Foundations Of Education

1. Sociology of Education

1.1. 1. Functionalism: Functionalist view society as a machine. They tend to think that consensus is normal, and that conflict represents a break down of shared values. In a highly integrated, well functioning society schools would properly group students based on abilities. Conflict Theory: Conflict sociologists focus on struggle. For them schools are like social battle fields where students battle against teachers, and teachers battle against administration, and so on. Interactionalism: These sociologist are mostly just critiques as well as extensions of the other two perspectives. They attempt to make the common place strange.

1.2. 2. Employment: Research shows that most large organizations require higher education for white collar jobs. Having a college degree is largely related to higher income. Teacher Behavior: Teachers have a huge impact on on the learning of their students. Teachers have to be many different roles like instructor, disciplinary and many more. In 1977 Persell found that when teachers demanded more from students and give them more praise they learned more and showed boosts in confidence. Inadequate Schools: This is a negative effect. Urban education especially has failed to educate minorities and poor children. Students from higher income families who attend a suburban school receive a better education. Gender: Though girls start school mentally and socially ahead of boys, by the time they graduate girls have lower self esteem and lower goals than boys. Even though schools do play a part in this issue they are not the sole reason that girls are made to feel inferior to men. Tracking: Even though tracking means students are placed in curricular programs based on abilities and inclinations, in reality it has been shown that it is actually of race and class. Most middle class students end up in vocational school while higher class students are put in things where they spend more time being taught and learning.

2. Philosophy of Education

2.1. Pragmatism: this is a philosophy that encourages people to work. Generic Notions: Educators start with the needs of the children in the classroom in mind. Trying to attain a better society through education. Key Researchers: John Locke was a philosopher who followed pragmatic tradition. Jean-Jacques Rousseau also payed contributions. John Dewey was the most important influence on what has been called progressive education. Goal of Education: To give students the knowledge to improve social order. According to Dewey the school should provide a "conjoint, communicated experience" Role of the Teacher: To encourage, offer suggestion, question, and help plan courses of study. Method of Instruction: Children learn in groups as well as alone. Problem solving method is what is used today. Books are written, and field trips are taken in efforts to learn. Curriculum: Start with contemporary problems, ones they know how to solve, and then move to the unknown problems.

3. School as Organizations

3.1. 1. Identify major stakeholders in your district by name: Federal Alabama Senator-Luther Strange House of Representatives Federal- Bradley Bryne, Martha Roby, Mike Rogers, Robert Aderholt, Mo Brooks, Gary Palmer, Terri Sewell State Senator: Richard Shelby State House of Representatives- Mac McCutcheon, Micky Hammon, Anthony Daniels State Superintendent- Michael Sentence Representative on State Scool Board- Kay Ivey Local Superintendent- Jason Atkins Members of School Board- Brad Ingle, Jamie Rigsby, Todd Vick, Bill Gilbert, Lee Ann Headrick.

3.2. 2. Identify and describe the elements of change within school processes and school cultures: In order to make a school more learner centered takes time, effort, intelligence, and goodwill. Staff must resolve conflicts within the school. Now behaviors must be learned. The whole schoolmust use team building. The process used is important to the content of educational changes it attempts.

4. Equality of Opportunity

4.1. Describe how class, race, and gender each impact educational outcomes. Class: The income of the parents of the children affects the performance on tests, as well as placement in groups and courses. Children from wealthier families are far more likely to go to college than lower class children. Race: A persons race has an impact on how much education they may likely get. Minority students receive fewer educational opportunities than white students. Gender: Even though women are proven better students, men usually obtain higher/better education. Today though women are less likely to dropout of school. In the last twenty years educational differences between men and women have decreased.

4.2. What were the two responses to the Coleman Study from 1982? That Catholic schools were superior to public schools,. Also that private schools "did it better" for lower income students.

5. Educational Reform

5.1. Describe two school based reforms: School Business Partnerships- Businesses contribute to the education of children by creating scholarships for students to attend college. Others allow students to be trained so they have skills after graduation. Privatizations: Schools are ran by for-profit organizations. For-profit companies like the Edison Company took over the management of failing schools.

