Unit 7: Education

1. Unit 7: Education Sociology Mr. Nicholas

2. Social Institutions Family Economy Politics Education Religion Mass Media

3. The Sociology of Education • Education • System that ensures the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next. • Schooling • Instruction by specially trained teachers who follow officially recognized policies

4. Sociological Perspectives • Functionalist • The world is a set of interrelated parts that work together to produce a stable society • Conflict • Interested in power struggles • Symbolic Interaction • Focuses on how individuals interact with one another through the use of symbols and language

5. The Functionalist Perspective on Education • Functionalists believe that education works to maintain the stability and smooth operation of society. • The most important of these functions include • Teaching the knowledge and skills • The transmission of culture • Social integration • Occupation placement

6. The Functionalist Perspective on Education • Core Curriculum • The subjects comprising a course of study in school • Cultural transmission • A process by which schools pass a society’s core values from one generation to the next. • Children learn social norms, values, and beliefs • Teach students patriotism, loyalty, and socially accepted forms of behavior

7. The Conflict Perspective on Education • The educational system serves to limit the potential of certain individuals and groups to gain power and social rewards. • They point to two factors as evidence: • Social Control • Tracking

8. The Conflict Perspective on Education • Social Control • Control serves to produce unquestioning citizens who accept the basic inequalities of the social system • Hidden Curriculum • The school’s transmission of cultural goals that are not openly acknowledged • Teaching a set of values that center on obedience to authority

9. The Conflict Perspective on Education • Tracking • Involves different types of educational programs based on test scores and behavior • Conflict theorists view this as a way for the wealthy and powerful to maintain their position in society.

10. Review

11. Issues in American Education • Educational Reform • To address a decline in the level of the quality of education • Educational alternatives • Provides school choice through vouchers, charter schools, and options such as homeschooling • Violence in the Schools • Has led to the use of security measures, zero-tolerance policies, and conflict-resolution programs • Bilingual Education • Controversial, particularly in states with many Hispanics; has led to “English Only” movement