Sociology chapter 13: Education and capitalism

what happened when researchers controlled for ses

-many of the black-white educational gaps are significantly narrowed -1/3 of test score gaps between black and white students are removed -African Americans had a greater chance of graduating from high school (44% less likely to be held back & equally likely to be suspended as whites)

Why are IQ test unreliable?

-measure one type of intelligence -most IQ test are culturally biased towards whites, with middle class knowledge. The test reflects the knowledge of the dominant group , who thinks they are worthy to be called intelligence -IQ test do not measure innate intelligence

why are privileged students so over represented in college tracts if they are not placed based on merit?

-middle class parents intervene in school matters to obtain best advantages for their children.(They may request their child be placed in college level track classes despite mediocre achievement) - in diverse schools parents might want to separate their children from the minority and lower-class students in the lower tracks.

Cultural Capitol and education

-more subtle way that social class is related to education -cultural capital is the symbolic and interactional resources that people use to their advantage in various situations 3 types -embodied (singer) -objectified (mic; headsets) -institutionalized (music ind)

resource dilution model

-parental resources are finite and each additional child gets a smaller amount of them. -Also if children are spaced closer together, there is more competent for the same resources at the same time. -Resources and interaction

how can the differences between private and public schools be explained? (2)

-researchers also suggest that the strong effects of the catholic schools stem from large amounts of social capital in the community. -the closeness of the catholic community reinforces among teachers, parents, and students behaviors and norms that are conductive to learning.

So why do colleges use the SAT?

a college can receive a lot of applications, so using a numerical cutoff can lessen the work overload. the sat may just be a testament to the college board to sell its product.

Affirmative action

a set of policies that grant preferential treatment to a number of particular subgroups within the population. It is intended to level the playing field for historically underrepresented groups such as racial minorities and woman. It is now seen as the only preferential treatment.

Hidden Curriculum (Phillip Jackson)

a term used to describe the non academic and less overt socialization functions of schooling. -hidden curriculum is taught by the school, not the teacher; the teacher is kind of an active role. The hidden curriculum is something coming across to the pupils which may never be spoken in english -they are picking up an approach to living and an attitude to learning

objectified capitol

a thing that requires investment of time and money to acquire

credentialism

an overemphasis on credentials signaling social status or job qualifications (college degrees) -when everyone has too much education, employers increase job requirements to screen out people. -to do this, they rely more and more on credentials and area of specialty (field your degree is awarded) -

when it comes to affirmative action what group is four times as likely to be admitted as other students? what group is 3 times as likely to be admitted despite lower SAT scores?

athletes Legacies (children of alumni)

how can the differences between private and public schools be explained?

certain academic and behavioral differences between sectors predict educational outcome ex: -private school students do more homework -have a greater chance of being enrolled in academic programs -take more college preparatory classes than public school students. -private school students have better attendance -fewer fights -threaten teachers less

institutionalized capitol

cultural capitol that becomes legitimized through a formal system, such as business or education -education:getting accepted into an elite music school because of your singing ability.

The Coleman Report

report that showed achievement differences exist between students at different schools , but they did not have any educational outcomes -conducted 1964 after brown vs. board of education -this was at a time when public schools throughout the nation were highly segregated & achievement gaps between black and white schools remained high -the government suspected that school resources affected achievement gaps, however Coleman found that resources did not matter. - They found differences in achievement among schools could be attributed to two factors: family background & other peers with whom students attended school ; black students did better in majority white schools and lower-income students did better in middle-class schools

embodied capitol

skill that rest in your body

Conflict Perspective

-American views on education and the expansion of the school system in the 21st century: education is a badge of elite status. -High levels of education signal to employers that you have been indoctrinated in the dominant group' values; it is a screen for top positions. higher levels of education is becoming universal; you can no longer get by with a high school diploma. more people completed high school so members of the elite and those who wanted to be in the elite had to obtain more and more education to set themselves apart from others. -the conflict perspective also provides an explanation for the rise of credentialism

Private vs Public schools

-Research has found that school sectors (private or public) is associated with educational outcomes even after students different backgrounds are taken into place. -however after diving the institutions into catholic and non catholic researchers found they found that private catholic schools successfully prepared students academically, particularly students from disadvantaged backgrounds. -catholic private schools (are cheaper than secular private schools) scored higher followed by secular private, then public school students. -so private schools have an impact, but not according to how expensive they are.

what is the most widely celebrated example of how schools affect educational achievement?

