1. Policies of Education Chapter 2
1.1. Identify and describe the four purposes of education.
1.1.1. Intellectual; to teach basic cognitive skills, to transmit specific knowledge and to help students acquire higher-order thinking skills.
1.1.2. Political: to inculcate allegiance to the existing political order, to prepare citizens who will participate in this political order, to a common political order, and to teach children the basic laws of the society.
1.1.3. Social: to help solve social problems, to work as one of many institutions, such as a family and the church to ensure social cohesion, and to socialize children into various role, behaviors and values of the society.
1.1.4. Economic: to prepare students for their later occupational roles, and to select, train, and allocate individuals into the division of labor.
1.2. The role of the school
1.2.1. Conservative: Views the role of the school as essential to both economic productivity and social stability.
1.3. Explanations of unequal performanc
1.3.1. Radical: Believes 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.
1.3.2. Liberal: Believe that individuals start school with different life chances and therefore some groups have significantly more advantages than other groups.
1.4. Definition of Educational Problems
1.4.1. Liberal: Schools have too often limited the life chances of poor and minority children and the problem of underachievement by these groups is a critical issue. Schools emphasis on discipline and authority. Limiting role in helping
1.4.2. Conservation: They feel that the schools have watered down the traditional curriculum.
1.4.3. Radical: feel that the educational system promotes inequality of both opportunity and results.
2. School as Organizations Chapter 6
2.1. Identify major stakeholders in YOUR district by name (1. Federal level - senators and House of Representative; local level - senators and house of representatives, state superintendent, representative on state school board, local superintendent, and all members of local school board)
2.1.1. Federal level senators- Richard Shelby and Luther Strange
2.1.2. Federal level House of Representatives-Bradley Byrne, Matha Roby, Mike Rogers, Robert Aderholt, Mo Brooks, Gary Palmer, Terri Sewewll
2.1.3. Local level senators- Steve Livingston and Phillip W. Williams
2.1.4. local level House of Representatives- Tommy Hanes, Nathaniel Ledbetter, Kerry Rich, Will Ainsworth, Becky Nordgren
2.1.5. State superintendent- Ed Richardson
2.1.6. Representative on state school board
2.1.7. Local superintendent- Jason Barnett
2.1.8. local school board members Jeff Williams, Randy Peppers, Matt G. Sharp, Mark Richards, Robert Elliot
2.2. Identify and describe the elements of change within 1. school processes and 2. school cultures.
2.2.1. 1. School processes- Identifying are the powerful cultural qualities of a school that makes it so potent in terms of emotional recall, if not in terms of cognitive outcomes.
2.2.2. School cultures- It is not easy to explain school culture because culture by definition is exactly that which one is takes the most for granted. Willard Walker said that they have a definite population, the have a clearly defined political structure arising from the mode of social interaction characteristics of the school, and influenced by numerous minor processes of interaction. They are rep
3. Curriculum and Pedagogy Chapter 7
3.1. Explain a curriculum theory which you advocate (humanist, social efficiency, developmentalist, or social meliorist).
3.1.1. Developmentalist- is related to the needs and interest of students rather than the needs of society.
3.2. Identify and describe the two dominant traditions of teaching.
4. Equality of Opportunity Chapter 8
4.1. Describe how class, race, and gender each impact educational outcomes.
4.1.1. Class-students in different social classes have different kinds f educational experience. Students from upper and middle class families are more likely to finish school.
4.1.2. Race - An individuals race has a direct impact on how much education he or she is likely to achieve. The race is related to educational outcomes is undeniable, although, given the nature of U.S. society it is extremely difficult to separate race from class.
4.1.3. Gender-Historically, an individual's gender was directly related to his or her education attainment. Now it is not so much. In the last 20 years, gender difference in the terms of education have been reduced.
4.2. What were the two responses to the Coleman Study from 1982? (There are other responses but you focus ONLY on the two from 1982.)
4.2.1. In the Coleman Study Round 2 it talks about which is better public schools or private schools. One study showed that private schools were better for low income families.
4.2.2. In round 3 it states that where a student attends school is often based upon race and socioeconomic background, but the racial and socioeconomic composition of a school has greater effect on students achievement.
5. History of U.S. Education Chapter 3
5.1. Choose and describe a reform movement that you think has had the most influence on education.
5.1.1. I chose Education for women an African Americans. I think that this has had a huge influence on education because now a large part of teachers are women. If women had not been given the opportunity to learn we would only be house wives.
5.2. Choose and describe one historical interpretation of U.S. Education.
5.2.1. The Democratic-Liberal School; they believe that history of the U.S. education involves the progressive evolution, albeit flawed, of a school system committed to providing equality of opportunity for all.
6. Sociological Perspectives Chapter 4
6.1. Define the theoretical perspective concerning the relationship between school and society: functionalism, conflict theory, and interactionalism.
