Problems in Education education social institution by which a society transmits knowledge including basic facts and job skills as well as cultural norms and values to its members schooling formal instruction carried out by specially trained teachers literacy ability to read and write o literacy rates are common measure of presence and or quality of education o expanding literacy rates is a primary goal especially in low income countries in an effort to replace agrarian economies with industry and service work unequal schooling and literacy o expanding literacy rates is a primary goal especially in low income countries in an effort to replace agrarian economies w industry and service work o most jobs in high income countries require literacy and specialized skills most young ppl live in rich nations complete both primary and secondary school 87 of adults of age of 25 in US have completed high school but extent of quality of schooling not equal problems of US education o parochial faith based learning o many are unsatisfied by public school system o academic performance o dropping out US has second highest percentage of adults w college degrees out of all industrialized nations literacy and science skills US students lag behind socially disadvantaged categories of students score lower than students from affluent families on standardized tests remember the cultural and class biases of standardized testing dropping out of school raises the risk of drug abuse arrest unemployment and poverty in adults a recent study concluded that if the number of high school dropouts were cut in half US taxpayers would save 45 billion a year recently National Education Association proposed that states make it illegal for a student to leave high school w o a degree before the age of 21 should states require students to attend high school until age of 21 o o functional illiteracy inability to read and write or do basic arithmetic well enough to carry out daily responsibilities barrier to getting a good job locking people in low wage work or unemployment or poverty school segregation and busing concept of separate but equal was institutionalized between 1896 and 1954 until the supreme court reversed its 1896 Brown v Board of Topeka busing was used to integrate schools bringing black students from nearby neighborhoods to predominantly white schools white flight resulted in many white families fleeing to the suburbs out of busing distance o school funding US public schools are funded by state local taxes the richest school districts spend more per student as the poorest school districts in addition to attending better schools children from affluent families benefit from greater cultural capital cultural capital experience and opportunities at home that advance your learning o tracking school policy that assigns children to various academic programs supporters claim that tracking provides students w schooling consistent with their interests and abilities critics claim that tracking assignment often are made according to social background so that affluent students benefit and disadvantaged students are harmed o gender inequality today a majority 57 of college students are women however gender still operates as a form of tracking that guides women and men into different majors o immigration and cultural diversity o students with disabilities cultural diversity is another challenge to US schools debate centers on whether it is better to place non english speakers in English immersion courses or to use a policy of bilingual education one argument is about student s learning learning immersed in one language or learning two languages helps overall cognitive development another argument is based on political and cultural objectives bilingual education places all cultural backgrounds on equal footing and encourages acceptances 7 million people with disabilities are enrolled in US schools debate about whether is is better to mainstream these students or to provide them with separate specialized programs mainstreaming integrating students w special needs into overall education program special education schooling students with physical or mental disabilities in separate classes w specially trained teacher 4 million new teachers will be needed in the coming decade shortage larger class sizes and greater burden on current teaching staff factors for shortage low salaries frustration over extensive bureaucracy lengthy hiring practices rigid rules on teaching o teacher shortage o school violence violent crime is a serious problem in US schools most schools have 0 tolerance for weapons drugs to school large urban or suburban schools are greater risk than small rural schools poor areas at higher risk o head start began in 1965 to help preschool children from most disadvantaged homes Head Start provides an integrated program of health care parental involvement education and social services for qualifying children Garcia Debt for Diploma system o general history behind student debt pay them off easily now different because college is big huge expensive academic capitalism hoffman o umbrella term for capturing the wide array of market and market like activities universities engage in to generate external revenues from education research and service o poses an oxymoron violates the common conception that academics should be motivated by the pursuit of new knowledge and the elevation of learning of profit academic capitalism hoffman some recent trends toward academic capitalism o transformation of policy and resources of American higher education fit practices culture of academic to globalized economy transformation of academic labor market reliance on adjuncts and graduate students o adjuncts part time teacher or professor without a permanent position or job o what are potential issues with a more profound blurring of public private boundaries in higher education War and Terrorism war organized form of aggression that involved armed conflict between politically distinct groups and is often part of national policy three essential conditions of war cultural traditions for war o o an antagonistic situation in which states confront incompatible objectives o nations move from thinking about war to actually engaging in it war revenge o o dictate will o protect enhance prestige o unite rival groups o protect exact the nation s leaders o o satisfy the national aspirations of ethnic group convert scope of problem o war in history of