My Foundations of Education
por Taylor Harris
1. Philosophy of Education
2. Schools as Organizations
3. Curriculum and Pedagogy
4. Equality of Opportunity
5. Educational Inequality
6. Educational Reform
7. Politics of Education
7.1. Conservative Perspective: The Conservative Perspective looks at social evolution as a process that enables the strongest individuals and/or groups to survive, and looks at human and social evolution as adaptation to changes in the environment. Individuals and groups must compete in the social environment in order to survive, and human progress is dependent on individual initiative and drive. Another feauture of a conservative viewpoint is the belief that the free market or market economy of capitalism is both the most economically productive economic system and the system that is most respectful of human needs. This perspective places its emphasis on the individual and suggests that individuals have the capacity to earn or not earn their place within a market economy, and that solutions to problems should also be addressed at the individual level.
7.2. Liberal Perspective: The Liberal Perspective believes that the free market, if left unregulated, is prone to significant abuses, particularly to those who are disadvantaged economically and politically. It also believes that the capitalist market economy is prone to cycles of recession that must be addressed through government intervention. This perspective insists that government involvement in the economic, political, and social arenas is necessary to ensure fair treatment of all citizens and to ensure a healthy economy.Because liberals place a heavy emphasis on issues of equality, especially equality of opportunity, and because they believe that the capitalist system often gives unfair advantages to those with wealth and power, liberals assert that the role of government is to ensure the fair treatment of all citizens, to ensure that equality of opportunity exists, and to minimize exceedingly great differences in the life chances and life outcomes of the countrys richest and poorest citizens. Another Liberal belief is that individual effort alone is sometimes insufficient and that the government must sometimes intercede on behalf of those in need. The liberal perspective on social stresses that groups rather than individuuals are affected by the structure of society, so solutions to social problems must address group dynamics rather than individuals alone.
7.3. Radical Perspecive: Then Radical Perspective believes that democratic socialism is the most fair political-economic system. Radicals believe a socialist economy that builds on the democratic political system (and retains its political freedoms) would better provide all citizens with a decent standard of living.A belief that is essential to the Radical Perspecive is the belief that social problems such a poverty and the educational problems of the poorest citizens are endemic to capitalism and cannot be solved under the present economic system. Radicals assert that only a transformation of capitalism into democratic socialism will ensure that the social problems that disproportionately affect the disadvantaged in U.S. society will be addressed. Radicals believe that the capitalist system is central to U.S. social problems and they recognize that the capitalist system is not going to change easily and, futhermore, that most Americans support it. Most Radicals place their primary emphasis on the analysis of inequality under capitalism, the economic and power relationships that are central to the perpetuation of inequalities, and policies taht seek to reduce these inequalities under the existing capitalist system. Radicals also believe the social problems are structured in nature-that is, that they are caused by the structure of U.S. society and therefore the solutions must be addressed to this structure, not at individuals.
7.4. Traditional Visions: Traditional visions view schools as necessary to the transmission of the traditional values of U.S. society, susch as hard work, family unity,and individual initiative. Traditionalists believe the schools should pass on the best of what was and what is.
7.5. Progressive Visions: Progressive visions view the schools are central to solving social problems, as a vehicle for upward mobility, as essential to the development of individual potential, and as an integral part of a democratic society. Progressives believe the schools should be part of the steady progress to make things better.
7.6. Neo-liberal Perspective: The Neo-Liberal agenda is to reduce the achievement gaps. Neo-Liberal reforms stress five areas for educational policy: Austerity, the Market Model, Individualism, State Intervention, and Economic Prosperity (race and class). Austerity involves cutting public spending on education. They believe that the enormous increases in federal, state, and local education spending has not resulted in concomitant increases in student achievement, especially in urban schools and that efficiency can reduce costs and improve quality. They have belief that the free market solves social problems better than government policy. Based on this belief, they support charter schools, vouchers for private school attendance, especcially low-income children, and privatization of schooling through for-profit educational management companies. Neo-Liberals also believe that educational success or failure is the result of an individual effort rather than of social and economic factors. The only factors outside the individual responsible for educational success are school equality and the culture of students and their families.They also believe that state intervention in the educational system is at times necessary to ensure equality of opportunity. They believe that State interventions is sometimes required to ensure that failing schools or districts improve. Neo-liberal policies include: State Intervention into failing districts and schools, the closing of failing schools, and, as in No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, federal meausres to support and reward successful educational policies , and negative sanctions to punish failing policies. Lastly, Neo-liberals believe that race and social class are important factors in the achievement gap and that African-American and Hispanic students and lower income students are more likely to achieve and attain at lower levels than White, Asian and higher income students.
8. History of U.S Education
8.1. Colonial Era
8.1.1. Deluder Law
8.1.2. Utilitarianism
8.2. Age of reform
8.2.1. Horace Mann of Massachusetts
8.2.1.1. Free public education
8.2.1.2. Normal school
8.2.1.3. Common school
8.2.1.4. Opposition to Public Education
8.2.1.5. Education for Women and African-Americans
8.2.1.6. Roberts vs. city of boston
8.3. Urbanization and progressive impetus
8.4. Education for all
8.4.1. Committee of Ten
8.4.1.1. Health
8.4.1.2. Command of fundamental processes
8.4.1.3. Worthy home-membership
8.4.1.4. Vocation
8.4.1.5. Citizenship
8.4.1.6. Worthy use of leisure
8.4.1.7. Ethical Character
8.5. Equity Era
8.5.1. Debate about the goals of education
8.5.2. Demand for expansion of education opportunity became the most prominent feature of education reform
8.6. Equality of Opportunity
8.6.1. GI Bill of Rights
8.6.1.1. offered 16 million servicemen and women the opportunity to pursue higher education