My Foundations of Education

1. Chapter 2: Politics of Education

1.1. The Four Purposes of Education

1.1.1. The intellectual purpose: This is teaching the basic cognitive skills that are required for a student to achieve a higher order of thinking skills.

1.1.2. The political purpose: This is teaching students about action within and loyalty to the preexisting political order. It is also teaching students to understand diversity in the political groups as well as teaching students the basic laws of society.

1.1.3. The social purpose: This is teaching students about solving social problems, social cohesion, and introducing the concept of various roles they could play in society.

1.1.4. The economic purpose: This is preparing students for their future careers in the higher division of labor.

1.2. Perspective

1.2.1. The role of school in the conservative's perspective: To conservatives the role of the school is to prepare the students for their adult roles to keep social order. They also see the school as the ones to teach children about cultural traditions.

1.2.2. Explanations of unequal educational performance from the liberal perspective: The liberals believe that students enter school with different opportunities therefore giving some students more advantages than others. They also believe that it is society's job to equal out the playing field for students.

1.2.3. Definition of educational problems through the radicals perspective: Th radicals believe that schools have failed people with classist, racist, sexist, and homophobic policies. They believe that the curriculum for schools is promoting conformity. Ultimately they believe that school systems promote inequality.

2. Chapter 6: Schools as Organizations

2.1. Governance

2.1.1. Senators

2.1.1.1. Richard Shelby and Luther Strange

2.1.2. House of Representatives

2.1.2.1. Mo Brooks, Martha Roby, Terri Sewell, Bradley Byrne, Gary Palmer, Robert Aderholt, and Micheal D. Rogers

2.1.3. State Superintendent

2.1.3.1. Michael Sentance

2.1.4. State School Board Representative

2.1.4.1. Kay Ivey

2.1.5. Local Superintendent

2.1.5.1. Cindy Wigley

2.1.6. Local School Board

2.1.6.1. Marshall County Board of Education- Cindy Wigley, Alan Garner, Butch Starnes, Casey Partain, Stephanie Wisener, Paige Raney, Bobby Buford, Annie Spike, Janna Bonds, Charlie Jimmerson, Mark Howard

2.2. Elements of Change

2.2.1. School Process:

2.2.2. School Culture:

3. Chapter 3: The History of Education

3.1. Reform Movement

3.1.1. One important reform is the Morrill Act which allowed public money to be used to establish universities. This was important because it caused a spark in the importance of higher education.

3.2. Historical Interpretation

3.2.1. The Democratic-liberal School interpretation: The Democratic-liberals believed that the history of education is based on evolution. They suggest that every period of educational expansion was brought about because the schools were changing to better fit the time and allow for equal opportunities for all students.

4. The Philosophy of Education Chapter 5 Pragmatism-->

4.1. Generic Notions

4.1.1. Ideas were based on the belief of educational evolution. Had the idea that a better society can be formed using education. Stated tat children could learn through experience as well as through books and traditional information.

4.2. Key Researchers

4.2.1. Key researchers were George Sanders Peirce, William James, and John Dewey.

4.3. Goal of Education

4.3.1. The goal of education was to allow students to research and test new ideas in school that would help improve society and social order.

4.4. Role of the Teacher

4.4.1. The role of the teacher is not the usual authoritarian but rather the facilitator.

4.5. Method of Instruction

4.5.1. Method of instruction is the problem solving or the inquiry method. Teachers would also allow students to be in a position where they can do separate work or group work.

4.6. Curriculum

4.6.1. There is a core curriculum that is to be followed. In the curriculum there is problem solving using academic and vocational disciplines that are all interconnected.

5. Chapter 4: The Sociology of Education

5.1. Theoretical Perspectives

5.1.1. Functional: This where society is viewed as a machine where one part works with another to produce the energy needed for society to properly function.

5.1.2. Conflict: This is where sociologists believe that social order is based on dominant groups taking over and leading the more subordinate ones by any means necessary.

5.1.3. Interactional: This theory is based on the actual day-to-day life in schools rather than just seeing the big picture of how schools are supposed to look.

5.2. Five Effects of Schooling

5.2.1. Employment: Education effects employment. Most large companies, organizations, or corporations require some type of college degree. Once you graduate from college you have been trained for a specific job in one of these systems and your degree gives you a higher chance of being hired.

5.2.2. Knowledge and Attitudes: Researchers state that people who are highly educated are better able to keep up with the current events and politics and can form their own opinions and beliefs. With these opions and beliefs the educated people will be more likely to participate in politics and public affairs. These people will also have a higher sense of well-being and self-esteem.

