Education Education the social institution through which society provides its members with important knowledge including basic facts Jon skills And cultural norms and values Schooling formal instruction under the direction of specially trained teachers A deliberate planned effort that takes place in a brick and mortar of virtual classroom to impart specific skills or information Vehicle through which students are exposed to a collective consciousness Formal academic subjects such as mathematics and science Hidden curriculum lessons conveyed by teaching method type of assignments tests etc that sends messages to students about the value of the subject and about culturally valued ways of thinking and behaving Functionalist Perspective Socialization Primary schooling basic language and mathematical skills Secondary expansion of basic skills to include cultural Educational systems create and transmit culture values and norms Cultural Innovation Social Integration Social Placement Brings diverse nation together Enhancement of meritocracy Conflict Perspective Schools do not always fulfill the functions they seek to provide Simply perpetuate the inequalities to the larger society Unclear to what extent education plays a role in job success Latent Functions of Schooling Schools as child care providers Engages young people at a time in their lives when jobs are not plentiful Sets the stage for establishing relationships and networks Link between particular schools and career opportunities Social Inequality Social control reinforces status quo Standardized testing Biased based on race ethnicity or class Racial Inequalities Racial segregation continues in the educational setting with most non white Hispanic students attending predominately nonwhite schools and most white students attending predominately white schools Segregation creates significant differences in learning Test scores affected by neighborhood which is in turn affected by environment family background Schooling People with Disabilities About half of all children with disabilities are schooled in special facilities the rest attend public schools Mainstreaming integrating students with disabilities or special needs into the overall educational program Works best for physically impaired students who can keep up academically Schooling and Social Inequality School tracking programs School Inequality Tracking assigning students to different toes of educational Disadvantaged students typically end up in lower tracks Public vs Private Schools Even public schools are not all the same Problems in Schools Discipline and violence Many believe schools need to teach discipline because it isn t addressed within the home setting Students and teachers are assaulted Weapons are brought to school Society s problems spill into schools Student passivity Many students are bored Dropping out Dropout rate has declined slightly in recent decades Dropping out is least pronounced among non Hispanic whites Actual drop out rates are probably twice the government s numbers Some reasons for dropping out Problems with English language Pregnancy Must work to support family Teacher Shortage Schools have adopted new recruitment strategies Incentives higher salaries and signing bonuses States could make certification easier School districts are recruiting in places such as Spain India and the Philippines Academic Standards everyday living Functional illiteracy lack of reading and writing skills needed for The US spends more on schooling than almost any other country but teens still show low science and math skills US students generally are less motivated and do less homework than Japanese students Japanese students au have 60 days more of school Government makes money available to help certain categories of Expanding Higher Education people pay for college Community colleges Low tuition Scholarships Adult Education More adults are going back to school