Exam 3: Education
The official and the hidden curriculum
•Educate: teach general skills, such as reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as specific skills needed for the workplace. •Socialize: transmit values, beliefs, and attitudes that are important to society, e.g., patriotism (This is the "hidden curriculum.") Schools also provide "soft skills," cultural capital, and social capital.
What is education?
•Education is the process through which academic, social, and cultural ideas and tools are developed. •Students emerge from school with more "human capital" that makes them better citizens and employees.
many people see schools as meritocratic
•Everyone has an equal chance to succeed •Students are evaluated fairly and equally •Outcomes are determined by individual effort
Higher Education
•In 1940, 4% of people over 25 had a college degree. •In 2016, 33% of people over 25 had a college degree.
SCHOOLS STRATIFY
•Schools sort students into groups that reflect •Skills they have when they start school •Support/demands from parents •This sorting is thus not based solely on merit.
Schools Do Not Eliminate Inequality
•Students enter the education system with unequal levels of human capital. •Students leave the educational system with unequal levels of human capital. Is this an intended function of education? TRACKING and STRATIFYING
TRACKING
•Tracking divides students into different classes according to ability or future plans. •In practice, tracking has a number of negative effects and may be more beneficial for those who are already privileged . . .
Getting a college degree is a process
1.Prepare in k-12 2.Apply to schools 3.Get financial aid 4.Enroll 5.Graduate Some people are much better equipped to complete that process.
Why is the education system not meritocratic? D
A. Everyone has an equal chance to succeed. B. Students are evaluated fairly and equally. C. Outcomes are determined by individual effort. D. Schools transfer privilege from one generation to the next.
Which of these is part of the hidden curriculum? C
A. Physical education B. Private Tutoring C. The American Dream D. Geometry
Do so many people really need a college degree?
CREDENTIALISM •overemphasis on credentials, such as college degrees, for signaling social status or job qualifications •As more people get college degrees, employers upgrade requirements to weed out more people.
Only individual ability can influence one's educational attainment.
FALSE
A Model of SES Transmission
Family SES -> Educational attainment -> Child SES -> Ability -> Educational attainment •Your family's SES influences your educational attainment •Your educational attainment influences your SES (Ability matters too.)
Paradox
School are supposed to provide equal opportunity. But some schools are better than others. And each school tends to treat its own students differently. Schools transfer privilege from one generation to the next.
Inequalities in Schooling
Studies show that educational outcomes reflect: •Gender •Race •Class •Family size •Birth order •Spacing between siblings
A Thought Experiment
To appreciate inequality between and within schools and the importance of family SES, try to identify all the ways you and your family would have behaved differently (in spending and earning money, allocating time, etc.) if: 1.All schools were of equal quality 2.All educational tracks were equally good 3.All education took place in school (never out of school) 4.Children never needed to contribute to the family income
Things to remember
When you consider why some people have more education than others, remember: •Getting an education is a process with many steps and hurdles •Only some of the hurdles are academic (many are financial) •Your success reflects your skill, talent and determination •Your success also reflects your family resources •Educational advantage is transferred across generations •Getting an education is easier for some people than others
What is tracking?
a system that divides students into groups according to abilities or interests
