Foundations of Education

1. Chapter 2 The Politics of Education

1.1. 4 Purposes of Education

1.2. Intellectual: Schools provide intellectual growth.

1.3. Political & Civic: Land of the Free, Home of the Brave — this doesn’t transcend from one generation to the next automatically.

1.4. Economic: Do you want to grow the GDP?

1.5. Social: Probably one of the most undervalued, yet critically important to life-long success — can you work on a team or be a leader? These skills are honed in the K12 classroom. Four Basic Purposes of School | Foundations of Education 201

1.6. The Role of the School

1.6.1. Conservative Perspective • Sees the school as providing the necessary educational training to ensure that the most talented and hard-working individuals receive the tools necessary to maximize economic and social productivity. Liberal Perspective • Also stresses the training and socializing function of the school. In addition, it believes that schools socialize children into the adult roles necessary to the maintenance of the social order. They see the school’s function as one of transmitting the culture traditions through what is taught the curriculum. Radical Perspective • They argue that schools currently reproduce the unequal economic conditions of the capitalist economy and socialize individuals to accept the legitimacy of the society. They think the school’s role is to perpetuate the society and to serve the interests of those with economic wealth and political powee

1.6.1.1. Explanations of Unequal Performance • Conservatives argue that individuals or groups of students rise and fall on their own intelligence, hard work, and initiative, and that achievement is based on hard work.

1.6.1.2. Liberal argues that individual students or groups of students begin school with different life chances and therefore some groups have significantly more advantages that others.

1.6.1.3. Radicals believe that the conditions that result in educational failure are caused by the economic system, not the educational system, and can only be ameliorated by changes in the political-economic structure.

1.6.1.3.1. Definition of Educational Programs

2. Chapter 3 The History of Education

2.1. Education for Women 1- In 1821, Emma Hart Willard opened the Troy Female Seminary. Females got to study curriculum in serious subjects such as mathematics, science, history, and geography.

2.2. The Radical-Revisionist School

3. Chapter 4

3.1. 1. School and Society

3.2. Socialization: the values, beliefes, and norms of society are internalized within children so that they come to think and act like other members of society. Schools help shape students' perceptions and consciousness, but also act as important sorters and selections of students. Practices as tracking, academically stratify students by curricular placement, influences the long-term social, economic, and cultural destinies of children.

3.3. Functionalism

3.3.1. Interdependence- examines how well the parts are integrated with each other. Society is like a machine. Assumes that consensus is the normal state in society and that conflict represents a breakdown of shared values.

3.4. Conflict Theory: Karl Marx powerful and often compelling critique of early capitalism has provided the intellectual energy for subsequent generation of liberal and leftist thinkers who believe that the only way to a more just and productive society is the abolition of modification of capitalism and the introduction of socialism. Basil Bernstein analyzed how communication, family, and education codes also contribute to social and educational inequalities.

3.5. Internationalism

3.5.1. By examining the micro sociological or the interaction aspects of school life, people are less likely to create theories that are logical and eloquent, but without meaningful content. Bernstein argued that the structural aspects of the educational system and the interaction aspects of the system reflect each other and must be viewed w holistically.

3.6. 5 Effects of Schooling Knowledge and Attitudes- generally it is found, that the higher the social class background of the student, the higher their achievement level. Employment- Schools act as gatekeepers in determining who will get employed in high-status jobs early in careers, but schools do not provide significant job skills for their graduates. Teacher Behavior- The labels that teachers apply to children can influence actual performance. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy indicates that teachers' expectations play a major role in encouraging or discouraging students to work to their full potential. Inadequate Schools- Differences between schools and school systems reinforce existing inequalities. De Facto Segregation- this will be in society for a long time. Evidence indicates that racially mixed schools benefit minorities and do not suppress white achievement. Racial integration at the school level seems to be beneficial to minority students, and there is no conclusive evidence that majority students are harmed by integration.

4. CHAPTER 5 The Philosophy of Education

4.1. Pragmatism Generic Notions- Dewey's ideas about education referred to as progressive- proposed that educators start with the needs and interests of the child in the classroom, allow the child to participate in panning their course of study, employ project method or group learning, and depend heavily on experiential learning. Key Researchers- Francis Bacon, John Locke, John Dewey, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Marie Antoinette Goals of Education- Rooted in social order. Dewey believed that if schools instilled democratic and cooperative values in children, they would be prepared as adults to transform the social order int a more democratic one. The role of the school was to be a "a level of social reform" that is to be the central institution for societal and personal improvement. Role of the Teacher- The teacher is no longer the authoritarian figure from which all knowledge , rather assumes the peripheral position of facilitator. The teacher encourages, offers suggestions, questions, and helps plan and implement courses of study. Methods of Instruction- Dewey proposed that children learn both individually and in groups. Books wrote by teachers and students, field trips, and projects that reconstructed some aspect of the child's course of study. Formal instruction was abandoned. Lockstep, rote memorization of traditional schools was replaced with individualized study, problem solving, and project method. Curriculum- Progressive educators are not wedded to a fixed curriculum rather, curriculum changes as the social order changes and as children's interests and needs change. Dewey proposed a balance between traditional disciplines, and the needs and interests of the child.