6.1.1. The relationship between school and society because it gives one the intellectual scaffolding from which to hang a productive and just society.
6.1.2. Functionalist view society as a well oiled machine where one part articulates with another to produce the dynamic energy to make society work.
6.1.3. Conflict theory: Conflict sociologist do not see the relationship between school and society as unproblematic and straightforward. They believe that it is based on economic , political, cultural and manipulation.
6.1.4. Interactionalism theory is the relation of school and society are primarily critiques and extensions of the functional and conflict perspective.
6.2. Identify and describe 5 effects of schooling on individuals that you think have the greatest impact on students as explained in the book (there are 10 between pages 121-128).
6.2.1. Knowledge and Attitudes- Students who attend private schools tend to score better on testing than students who attend public school.
6.2.2. Education and Mobility- Education varies in different countries in the United Kingdom not all students are able to attend school. Children are chosen at very early age whether they will attend school or vocational training.
6.2.3. Education and Inequality- Inequality has taken a large toll on the American school children. There are five class the upper class that represents three percent of the population, the upper middle class represents ten to fifteen percent of the population, the lower middle class represents twenty five percent of the population, the working middle class represents forty percent of the population and the lower or underclass represents twenty percent of the population. The lower class represent the majority of the population.
6.2.4. Inadequate schools- Students who attend suburban schools and private schools get a better educational experience than other students in Urban school districts.
6.2.5. Gender- plays a huge role in how people get paid. Typically males make more money than females and males used to receive a better education. Females have started closing the gap with standardize testing now scoring better than males in language arts and social studies.
7. Philosophy of Education Chapter 5
7.1. Describe the particular world view of one of student-centered philosophy of education (pragmatism or existentialism). Include the following information: generic notions, key researchers, goal of education, role of teacher, method of instruction, and curriculum.
7.1.1. Pragmatism- it is generally viewed as an American philosophy that developed into the latter part of the nineteenth century. Genetic Notion- Dewey's form of pragmatism- instrumentalism and experimentalism- was founded on his new psychology behaviorism, and the philosophy of pragmatism. Dewey's visions of schools was rooted in the social order; he did not see ideas as separate from social condition. He saw the effects of modernization and urbanization on the social fabrics of Western society. The teacher is no longer the authoritarian figure form which all knowledge flows; rather, the teacher assumes the peripheral position of facilitator. Dewey proposes that children learn both individually and un groups. He believes that they should start their mode of inquiry by posing questions about what they want to know. They generally follow Dewey's notions of a core curriculum or an intergraded curriculum.
8. Educational Inequality Chapter 9
8.1. Explain at least two types of cultural differences theory (page 424-427)
8.1.1. John Ogbu argues that African - American children do less well in school because they adapt to oppressed positions in the class and caste structure. Ogbu says that there is a job ceiling for African Americans in the U.S.
8.1.2. A second type of cultural difference theory sees working-class and nonwhite students as resisting the dominant culture of schools. From this view point these students reject the white middle class culture of academic success and embrace a different often antischool culture one that is opposed to the culture of schooling as it currently exist.
8.2. Describe at least four school-centered (not student-centered) explanations for educational inequality.
8.2.1. School Finance- Public schools are financed through a combination of revenues from local, state and federal sources. The majority of the money comes from local and state taxes. Thus, the more affluent communities are able to provide more pre-pupil spending than poorer districts
8.2.2. Effective school research- The findings of Coleman and Jencks the differences in school resources and quality do not adequately explain between school differences in academic achievement was viewed by teachers as a mixed blessing. On one hand if students differences are more important than school differences then teachers can not be blamed for lower achievement marks.
8.2.3. Curriculum- at the elementary school level, students are divided into reading groups based on teacher recommendations and standardized test scores and sometimes astrictive characteristics.
8.2.4. Gender and Schooling- Feminist argue that schooling often limits the educational opportunities and life chances of women in number of ways. For example, boys and girls are socialized differently through a variety of school processes.
9. Educational Reform Chapter 10
9.1. Describe two school-based reforms (school-based, school-business partnerships, privatization, school-to-work programs, teacher education or teacher quality)
9.1.1. School- Business partnership- 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. Some partnerships are were business "adopt" a school and offer scholarships for poor students.
9.1.2. Privatization- the traditional distinction between public and private education became blurred, with private education companies increasingly becoming involved in public education in a variety of ways.
9.2. Describe at least two societal, economic, community, or political reforms.
9.2.1. Community- Another way to attack inequity is to examine and plan to educate the whole child but also the whole community.
9.2.2. Economic- The court ruled that in 1990 that more funding was needed to serve the children in the poorer school districts. In order to provide a thorough and effective education in urban districts funding was equalized between urban and suburban school districts.