1. Sociological Perspectives Chapter 4
1.1. The Relationship Between School and Society
1.1.1. Functional
1.1.1.1. People who study functionalism believe that this society is a machine, where one part works to help another part work and so on and so forth. Schools socialize or sort students into different values and then teach those students from there.
1.1.2. Conflict Theory
1.1.2.1. Conflict Theory mainly deals with the social class of the individual. If a student comes from a higher class family and has the money to do different things (like go to private school) then those children will reap better benefits.
1.1.2.2. One person compared it to a battlefield. Students battle each other for teachers praise and benefits.
1.1.3. Interactionalism
1.1.3.1. This view is all about the interaction between students and between student and teacher. It analyzes the behavior between the two parties. The example given in the book is the process by which a child is labeled "gifted" or "learning disabled". What made the teacher or observer come to that conclusion?
1.2. 5 different effects of schooling on individuals that has had a great impact on students
1.2.1. 1. Employment
1.2.1.1. Students believe that if they have a certain degree then they will be more likely to get a job. This statement is true. When a company is hiring they are more then likely going to hire the person with the higher degree. This degree does not determine how well that person will do that job or their work ethic. Teachers need to show children how important a work ethic is.
1.2.2. 2. Teacher Behavior
1.2.2.1. Teachers behavior has a huge impact on the success of students. When a teacher is demanding more from her students and giving them more praise then those students are more likely to do well. When teachers put a label on students and have lower expectations, then those students will have low expectations of themselves. That leads to failing of grades and a higher drop out rate.
1.2.3. 3. Student Peer Groups and Alienation
1.2.3.1. Every high school has different friend groups and social circles. You have the nerds, jocks, cheerleaders, and more. These groups of people can effect your future. Most schools have four major types of students: the careerists, intellectuals, strivers, and the unconnected. Every student falls into these categories after graduation depending on their friend groups. The groups of people you surround yourself with is important in your development as a social person.
1.2.4. 4. Inadequate Schools
1.2.4.1. The type of school you go to can have an impact on you. Public schools have often failed to education minorities or poor children due to their background. Private schools give their students a better educational experience because of the way they were raised. Some teachers think that because they come from a wealthy family or good background then they will have a better work ethic or will go farther in college than children who did not have this life growing up.
1.2.5. 5. Gender
1.2.5.1. It is a fact that men have more career opportunities than women and are possibly paid higher for the same position. In schools, most teachers are women and principals or vice principals are men. This could be instilling in the minds of young children that women are subordinate to men. That they shouldn't try to out rank men. This idea is going away because now more women are enrolled in college than men and are closing the gap in the maths and sciences. Teachers should support girls in all areas of study so that women can get the equal opportunities and pay as men.
2. Philosophy of Education Chapter 5
2.1. Pragmatism
2.1.1. Key Researchers
2.1.1.1. George Sanders Peirce, William James, and John Dewey
2.1.2. Generic Notions
2.1.2.1. Dewey's form of pragmatism was influenced by the theory of evolution. It included that they start with the needs and interests of the child, then allow them to participate in planning how they learn. This is all about experimental learning. Dewey's methodology is the fact that children are active, organic beings and required a study that is as active and changing as they are.
2.1.3. Goal of Education
2.1.3.1. They believed that the goal of education was to provide children with the knowledge on how to improve the social order. He believed that if schools instilled democratic values in children, then they would become adults who transform the social order into a democratic one.
2.1.4. Role of Teacher
2.1.4.1. The teacher is not the authoritarian figure from which knowledge flows. Teachers now encourage, offer suggestions, questions, and help plan and implement courses of study.
2.1.5. Method of Instruction
2.1.5.1. Dewey stated that children learn independently and in groups. The old traditional way of learning was eliminated. Furniture that was nailed to the floor was removed for desks that could be moved around for group learning.
2.1.6. Curriculum
2.1.6.1. Some schools follow an integrated or core curriculum. All academic and vocational are studied in an interconnected way. The progressive education teacher are not fixated on a certain curriculum, the curriculum changes as the social order changes and as the students change.
3. Schools as Organizations Chapter 6
3.1. Elements of Change
3.1.1. Conflict: Efforts to democratize school can bring out hidden problems, issues, and disagreements.
3.1.2. New Behaviors: Building trust and communication is important in collaborating and learning new behaviors.
3.1.3. Team Building: Must extend to the entire school. Decisions must consciously work out and give attention to the rest of the schools staff.
3.1.4. Process and Content: The process a system uses is just as important as the content of educational changes it attempts.
3.2. State
3.2.1. Senate: Larry Stutts
3.2.2. House: Marcel Black
3.3. Local
3.3.1. Gail Satchel: Superientent
3.3.2. Board Members: Thomas Barnes, Thomas Burgess, Sandra James, Carrie Mitchell, Mary Moore, Ricky Saint
4. Equality of Opportunity Chapter 8
4.1. Class can be a major factor in the opportunities a chid receives. Students in higher classes have opportunities to go to private schools with many more educational and extracurricular opportunities. These students probably have better access to books and other resources.
