Ch. 12 Education

Development and Structure of EducationBureaucracy in Education• Schools today are still based on

specialization, rules and procedures, and impersonality

• Standardization leads to transferability, and equality of education

• Critics claim that old factory, bureaucratic model is not appropriate for schooling– Formal schooling – education that is

provided and regulated by society– The school’s bureaucratic nature is

unable to respond to the expressive creative, and emotional needs of all children

Democratic Reforms in the classroom• In 1647 Massachusetts required towns of 50 or

more to have a schoolmaster• American progressive education movement of

the 1920s and 30s was a reaction to strict Victorian authoritarianism of early 19th century school– John Dewey led the progressive education

movement which emphasized:• Knowledge related to work and individual student

interests– Almost disappeared in the 50s but came back in

the 60s as humanistic movement• 3 ways to express humanistic educational

impulse: open classroom, cooperative learning, intergrative curriculum

Open classroom

Open classroom – a non-bureaucratic approach to education based on democracy, flexibility, and non-competitiveness• Competition is not a good motivator for children• No graded report cards based on comparison of

student performance

Cooperative learning Cooperative learning – instructional

method that relies on cooperation among students• Teachers are guides not controlling

agents• Students learn more when actively

involved w/ others in class• Benefits of cooperative learning

– Uncooperativeness and stress among students is reduced

– Academic performance increases– Students have more positive attitudes

toward school– Racial and ethnic antagonism decreases– Self-esteem increases

Integrative Curriculum

Integrative Curriculum – approach to education based on student-teacher collaboration• Subject matter is selected and organized around

certain real-world themes or concepts

Back-to-basics Movement• Worried by low scores on achievement tests,

supporters pushed for a return to a traditional curriculum based on more bureaucratic methods

• A Nation at Risk – a report that warned that America was at risk of being overtaken by some of its world economic competitors

• Solutions –– Teaching basic skills such as reading and

mathematics– Graduation requirements should be strengthened

• 4 years English, 3 years of math, science, and SS, and ½ year of computer science

– School days and/or school year lengthened– Standardized achievement tests given to move

from one grade to the next– High school students should have more homework– Discipline tightened

Alternative to the Public School System

• School choice – the best way to improve public schools is by using the free enterprise model and creating some competition for the public school system

• Methods to accomplish this goal: voucher system, charter school, magnet schools, for-profit school

Voucher systemVoucher system – system in which

public school funds may be used to support public, private, or religious school• Parents who choose public schools pay

nothing• Parents who choose private or religious

schools receive a government voucher to pay a portion of tuition – Voucher is equal in value to what the

government spends per child in public school

• Currently only affects 1/10 of 1% of American school kids

• Favored by African and Hispanic Americans

Charter School Charter School – public schools that are operated like

private schools by public school teachers and administrators• Do not answer to local school boards• Can shape their own curriculum and use traditional and non-

traditional teaching methods• Success is directly tied to the commitment and talent of the

teachers and principals, and to the support of parents

Magnet Schools

Magnet Schools – public schools that focus on particular disciplines or areas, such as fine arts or science• Designed to enhance school quality and to promote

desegregation

For-profit schools

For-profit schools – schools run by private companies on government funds• By borrowing from modern business practices these

schools could be– Efficient– Productive– Cost effective

• Issues– Mixing profit and public service– What’s more important students needs or profit margins– Who would oversee the schools– Voters would lose the power to influence officials and educational

policy

Functionalist Perspective

Manifest Functions of Education• Social institutions develop because they meet

one or more of society’s basic needs• Manifest function – an action that produces

an intended and recognized result– Schools teach reading, writing, and math

– Transmit culture• Instill basic values, norms, beliefs,

and attitudes of society• Ex. – value of competition

– Create a common identity for members of society• Learning an official language• Sharing a national history and

patriotic themes• Being exposed to similar

informational materials promote a shared identity– There is a debate over bilingual

education, does it disrupt the common identity» This has led 23 states to adopt

English as their official language

– Select and screen talent• For over 50 years scores on intelligence and achievement tests

have been used for grouping children in school• Test scores have been used for tracking

– Tracking – placement of students in programs according to academic ability levels

– Promote personal growth and development• Exposes students to a wide variety of perspectives and

experiences that encourage them to develop:– creativity, – verbal skills, – artistic expression, – intellectual accomplishment– cultural tolerance

• schools attempt to prepare students for the world of work

Latent function Latent function – an action that

produces an unintended and unrecognized result– Day-care facilities for dual-employed

couples or single parents– Dates and/or marriage partners– Prevent delinquency by holding

juveniles indoors during the day– Training of athletes– Tracking can perpetuate an unequal

social-class structure from generation to generation