Functions of Schooling
1. Socialization � teaches cultural norms and values
2. Social integration � molding diverse population into one society
3. Cultural innovation � opportunity for academic research
4. Social placement- reinforces meritocracy (social mobility by merit )
5.Latent functions
a.Providing child care for working parents
b.Occupies students who would otherwise compete for limited opportunities in the job market
c.Opportunity for social networks (career resource, marriage )
School and Social interactiona.
Self � fulfilling prophecy � describes how self-image can have important consequences for how students perform in school
School and social inequality
social control � a way of controlling people, reinforcing acceptance of the status quo
standardized testing � biased based on class, race or ethnicity � will always exist to some extent
1. reflects our society's dominant culture, minority students placed at a disadvantageb. School tracking � assigning students to different educational program
Public schools vs. private schooling (inequality in schooling)
Problems in Schools
1. Violence � schools do not create violence, violence spills into the schools from the surrounding society
2. Student passivitya.
A. Bureaucracy Rigid uniformityNumerical ratingsRigid expectationsSpecializationLittle individual responsibility
3. Dropout ratea. Dropping out � quitting school before earning a high school diploma
4. Declining academic standards
Functional illiteracy � a lack of reading and writing skills needed for everyday living
Grade inflation- the awarding of ever- higher grades for average work
Current Issues in Eduction
1. School choice � seeks to make schools more accountable to the public
Magnet schools
Schooling for profit
Charter schools
2. Home schooling � advocates the poor performance of public schools
3. Schooling people with disabilitiesa.
Mainstreaming � integrating students with disabilities or special needs into overall education program
4. Adult Education
5. Teacher Shortage
Population, Urbanization, and Environment
Demography � the study of population (size composition and distribution of a society's population)
Composition � gender, social class, race, age of population
Distribution � where are they located (living)
Goal- anticipate future needs and trends
Demographic variables
1. Fertility � the incidence of childbearing in a country's populationa.
Crude birth rate, the number of live births in a given year for every 1,000 people in a population
2. Mortality � the number of deaths in a given year for every 1,000 people in a population
Crude death rate- number of deaths in a given year for every 1,000 people in a population
Infant mortality rate � the number of death among infants under one year of age for each 1,000 live births in a given year
Life expectancy � the average span of a country's population
3. Migration � the movement of people into and out of a specified territory
In-migration rate movement into a territory calculated as the number of people entering an area for every 1,000 people in a population
Out-migration rate movement out of a territory calcuated as the number of people leaving an area for every 1,000 people in a population
4. Population growth � the size of a society's populationa.
To calculate population growth, demographers subtract the crude death rate from the crude birth rate
5. Population composition- the makeup of a society's population at a given point in time
Sex ratio- the number of males for every 100 females in a nation's population
Age-sex pyramid- a graphic representation of the age and sex of the population