Chapter 16: Education

Head Start program

a federal program that provides academically focused preschool to students of low socioeconomic status

tracking

a formalized sorting system that places students on "tracks" (advanced, low achievers) that perpetuate inequalities

education

a social institution through which a society's children are taught basic academic knowledge, learning skills, and cultural norms

sorting

classifying students based on academic merit or potential

cultural capital

cultural knowledge that serves (metaphorically) as currency to help one navigate a culture

informal education

learning about cultural values, norms, and expected behaviors through participation in a society

No Child Left Behind Act

requires states to test students in prescribed grades, with the result of those tests determining eligibility to receive federal funding

credentialism

the emphasis on certificates or degrees to show that a person has a certain skill, has attained a certain level of education, or has met certain job qualifications

universal access

the equal ability of all people to participate in an education system

grade inflation

the idea that the achievement level associated with an A today is notable lower than the achievement level associated with A-level work a few decades ago

formal education

the learning of academic facts and concepts

hidden curriculum

the type of nonacademic knowledge that one learns through informal learning and cultural transmission

social placement

the use of education to improve one's social standing

cultural transmission

the way people come to learn the values, beliefs, and social norms of their culture