Slide 1

SOCIOLOGY
Richard T. Schaefer

16

Education

McGraw-Hill

2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 2

16. Education
Sociological Perspectives on Education Schools as Formal Organizations Social Policy and Education

McGraw-Hill

2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 3

Sociological Perspectives on Education

Functionalist View
Manifest functions include:
Transmission of knowledge Bestowal of status

Latent functions include:

Transmitting culture Promoting social and political integration Maintaining social control Serving as agent of change
McGraw-Hill 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 4

Sociological Perspectives on Education

Functionalist View
Transmitting Culture
Exposing young people to existing beliefs, norms, and values of their culture

Promoting Social and Political Integration

Common identity and social integration fostered by education contribute to societal stability and consensus
McGraw-Hill 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 5

Sociological Perspectives on Education

Functionalist View
Maintaining Social Control
Schools teach students punctuality, discipline, scheduling, and responsible work habits, and how to negotiate through a bureaucratic organization

Serving as an Agent of Change

Schools serve as meeting ground where people can share distinctive beliefs and traditions
McGraw-Hill 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 6

Sociological Perspectives on Education

Conflict View
Education is an instrument of elite domination Schools socialize students into values dictated by the powerful

McGraw-Hill

2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 7

Sociological Perspectives on Education

Conflict View
The Hidden Curriculum
Standards of behavior deemed proper by society are taught subtly in schools

Credentialism
An increase in the lowest level of education needed to enter a field

McGraw-Hill

2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 8

Sociological Perspectives on Education

Conflict View
Bestowal of Status
Schools tend to preserve social class inequalities in each new generation Schools can reinforce class differences by putting students in tracks Correspondence Principle: schools promote the values Tracking: practice of placing students in specific expected of individuals in each social class and perpetuate curriculum groups on basis of test scores and other criteria social class divisions from one generation to the next
McGraw-Hill 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 9

Sociological Perspectives on Education

Conflict View
Treatment of Women in Education
The U.S educational system long characterized by discriminatory treatment of women

McGraw-Hill

2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 10

Sociological Perspectives on Education

Conflict View
Treatment of Women in Education
In 20th century, sexism in education included:
Stereotypes in textbooks Pressure on women to study traditional women s subjects Unequal funding for men s and women s athletic programs Employment bias for administrators and teachers

McGraw-Hill

2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 11

Sociological Perspectives on Education

Interactionist View
Labeling and self-fulfilling prophecy suggest if we treat people in particular ways, they may fulfill our expectations.

Teacher-Expectation Effect: impact of teacher expectations and their large role on student performance

McGraw-Hill

2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 12

Sociological Perspectives on Education

Figure 16-1. Percentage of Adults Ages 25 to 64 Who Have Completed Higher Educations, Selected Countries, 2001

Sources: Bureau of the Census 2004a:851

McGraw-Hill

2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 13

Sociological Perspectives on Education

Table 16-1. Sociological Perspectives on Education

McGraw-Hill

2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 14

Schools as Formal Organizations

Bureaucratization of Schools
Weber noted five characteristics of bureaucracy:
Division of labor Hierarchy of authority Written rules and regulations Impersonality Employment based on technical qualifications
McGraw-Hill 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 15

Schools as Formal Organizations

Teachers: Employees and Instructors
Teachers academic assignments have become more specialized
Still must control social order

20% of new teachers quit within 3 years Fewer students choose teaching as career due to perceived low income

McGraw-Hill

2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 16

Schools as Formal Organizations

Homeschooling
More than 1.6 million children homeschooled
Good alternative for children with ADHD and LD Lacks universal uniform standards from state to state Research shows homeschooled children score higher on standardized tests Some theorist cite lack of social involvement as problem with home schooling
McGraw-Hill 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 17

Social Policy and Education

No Child Left Behind Program
The Issue
In 2001, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) enacted by Congress By mid 2005, Utah threatened to opt our 37 other states demanded major changes

McGraw-Hill

2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 18

Social Policy and Education

No Child Left Behind Program
The Setting
Schools locally run and finances with some federal and state aid 1990 s establish national educational standards By mid 2005, Utah threatened to opt our 37 other states demanded major changes
States insist they require more federal funds

McGraw-Hill

2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 19

Social Policy and Education

No Child Left Behind Program
Sociological Policy
Validity: the degree to which a scale or measure truly reflects the phenomenon under study Reliability: extent to which a measure provides consistent results Reliability and validity of tests are major issues in controversy of NCLB
McGraw-Hill 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Slide 20

Social Policy and Education

No Child Left Behind Program
Policy Initiatives
Educational reformers have yet to find solution that fits all schools in all states Many educators see NCLB as their best hope

McGraw-Hill

2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.