Download Chapter Eleven - Sociology101summer2010

Chapter Eleven
Education
Sociological Language
• Learning: process of acquiring knowledge about the
world and society
• ALL societies have developed systematic processes and
institutions to educate
• Education – describes the processes and formal
institutions to accomplish learning
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Parent
Church
Politician
Meida
Sociological Language
• Secular Schools
– Public Schools (separate from religion) b/c of tax payer dollars
• Non secular schools
– Supported by private sources
• Mass Education
– Widespread expansion of formal education in the larger society
• Children are required by state decree to receive formal education for a specific
number of years
• Credentialism
– Process of certifying that individual possess the knowledge or skills to
qualify for a particular job
• Schools become society’s filters into the workplace.
History of Education
• No society can survive without it
• Each generation must learn and master
knowledge from the one before it.
• Ancient societies that developed formal
schools:
– Greek
– Roman
– Arabic
History of Education
• Protestant Reformation
– Roman Catholics: Only priests need to read Bible
– Martin Luther – every Christian had a right /
obligation to read Bible and construct own
interpretation
– Mass education became imperative
History of Education
• Democratic Revolutions
– Citizens need to be informed voters
– Mass education is needed
History of Education
• Sociologists link: industrialization, education,
and democracy.
• Industrial Revolution
– Prior (80%) in farming
– Today necessary to be able to compete in a global
world (21st century skills)
Equal Opportunity
• All people should have the right to advance
• US: intellect, skills, hard work = achieve material wealth
• No other country – more open and extensive
educational system than the US
• 50% in school between 3 – 34
• 63% of HS grads attend college
• Western European countries
– 20% of 16 – 17 year olds in school
– 10% go onto college
Education / Stratification
• Why are YOU in college?
• Matter of Faith
– Getting ahead includes making money
– To get ahead one needs to stay in school
Educational Attainment
• The amt. of formal education a person has
achieved=educational attainment
• Status: Kids from affluent background generally
end up doing well
• 1976 (Bowles and Gintis) – data showed that
those from the lowest 10% of socioeconomic
background with identical IQ scores as those
upper 10% of socioeconomic background attain 5
years less of education
Educational Attainment
• Race:
– 1966 1st study (James Coleman)
• Students predominantly attended racially segregated
schools
• White students out performed minority students (1976)
• Lone exception: Asian Americans
• Gender:
– Historically - women lagged behind men in
obtaining formal education
– Today women earn 60% of all college degrees
Educational Attainment Theories
• Inherent Deficiency
– Herbert Spencer (Social Darwinism)
– Arthur Jensen, Richard Herrnstein, Charles Murray
• AA – IQ scores and school performance
– Richard Herrnstein
• Inherent mental abilities lead to achievement
• Smart people marry smart people = smart kids
• Dull people marry dull people = dull genes passed on
Educational Attainment Theories
• Charles Murray (1994)
– The Bell Curve
• Innate differences between white and AA = 15 points
• As time progresses difference become polarized
Educational Attainment Theories
• Criticism:
– All agree that biology is important in intelligence
• Parents who are tall tend to have tall children
– IQ tests do NOT measure innate intelligence (just in a
specific period of time against similar group of people)
– Jensen-Herrnstein Murray:
• Biases exist with race
• Research shows re-writing tests in the language of the
culture affects scores
Educational Attainment Theories
• Criticism:
– No perfect relationship between IQ and School
Performance
• Motivational factors
• Social factors
• Intelligence does not guarantee success
Culture of Poverty
• Victim – Blame Approach
– Oscar Lewis theory advanced
• Mental attitude of poverty is fixe w/in the minds of
individuals after extended periods of poverty
• The individual who grows up in this culture has a strong
feeling of fatalism, helplessness, dependence, and
inferiority, a strong present-time orientation with
relatively little disposition to defer gratification and
plan for the future, and a high tolerance for
psychological pathology of all kinds.
Culture of Poverty
• Criticism:
– The delayed gratification (as referenced by Banfield) is
a response to their condition not culture
– It is understandable that the poor have abandoned
middle and upper class standards simply b/c there are
irrelevant.
– William Ryan: Culture of Poverty is an excuse of
abandoning programs designed to assist people OUT
of poverty.
Structural Disadvantage
• Describes the way in which certain students are denied
access to quality education
• Race and class highly influence the type quality of
education
• WHERE a child is born affects the type of education
• Overall federal contribution to education = 6%
• Single most important predictor of academic success was
family background
Structural Functional
• Manifest Functions:
– Are intended functions
• Technologically advanced societies demand a highly trained workforce
• People are considered human resources and it is the responsibility of
the educational institutions to continually develop what is now
termed the human capital of society
• Developing an informed citizenry / democracy requires literacy
• Function of education to match the right person to the right job
– Once in schools –sorting takes place
– Examinations and grades
Structural Functional
• Latent Functions
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Unintended consequences
Educated people less likely to be racist, ethnocentric
Creation of a sense of social solidarity in society
Promotes teamwork, tolerance, respect
Performs a “baby-sitting” service
“Bonding” is a major function of education
Socialized to accept what is termed moral order
• (ie… pledge of allegiance)
Social Conflict
• Meritocracy – receive rewards commensurate w/talent and efforts
• Believe that rewards are distributed based on a system where elite
exploits those without power NOT MERIT.
• School funding – poorer neighborhoods = less funding
• Selective colleges – occupational success
• Elite university grads – more prestigious job offers
• Community college system – “placate the poor”
• Lester Thurow (1980) 60% of all skills learned on the job – certifications,
degrees, etc… is a screening process favoring upper class.
Achieving Equality
• NCLB (school choice)
• Privatization of Schools
– Catholic Schools
• Integration and Busing
– Segregation
– De Facto
– White Flight