4.2. Race is also a factor that effects students. White students are sometimes given more opportunities than students of color. Some students of color get more sports opportunities than white students.
4.3. People think that males are more interested in sciences and maths than females. They get more opportunities and scholarships in those subjects. We tell girls that math and since is mainly for boys but that is not the case. We need to involve girls in those subjects.
4.4. The two responses to the Coleman Study (1982): They stated that private schools "do it better"especially for low income students. They also said that the overall race and socioeconomic background of an area plays more of a role in the students life than their own race and background.
5. Educational Reform Chapter 10
5.1. School-Business Partnerships
5.1.1. During the 1980's, businessses began to be concerned with the fact that high school graduates would not be ready to take on the world. Some partnerships would actually adopt a school to make sure that those students were ready.
5.2. Teacher Quality
5.2.1. When 2000's No Child Left Behind Act came out, one requirement was that teachers had to be highly qualified to teach students. This posed a problem for rural low income schools because some of their teachers had to teach subjects that they did not have a certificate for.
5.3. Two Reforms that impact education
5.3.1. Full Service and Community Schools
5.3.1.1. These schools focus on meeting more than just a students educational needs. They stay open for extended hours to serve as health clinics, after-school programs, and job placement/training centers.
5.3.2. School Finance Reforms
5.3.2.1. In 1973, the Supreme Court declared that there is no constitutional right to an equal education. States began to litigate school finance equity.
6. Politics of Education Chapter 2
6.1. Four Purposes of Education
6.1.1. 1. Intellectual
6.1.1.1. Skills in math, reading, science, history, language
6.1.2. Political
6.1.2.1. a particular order of patriotism
6.1.3. Social
6.1.3.1. to help children become social productive members of society
6.1.4. Economic
6.1.4.1. to prepare students for their future and occupation
6.2. The Role of the School
6.2.1. The conservative perspective
6.2.1.1. This perspective sees the role of the school as providing the necessary educational training to ensure the most talented and hard-working individuals receive the tools necessary to maximize economic and social productivity. If you are willing and put in the hard-work, you will get rewarded.
6.3. Explanations of Unequal Performance
6.3.1. The Liberal Perspective
6.3.1.1. This argues that individual students and groups of students begin school with different circumstances and have more advantages than others. They believe that the playing field should be leveled to give all students a chance at success.
6.4. The Definition of Educational Problems
6.4.1. The Radical Perspective
6.4.1.1. This perspective is similar to the liberal, but is different in tone. It says that the education system has failed the poor, minorities, and women through classist, racist, sexist, and homophobic policies. They say that the education system does not give them the same opportunities as the rich, white, males. They say it promotes inequality.
7. History of US Education Chapter 3
7.1. The Emergence of Public High Schools I believe has has the most influence on public education. Before this, children only completed the 6th grade. They then became farmers or something else depending on what their family did. Now people who complete public high school go on to be lawyers or doctors or even teachers.
7.2. The Democratic-Liberal Interpretation believed that the school system was committed to providing equality of opportunity for all. They wanted education to be free and equally available to all.
8. Curriculum and Pedagogy Chapter 7
8.1. Developmentalist Curriculum
8.1.1. Related to the needs of the student rather than the needs of society. Emphasized the process as well as the content. Stressed the importance of relating school to the students life experiences so that education comes alive in a meaningful way.
8.2. Dominant Teaching Traditions
8.2.1. Mimetic: the purpose of education is to transmit knowledge to students. The best way to do this is through the didactic method. The heart of this is the relationship between the teacher and student and the fact that it is about transferring information to the student.
8.2.2. Transformative: The purpose of this tradition is to change the student in a meaningful way. They provide a multidimensional way of teaching.
9. Educational Inequality Chapter 9
9.1. Cultural Differences Theory
9.1.1. This theory says that some low class students do not come into school prepared because their parents can not afford them books or other resources.
9.1.2. They also say they lower class families take pride in hard work and initiative. They work for what they receive and they value success more than higher class families. Another thing that is said is that the students do not have the tools for academic success.
9.2. 4 School Centered Explanations
9.2.1. 1. School Financing: Schools in better communities are able to provide better funding for their students than poorer communities.
9.2.2. 2. Effective School Research: Researchers need to make sure that they are comparing all types of schools.
9.2.3. 3. Curriculum and Pedagogic Practices: School climates affect academic performance. Shows that schools can make a difference in inner-city, lower socioeconomic neighborhoods.
9.2.4. 4. Curriculum and Ability Grouping: Different groups of students in the same school perform differently suggest that school characteristics affecting the outcome.