My Foundations of Education

1. Philosophy of Education

1.1. 1. Generic Notations

1.1.1. Plato was a philosopher whom set an example of answering questions that are not easily answered. He was focused the most on finding the truth.

1.1.2. Plato was very involved in education and created the philosophy of idealism.

1.1.3. He  believe that education was important because individuals are moving together for the good.

1.2. 2. Key Researchers

1.2.1. Plato, St.Augustine, Rene Descartes, Immanuel Kant, and George Willhelm Friedrich Hegel.

1.3. 3. Goal of Education

1.3.1. The goal of education is for teachers to encourage their students to discover the truth in other people.

1.4. 4. Role of Teacher

1.4.1. The role of the teacher to relay information to the students and discuss the reasoning so that students can transform to the next grade level.

1.4.2. The teacher also is the role model to his or her students. The students need to look up to their teacher in a positive manner.

1.5. 5. Cirriculum

1.5.1. Curriculum is set up into categories like math, writing and reading, and humanities.

1.5.2. Curriculum is not objective or value free; it is social.

2. Sociology of Education

2.1. Relationship between School and Society

2.1.1. Functional Theory

2.1.2. 1. Sociology of education is a continuous field and that the questions sociologists ask about relations between school and society (fundamental and complex).

2.1.3. 2. Functionalists view society like a machine, one collects information and one gives information.

2.1.4. 3. Emile Durkheim basically invented sociology of education.

2.1.4.1. He emphasized on the values and cohesion set the tone for how present-day functionalists approach the study of education

2.2. Effects of Schooling on Individuals

2.2.1. 1. Employment is a big factor of schooling on individuals because most believe that attending college will get them a great career.

2.2.1.1. This is correct in certain aspects but some students whom go straight into workforce do make a lot of money as well.It all depends on what is is. For instance, to become a doctor a person obviously would need to attend college. But, if you were a construction worker, you do not need a degree to make good money at it.

2.2.2. 2. Teacher behavioris another major factor of schooling on individuals. This is because the impact a teacher has on a student goes with them even if the impact was in Kindergarten. A student that is positively impact is more likely to go to finish high school and attend college. If a teacher has a negative impact on a student, more than likely they will end up being a drop out or not being successful in life. All of this is also in a verbal manner, what a teacher say especially at a young age will make them think whatever it is that is said.

2.2.2.1. Negative teacher behavior- "If you do not do your work, you will not go to ________ grade."

2.2.2.2. Positive teacher behavior- "Johnny, I know you can do this work. All you need is practice and you will succeed in everything you do."

2.2.2.3. BIG DIFFERENCE!

2.2.3. 3. Student Peer Groups and Alienation again is  a large factor in the effects of an individual in school.

2.2.3.1. It all has to do with what a student is introduced to and influenced by. If a student is hanging out with a group that does drugs or bullies, more than likely that student will do the same.

2.2.3.2. It is also based on cultural background. There are four types; the careerist, intellectuals, strivers, and unconnected. Depending on how a student grows up and what they achieve has a great impact on their current and future schooling.

3. History of U.S. Education

3.1. Reform  Movement

3.1.1. Civil rights Act & Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965)

3.1.2. 1. The two movements overlapped each other because they went hand in hand. They both obviously pertained to education but also to put emphasis on student equality.

3.1.3. 2.The Civil Rights Act was led to emphasis on equality issue.

3.1.4. 3.While the E.S.E.A. directed emphasis on the education of disadvantaged children.

3.2. Historical Interpretation

3.2.1. Democratic-Liberal

3.2.2. 1. Believe that the history of U.S. education involves the progressive evolution of school systems that are committed to equality of opportunity.

3.2.3. 2. Historians that represented this view included: Ellwood Cubberly, Merle Curti, and Lawrence A. Cremin.

3.2.3.1. Cubberly and Cremin thought that the Common School Era was a victory for democratic movements  and education to all.

3.2.3.2. Cremin also created a three volume on U.S. History and Progressive Era. Within that he portrays education in tow terms: Popularization and multitudinous.

3.2.3.3. *He though that education involved both expansion of opportunity and purpose.

3.2.4. 3. Democratic-liberals are usually optimistic about U.S. History of Education. However, they believe that in order to progress, the system must continue to move closer to each without sacrificing either side dramatically.

4. Politics Of Education

4.1. Political Perspective

4.1.1. Conservative

4.1.2. 1. The conservative perspective was originally developed by a sociologist named William Graham Sumner.

4.1.3. 2. The conservative viewpoint believes that the free market is the most economic system and the most respectful to human needs.

4.1.4. 3. The conservative view of social problems emphasizes the most on individuals and states that individuals must earn their place in the economy.

4.2. Vision of Education

4.2.1. Progressive

4.2.2. 1. Progressives believe that the schools should gradually get what is defined as better. They believe in having the best things in the schools.

4.2.3. 2. Progressives see schools as the place to solve social problems, needed for student development, democratic society,  and mobility.

4.2.4. 3. Progressive vision is based on wanting the best and believe the most in education. Versus traditionalists who want to stick with the original way of schools with no change and still have a good education.