5. Chapter 6 Schools as Organizations

5.1. Local Board for Boaz City School District Superintendent- Dr. Shannon Stanley Board Members: President- Rhonda Smith Vice-President- Tim Whitt Board Members: Chad Cofield Rick Thompson Jeff Roberts Major Stakeholders for Alabama State Superintendent- Ed Richardson President- Gov. Kay Ivey Vice-President- Stephanie Bell President Pro-Tem - Dr. Cynthia McCarty Secretary and Executive- Ed Richardson District 01- Jackie Zeigler District 02- Betty Peters District 04- Yvette M. Richardson, ED .D District 05- Ella B. Bell District 07- Jeffery Newman District 08- Mary Scott Hunter Federal AL Senator- Richard Shelby House of Representative: Speaker of House- Mac McCutcheon (R) Majority Leader- Nathaniel Ledbetter (R) Minority Leader- Anthony Daniels (D)

5.2. Elements of change in school is the use of technology. When I was in school we had computers but had to go to the library or computer lab to use them. Now, students get assigned a chrome book that they get to take with them in classes and at home. School cultures are more entwined together now than they use to be. Different cultures are in the same classes versus the ELL students being in rooms all to themselves. Students seems to be more accepting of one another and are more willing to help each other out.

6. Chapter 7 Curriculum, Pedagogy, and the Transmission of Knowledge Efficiency Curriculum- being aware of students' interests and ability is useful in the process of creating the experiences from which students will create their own meaning of the curriculum content. The Social Efficiency ideology views a teacher as a "manager of the conditions of learning".

6.1. Didactic Method- commonly relies on the lecture or presentation as the main form of communication. Trans-formative- The purpose of education is to change the student in some meaningful way, including intellectually, creatively, spiritually, and emotionally.

7. Chapter 8 Equality of Opportunity and of Education- Class- Study after study shows that class is related to achievement on reading tests and basic skills tests. Children from working class and underclass families are more likely to underachieve, drop out, and resist the curriculum of the school. Teachers have been found to think more of highly of middle-class and upper-class children than they do of working class and underclass children. Race- is related to educational outcomes is undeniable, it is extremely difficult to separate race from class. Minority students receive fewer and inferior educational opportunities than white students. Gender- Males score higher on the SATs than females and are better at math. But studies have shown that 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. Men still have significant advantages when competing for the most prestigious academic prizes.

7.1. The Coleman Study 1982- 1st response-Catholic schools seems to advantage low-income minority students, especially in urban areas. 2nd Response- The differences that do exist between public and Catholic schools are statistically significant, but in terms of significant differences in learning, the results are negligible.

8. Chapter 9 Explanations of Educational Inequality 1- African-American children do less well in school because they adapt to their oppressed position in the class and caste structure. 2- Working class and nonwhite students are resisting the dominant culture of the schools. These students reject the white middle-class culture of academic success and embrace a different, often anti-school culture.

8.1. School Centered Explanations: School Financing- more affluent communities are able to provide more per-pupil spending than poorer districts, often at a proportionately less burdensome rate than in poorer communities. Effective School Research- Unequal education performance of nonwhite and working class students is at the heart of such inquiry. The finding that within school differences are as or more significant than between school differences raised questions about the common sense argument that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds do poorly simply because they attend inferior schools. Curriculum- Working class have vocationally or social efficiency curriculum, middle class have a humanistic liberal arts college preparatory curriculum at the secondary level, and upper class students classical humanistic college preparatory curriculum at the secondary level. Pedagogic Practices-Working class are far more likely to have authoritarian and teacher directed pedagogic practices, Middle class are more likely to have less less authoritarian and more student centered pedagogic practices, and Upper class are more likely to attend elite private schools with authoritarian pedagogic practices.

9. Chapter 10 Educational Reform and School Improvement School- Business Partnerships- business leaders became increasingly concerned that the nation's schools were not producing the kinds of graduates necessary for a revitalization of the U.S. economy. Ex. Committee to Support Philadelphia Public School. There is little convincing evidence that they have significant improvement on schools or that, as a means of reform, school- business partnerships will address the fundamental problems facing U.S. education. Teacher Quality- NCLB's requirement that all schools have highly qualified teachers in every classroom highlighted the problem of unqualified teachers in urban schools. But resulted in out of field teaching- teachers being assigned to teach subjects which do not match their training. Recently, school improvement reformers have stressed the existence of teacher tenure and seniority based transfers and layoff provisions in union contracts as a primary factor in preventing an improvement of teacher quality.

9.1. School Finance Reform: Court ruled in 1990 that more funding was needed to serve the children in the poorer school districts. In order to provide a "thorough and efficient education" in urban districts, funding was equalized between urban and suburban school districts. Darling- Hammond's five elements- 1- meaningful learning goals 2- intelligent, reciprocal accountability systems 3- equitable and adequate resources 4- strong professional standards and supports; and 5- schools organized for student and teacher learning.