EDUCATION

What is Education?Education is the social institution through

which society provides its members with important knowledge, including basic facts, job skills and cultural norms and values

educationIn many high-income

nations, education is largely a matter of schooling (formal instruction under the direction of specially trained teachers)

socializationIn many societies

families transmit a way of life from generation to generation but as societies gain more complex technology, they develop a trained workforce to pass on specialized knowledge

Cultural InnovationSchools create new

technologies and new ideas. Particularly in higher education, scholars conduct research that leads to new discoveries that can change our way of living

Social IntegrationSchools mold a diverse

population into one society sharing norms and values. This is one of the reasons why states enacted mandatory education when immigration was high

Social PlacementSchools identify talent

and match instruction to ability

Schooling can suggest the existence of a meritocracy by rewarding talent and hard work regardless of background and providing a path to upward mobility

Latent functionsSchooling can also

provide a form of child care

Schooling occupies thousands of young people in their twenties who would otherwise compete for a limited number of jobs

Schooling and Inequality

Conflict theory challenges the functionalist view of schooling

Conflict theory emphasizes how schooling can cause and perpetuate inequality

Social controlThe demand for public education arose just

as capitalists needed an obedient and disciplined workforce; once in school immigrants learned English and how to follow orders within this economic system

testing

Aptitude tests used by schools reflect our society’s dominant culture placing minority populations at a disadvantage

By defining majority students as smarter, standardized tests transform priviledge into personal merit

tracking

Tracking supposedly helps teachers meet a student’s needs and interests but our system typically places students from priviledged(I like the English spelling damnit) backgrounds into higher tracks where they receive more of what an educational structure has to offer