-STAR, a longitudinal, four-year study began in 1985 Tennessee State Department of Education. ( used to examine short term and long term consequences of smaller size classes) - in the study teachers and students from kindergarten through 3rd grade were randomly assigned to small classes (13-17), regular sized classes (22-26), and regular sized classes with teacher's aids. - short term: the research shows that smaller size classes significantly benefited students compared to larger classes -short term: they even found that when the students returned to regular size classes, they showed better discipline and higher achievement test score than non participants. They even found that the benefits were long lasting -long term: students who were placed in smaller classes all four years had higher graduation rates and were more likely to take an ACT or sat (measure for if students planned to go to college) -short term & long term: the effects were particularly strong for minority students and those from low-income families.

how are subjects divided

-ability required (high or low) - type of preparation (academic, vocational, or general) ex: if you are college bound , you may be placed in honors or ap college classes it is beneficial to preparing them for future positions and explaining large differences we observe within schools.

what are schools supposed to teach students?

-basic skills -impart knowledge * however students are expected to leave school with the ability to read, write, and do arithmetic, as well as know history.

overall tracking can..

-be an important factor in increasing or reproducing inequality -give educational advantages (awards the advantages, to already advantaged children) -minority and lower-class students are often left behind, receiving inferior instruction and learning less in their classes.

what did Jonathon kozol find when touring public schools?

-black students were disproportionately sorted into special education classes that focused on teaching vocational skills -decisions like this by schools make theorist wonder if selection was based solely on merit.

why are middle-class and upper-class parents more involved in their children edu than lower class parents

-both parents agree that edu is shared responsibility -lower class parents do not have a much time to be involved in their child's education. -lower ses parents within bureaucracies facing authorities (teachers and principles) have lower degrees of cultural capital.

what is tracking intended to do?

-create a better learning environment ex: students are more likely to focus on subjects they like -creating a significant impact after controlling for back ground characteristics ex:students are more likely to graduate if they have higher math achievement in their schools college track. -determine whether students would attend college. -tracking can also determine the likeliness of students being unemployed (less) and the the likeliness of students entering the workforce as skilled laborers (more)

Educational Gpa between black and white students

-data shows black students underperform compare to whites on edu achievement. -blacks score lower on cog test and experience higher rates of being left behind,suspended, and expelled -this is reflected through high school and college graduation rates

pressure cooker

-describes the teacher student intimacy over a long period of time , day by day. -what goes on inside this intimate setting will play an important role in student outcomes.

family and educational outcomes

-family size (more children the lower achievement test score and grades) -how far apart children are spaced (children with sibling closer in age have lower achievement ; additional brothers also have a large impact)

what will happen if affirmative action is banned?

-fewer African American and hispanics would be admitted to selective colleges. -these students would be at disadvantage due to test score gaps -acceptance rates would go from one half to two-thirds -diversity would be limited on college campuses as well as attendant opportunities for interaction and dispelling of stereotypes.

The boy girl achievement gap

-girls are less likely to repeat a grade -girls out perform boys in reading and writing test -girl attend college in higher numbers and are more likely to graduate -does not pay off in the workplace (earn 80% of a mans salary) -boys engage in risky behavior -boys take a larger proportion of calculus and science ap test ( score higher than girls) -score higher on every ap test except for foreign language -sat score (math and critical reading )

Human Capital

-knowledge you obtain from post secondary or vocational schools; can be considered an investment to your future. -investing in knowledge and skill can make you more productive and bankable - can go to college, take a night class, or learn a trade.