5.2.3. Mobility: It is believed that the people who are educated have a better chance of being more economically and socially mobile. This is also affected by one's culture, economic background, and even where you went to school.

5.2.4. Curriculum: Curriculum plays a huge role in whether a student goes to college and gets their degree. In certain school systems the curriculum is more difficult and challenges students which is preparing them for higher education.

5.2.5. Inadequate Schools: Students who have attended schools that do not have a good curriculum or do not have good teachers who can help train them for higher education or employment can cause a student to be unsuccessful in life.

6. Chapter 7: Curriculum and Pedagogy

6.1. Curriculum Theory

6.1.1. The Humanist Theory: This theory states that the purpose of education is to teach students using the best presentation of what has been thought and written.

6.2. Two Dominant Traditions

6.2.1. 1. Mimetic Tradition: States that the purpose of education is to transmit specific knowledge to students using the Didactic Method.

6.2.2. 2. Transformative Tradition: States that the purpose of education is to change the student in a meaningful way, including intellectually, creatively, spiritually, and emotionally.

7. Chapter 8: Equality of Opportunity

7.1. Educational Outcomes

7.1.1. Educational outcomes are heavily affected by ethnicity, class, and gender. They are affected by ethnicity because in today's society it is believed that if you are not white you are not as successful meaning students of any color other than white will not get the same chances as most white students. Class affects educational outcomes because if a family is in the lower class they will not be able to afford to send their children to a good school or to any school in general. Families in the mid to high class would be able to afford certain education programs for their children. Gender affects student's educational outcome because there is an underlying race between male and female. There are gender roles that society has created that hold back certain genders.

7.2. Response to Coleman Study

7.2.1. The first response was that Coleman and his associate's findings were insignificant. Their findings were something that was common knowledge for most people.

7.2.2. The second response was from sociologist and priest Andrew Greeley who argued that the evidence ignores the past two decades of findings that support a democratic view of Catholic schools.

8. Chapter 10: Educational Reform

8.1. School Based Reforms

8.1.1. Charter Reform: The charter reform began in 1991 in Minnesota. After the movement began it sparked demand for more charter schools throughout the nation. The charter reform basically demanded that more schools become charter schools which means they are public schools that are free from many of the regulations applied to traditional public schools and in return is held accountable for student performance.

8.1.2. School-Business Relationship: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to small schools and teacher effectiveness.

8.2. Societal, Community, Economic, or Political Reforms

8.2.1. School Finance reform- Abbott V: This reform required that poorer schools receive funding to add preschool programs as well as whole school reforms, full day kindergarten, and funded facilities program to correct code violations.

8.2.2. Community Reform- Dryfoo's Model of Full Service Schools: This reform focuses on meeting students' and their families educational, physical, psychological, and social needs in a coordinated and collaborative way between school and community services.

9. Chapter 9: Educational Inequality

9.1. Cultural Difference Theories

9.1.1. 1. John Ogbu's theory states that African American students do not do as well in school because they adopt the oppressed position in the social hierarchy. According to Ogbu, the children would do well if they "pretended to be white".

9.1.2. 2. A second theory states that nonwhite students reject the white middle-class culture of academic success and embrace a different and often anti school culture.

9.2. School Centered Explanation

9.2.1. 1. The first school centered inequality is school financing. There is a difference between a public school in the suburbs and a public school in the poor districts. Finances provide inequality because one school can afford to be more adaptable with the changes in society rather than a poor school that can barely afford to pay for enough teachers and a building.

9.2.2. 2. The second inequality is effective research. Every school and administration is different. All schools should make it a point to do as much research as possible to ensure the students in that system are getting the education they need and deserve. Many schools do not take the time to research and miss out on opportunities for their students.

9.2.3. 3. The third inequality difference is curriculum. Most would think that every school has a set curriculum that is required to be taught at a certain time during the year. This belief is false. Te majority of schools do have a set academic curriculum but also have a hidden curriculum as well. Every school and educator teaches the curriculum differently and hope to have a good outcome.

9.2.4. 4. The fourth inequality difference is pedagogic practice. Pedagogy is when the act of teaching has been performed. There is a difference in every school's educators. They all have a certain way they like to teach but some schools have a hard time hiring the best teachers. Many schools have teachers that do their best to teach but they are not able to improve the student's knowledge which eventually affects their school negatively.