. 1. Free Public Education movement- led by Horace Mann of Massachusetts. Mann pushed for a state board of education, it was created in 1837 and he became the secretary for the next 11 years.I think this reform was one of the most important because it gave the poor and lower class an opportunity to have a good education which was unknown at the time. I, myself, might have been without an education if it wasn't for Horace Mann.

8.2. 2. The Democratic-Liberal believe that the history of the U.S. education involves the progressive evolution of a school system that provided equal opportunity for all. Lawrence Cremin portrays the evolution of U.S. Education in terms of two processes popularization and multitudinous. His point of this was opportunity and purpose. Cremin does not see equity and excellence as inevitably irreconcilable but rather as the tensions between the two.

8.3. Laws of Special Education-Progressive vs. Traditional. Equality and Equity. Civil Rights Act 1963. Plessy vs. Ferguson of 1896, separate but equal. Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education 1954 can not have separate but equal, it does not work. The same for everyone. Desegregation was the main focus. Schools and colleges opened doors for all.

9. Curriculum & Pedagogy(7)

9.1. What is taught and how do we teach it? Social Influences Political influences Societies’ influences Cultural influences Special interests

9.2. 1. Social Efficiency Curriculum advocates say that we should reflect and teach what is important for society to be functional and productive. Different needs for different people was their concern for curriculum. Social Efficiency became the cornerstone of Progressivism Conservatist say that social efficiency has diluted the curriculum to the point that it has lost the purpose of transmitting one common culture.

9.3. 2. Informal or Hidden curriculum – taught but not obvious to sight Null curriculum – what is not taught but is learned (values of the community)

10. The Limits and Promises of Education(1)

10.1. Educational Problems

10.1.1. Achievement Gaps

10.1.1.1. Elementary Secondary Ed Act 1965

10.1.1.1.1. Tried to erase discrepancies in opportunities

10.1.1.1.2. NCLB re-established these afforts in 2001

10.1.1.1.3. testing, teaching gaps have widened

10.1.1.1.4. Causes are due to funding, environment, teacher quality, parents, and more

10.1.2. Crisis in Urban Education

10.1.2.1. Demographic Trends

10.1.2.2. Social Stratification

10.1.2.3. Socioeconomic/Academic Achievement

10.1.2.4. Inequalities in School Systems

10.1.2.5. School Choice is an Issue

10.1.3. Decline in Literacy

10.1.3.1. Basic Skills of Fundamentals

10.1.3.2. Teaching to the test

10.1.3.3. Pass them on due to age and no place to go

10.1.3.4. Schools become over-crowded

10.1.3.5. Raising Academic Standards (for whom)

10.1.4. Assessment Issues

10.1.4.1. Teaching to the test

10.1.4.2. True assessments