How would other theorist see schooling?

-schools sort students according to their future jobs -they then teach them the skills necessary for those positions -they believe schools test students for ability, talent and social and moral character. Then they eliminate students who aren't up to snuff while promoting the best and the brightest. -once sorted, students are taught different skills and socialized in the ways deemed most appropriate for their likely future positions. once in their respective programs, they then start to learn the skills and behaviors necessary for success in their future careers. -this would be good if students were sorted according to merit, however schools divide students in way that reproduce inequalities -schools may disproportionately sort lower-class students into vocational classes that feed them into blue-collar positions; which put them right back into lower class

what contributes to the educational gap

-social class (have lower levels of each of the four social class indicators) class differentials are illustrated through... -poverty -wealth compared to whites

True or false: Some teachers are more effective due to instructional methods.

-some teachers may prefer more traditional teaching styles -some may try out the latest strategies -some may invent their own

what happened when researchers looked into background influences in black-white achievement gaps

-summer setbacks -during the summer, upper-class children continued to make gains while the lower-class student lost ground. These students are exposed to edu opportunities in the homes, communities, and summer camps. So by the time school returned to school, they were sig ahead of their lower-class peers.

Functionalist perspective of academic achievement in higher education (everything fulfills a function)

-supply and demand: industrialization took hold, jobs became more technical, and required a more educated workforce. education responds to employer demand however it is found that education does not prepare students for their jobs, they are supplied with more education than they need so there is a more plausible explanation.

genemovement

-the belief that racial differences in intelligence are genetic -IQ test were deemed as biased -whites score higher -blacks score lower -students with lighter skin scored higher than students with darker skin -superiority of white skin was used to promote innate intelligence *The bell curve- everyone is where they are because their genes within America's meritocracy

why might tracking me bad according to jeannie Oakes?

-there are stark differences in the quality of teaching -there are stark differences in the quality of content of materials; two students can take the same exact course, but if the content is different then two students will obtain two separate lessons from the class.

Private schools vs Public schools The findings one an elite educational system

-they have a legitimating function (this person worked very hard) - they also allow meritocracy and upward mobility to students who do not come from rich backgrounds.

Robert Rosenthal & Lenore Jacobson ; creative research design

-they visited an elementary school and administered IQ test -the test measured cognitive abilities to all the students -they randomly selected one-fifth of the students and told the teachers that these students were especially bright and had potential for growth (deception) -however when they came back, the students did significantly better than their peers on the IQ test and their teachers thought better of them *the study accomplish to see how teacher expectations can affect student achievement **

True or false

-tracking may or may not benefit high-performing students -parents goals for their children may play a large role in the kid's educational outcomes -maybe students would be equally successful had their school forgone tracking and kept all the students together.

stereotypes (last explanation for black-white achievement)

-underperformance is the result of African Americans having internalized neg stereotypes. -if you are told you are lazy, ignorant, or stupid long enough and treated this way you will begin to believe it. Then it will begin to affect your academic outcome (self-fulfilling prophecy) -stereotype threat

stereotype threat

-when members of a negatively stereotype group are placed in situations where they fear that they may confirm those stereotypes. -can contribute to black underachievement ex: black students who take the sat may fear that they will confirm the stereotypes that black people are unintelligent

what are the most effective teaching methods?

1. minimize lost class time to activities others than instruction 2.havng clear expectations for acceptable behavior and consistent consequences for misbehavior 3.maintaining a fixed routine 4.setting high standards for class work

True or False: Affirmative Action is the only preferential treatment.

False (it is a myth) schools give preferential treatment based on many characteristics other than race and ethnicity. These preferences are equal or even higher than the ones given to African American and hispanic students -legacy -athlete -exhibiting leadership -living in a certain place -unusual life circumstances

True or False: Affirmative action takes away opportunities from deserving white students.