5. Schools as Organizations

5.1. Governance

5.1.1. State Senator

5.1.1.1. 1.President- Kay Ivey

5.1.1.2. 2. President Pro Tempore- Del Marsh

5.1.2. House of Representatives

5.1.2.1. 1.Speaker- Mike Hubbard

5.1.2.2. 2. Speaker Pro Tempore- Victor Gaston

5.1.3. State Superintendent

5.1.3.1. 1. Tommy Bice

5.1.4. Representative on the State School Board

5.1.4.1. 1. Mary Scott Hunter

5.1.5. Local Superintendent

5.1.5.1. 1. Dr. Allen McCannon

5.1.6. Local School Board

5.1.6.1. 1. District 1- Dan Nash

5.1.6.2. 2. District 2- Angie Bates

5.1.6.3. 3. District 3- Mary Louis Stowe

5.1.6.4. 4. District 4- Davis Vess

5.1.6.5. 5. District 5- Jeff Anderson

5.2. Comparison of Another Country

5.2.1. France

5.2.2. 1. The educational system in France is centralized when compare to the United States.

5.2.3. 2. The central government controls the educational system all the way to the classroom levels.

5.2.4. 3. They had two public school systems (one for the ordinary and one for the excellent), transitionally.

5.2.5. 4. George Male states that the system is very verbal.

5.2.6. 5. The french have an objective to produce small numbers of intelligent individuals.

5.2.6.1. The french system is scarcely competitive.

5.2.7. 6. The educational system is not democratic until recently, but it is still only a third of individuals whom further their education into college.

6. Curriculum & Pedagogy

6.1. Historical Curriculum Theory

6.1.1. 1. There are four curriculum's that include: humanist, social efficiency, developmentalist, and social meliorist.

6.1.2. 2. Developmetalist curriculum appeals to me becuse it its primarily about the students.

6.1.3. 3. I also agree with social meliorist curriculum that was influenced by George Counts and Harold Rugg. Also, that it is  mostly for the fact that it involves the social reconstruction approach.

6.2. Sociological Curriculum Theory

6.2.1. 1. This phenomenon is based on the fact that the focus is not only on what is being taught but why it is being taught.

6.2.2. 2. The curriculum in sociology focuses on what is taught and what relationship does it have to the school and society.

6.2.3. 3.  The sociological curriculum also include the formal an informal aspects of the role of the school.

7. Equality of Opportunity

7.1. Sociological Explanations of Unequal Achievements

7.1.1. 1. Conflict theorists believe that the role of schooling is to reproduce rather than eliminate inequality.

7.1.2. 2. Functionalists believe that the results of the school process producing unequal results, but think that these results should be based on individuals

7.1.3. 3. Race, gender, and class inequalities are a major factor in inequality. It is sad but it is true. Depending on where you fall results in the way a student is treated unequally in school and society.

7.2. School Centered Explanation

7.2.1. 1. School financing is a major factor because it is based on funds provided federally, locally, and by the state.

7.2.2. 2. Effective school research is also a a key term when discussing school centered explanation because it is all based on ethnicity and economic status that determine the schools future.

7.2.3. 3. Curriculum and pedagogy between different schools affects the academic performance of the students. This is due to the economic status of the family and where they live (rural, suburb, inner or outer cities).

8. Education Inequality

8.1. Educational Achievement & Attainment

8.1.1. 1. Educational achievements include passing the ACT, SAT, etcetera. Things that progress students development to the next level of higher education.

8.1.1.1. This meaning:  middle school to high school and high school to college. This may also include grades moving up based on testing their readiness.

8.1.2. 2. Attainment is a completely different area because based on ethnic groups and gender on how they are likely to test and advance, stay the same, or decline in their education.

8.1.3. 3. Socioeconomic status and social class background are not indicated in the data through The Condition of Education.

8.2. Response to the Coleman Study

8.2.1. 1. The Coleman Study was based on finding the relationship between schools and student achievments.

8.2.1.1. The result was that organizational differences between schools were not really important in determining a students outcome when compared tot he student-body between schools.

8.2.2. 2. Response 1- Some sociologists examined and reexamined Coleman's findings. However, a group of scholars decided to define the data that Coleman produced and see what made them effective.

8.2.3. 3. Response 2- This was based on what was significant and insignificant of Coleman's findings.

9. Educational Reform

9.1. School-based Reforms

9.1.1. 1. School choice is when students are allowed to choose the desired school they want to attend based on vouchers and scholarships.

9.1.2. 2. Charter schools are schools that are publicly funded by teachers, parent, and the community.

9.1.3. 3. Tuition vouchers are when people are basically given free money and choose what to do with it whether they need it or not.

9.2. Societal, community, economic, or political reforms

9.2.1. 1. Community schools are designed to target the community and prevent problems and support them.

9.2.2. 2. Educational reform helps those whom are from lower economical backgrounds.

9.2.3. 3.  Harlem Children's Zone is an all black community and was not removed from their community but changed them at the same time.