5.1.1. Describe at least two societal, economic, or political reforms that impact education. School Finance Reforms: Funding was equalized between Urban and Suburban school districts in 1990. In 2009 though a new fuding formula was passed saying that districts would receive funding based on student needs. Full Service and Community Schools: In order to attack education inequity is to educate not only the child but the whole community. Schools would meet with the students and their families and would extend hours at the school so the family could come get additional help if needed. It is meant to improve at risk neighborhoods for the benefit of the children.

6. Politics of Education

6.1. 1. Intellectual: The purpose of this is to teach basic things that students need to learn such as math, science, english, and history. Political: The purpose of this is to help join diverse groups of people into a political order together. Also to inform children of the laws of society. Social: This purpose is to help with problems socially. This is used to socialize children in different roles and behaviors. Economic: This is used to prepare students for their careers later in life, and train them for it.

6.2. 2. (1) The conservative perspective views the role of school as a place to train students and make sure that the most promising students receive the attention they need to increase economic and social productivity. (2) The liberal perspective believe that students or group of students begin school with different chances through out school and some may have more advantages offered to them. Society must try through various policies to make things more equal for students. (3) The radical perspective believes that the education system has failed minorities, women, and poor people. They also believe that schools promote conformity through their curriculum. The radical perspective believe that the curriculum leaves out the cultures, histories, and voices of the oppressed, overall this perspective believes the education system promotes inequality in both opportunity and results.

7. History of Education

7.1. 1. I believe that the reform Education for women and African Americans has had the most influence. Originally a womans role was to be a homemaker and a helper to a man. During the 19th century education for women was viewed as to stressful. Throughout the 19th century very few women achieved more than a basic literacy and numeracy education. By 1820 the road for women to get more of an education was being paved. In 1821 Emma Hart Willard opened the Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York where women studied core subjects such as math, english, science, and history. The education for African Americans did not progress as quickly as the education for women did. Originally African Americans were instructed to form their own schools to keep them segregated from the white children. None of this could happen though until slavery was abolished in 1868.

7.2. The Democratic Liberal School: Democratic liberals think that the history of education in the U.S involves progressive evolution, and a school system committed to giving equal opportunity for everyone. They also believe that each period of expansion in education was filled with attempts of liberal reformers trying to expand opportunities to more people. Even though the history of the educational system is flawed democratic liberals tend to view it with optimism,

8. Curriculum and Pedagogy:

8.1. 1.Explain a curriculum theory which you advocate: Develop mentalist Curriculum focuses on the needs of the students instead of the needs of society. It insists on relating school to life experiences they may have.

8.2. 2. Identify and describe the dominant traditions of teaching: The mimetic tradition is when knowledge is presented to a learner rather than the learner discovering it. Knowledge is detachable and can be kept in books and passed on. It's more than book knowledge though, it's knowledge of knowing how to do something. The Transformative Tradition is when a tradition takes place in the person being taught, Such as a transformation in character, morals, virtue, attitude, values, and interests. In this tradition the teacher is molding the student thus causing the transformation.

9. Educational Inequality:

9.1. Explain at least two types of cultural differences theory. 1. John Ogbu argued that African American children don't do as well in school because they succumb to their positions in the class. He believed that African American children have the burden of acting white in order to be successful. 2. Another type is a theory that sees working class and non-white students resisting the dominant culture of the schools. These students often embrace a culture that opposes schooling as it currently is.

9.2. Describe at least 4 school centered explanations for educational inequality. School Financing: Public schools are financed through a combination of revenues. However most of the funding comes from taxes. So since property taxes are higher in wealthier areas the schools in those areas receive more funding. Effective School Research: If student differences are more important that school differences then teachers can not be blamed for lower academic scores. This left teachers feeling as if there was nothing they could do. Gender and Schooling: Feminist think that schooling often limits the educational opportunities and life chances of women. They believe that schools still enforce things that do not show equality between genders. Curriculum and Ability Groping: The fact that different groups from the same school perform very differently suggests that there may be school characteristics affecting these outcomes. Students on different tracks within the same school will have very different results.