False (this is a myth) -affirmative action only selects 1/5 of institutions in America; most institutions admit just about everyone. -sometimes being black or hispanic gave no advantage -it is considered to be a small probable event; many white students believe they would have a chance on getting into elite schools if affirmative action was abolished. However this would only increase the chances by . 5%. The gain would go to Asian students , who are not considered to be underrepresented minorities whose grades tend to be higher than whites. Their acceptance rate would increase from 18 to 23%

True or False: upgrading does reflect the increase in skills needed for particular jobs

False; upgrading credential requirements means that some people will be over qualified for their jobs. -upgrading degree requirements by employers is perpetuated by students who get more edu to meet minimum requirements. (when too many students reach the requirements; they up the minimum level) -so to change this some students differentiate themselves academically not just through years of edu but through quality of edu though selectivity or prestige of the college they attend. ex: when edu levels are saturated members of the wealthier class don't just move on to the next level of education; they attend the best within their tier. high school level :students are sent to private school or highest tracks at school college level: more competition among students to get into most selective schools.

How does marxist theorist Samuel Boweles and Herbert Gintis, see schooling?

Marxist Theorist, believe schools are unwitting pawns of the capitalist classes that teach the skills that are conductive to maintaining dominant and subordinate positions in the workforce such as self-discipline, obedience, punctuality, and dependability.

what are some other forms of cultural capital? (within the home)

Middle class parents... -language, -question asking -debates -use of wide vocabulary Lower class parents -more directives (few words) higher class parents -may feel entitled or see the teacher as inferior to them; unlike middle-class and low class parents -they may judge teachers to intervene in they child's schooling to gain advantage for them example: challenging a grade given by the teacher and persuading him or her to change the grade. **because schools value verbal ability and use of middle-class speech pattern , students accustomed to this verbal pattern enjoy more advantages. -things learned outside of the home (game: name the states; minorities are not familiar; white students are familiar; students who are familiar learned or remembered these states based on family importance)

why is the SAT the most pivotal part of the admissions process at most schools?

The SAT is most vital because it helps predict a students potential for college success above and beyond typical measures like GPA and class ranks which varies across schools The SAT was also designed to predict a students grads for their freshman year of college it predicts... -freshman gpa -class rank -likelihood of graduation -chance of obtaining advanced degrees it does not... -predict college outcomes above and beyond high school grades and class rank (gpa might me a stronger predictor; many admissions officers might make the same decisions with gpa 84 percent of the time) -predict college outcomes for non white students (black and hispanic students) -allow for meritocracy: do scores reflect the abilities that should matter? No, scores are correlated with race, ethnicity, and class; African Americans and Hispanics score lower than white and high class students. high class students also score higher than low class students. -predict very well when family background is controlled (researchers calculate how well the sat can predict if all students came from the same background); part of the SAT's prediction power stems from the assumption that students with higher income generally get better grades, which then creates higher SAT scores. using Background characteristics work so well to predict outcomes that using they would work just as well as gpa and test scores. *choosing students based on gpa, school, and ind demographics predict freshman college gpa just as well as high school gpa and sat score. so higher class students from wealthier schools would be chosen by admissions officers to save time and money, but this would be bad for it's meritocratic nature.

Why was the SAT formed?

The sat was formed so that children who attend local public schools could have the chance to show he or she was just as capable as an elite child to attend college

True or False: Most schools do not achieve the goals of proper education, which leads them into the direction of functional illiteracy.

True

True or False: The boarding schools used to assimilate native Americans were disbanded because it was too expensive and encouraged dependency

True

True or False: differences among students within (achievement ) schools are significantly greater than the differences among students between (high ses or low ses) schools

True

True or false: All schools are not created equal and these differences are likely to affect educational outcomes.

True

True or false: The Sat is biased toward certain groups

True - negative stereotypes of minority play an important role in explaining differences in test scores; stereotype threat (form of test anxiety)

True/ False: Teachers have low expectations for certain groups of students even if they have the same cognitive abilities as students in other groups

True -boys -minorities -lower-income youth

True or false: Tracking has dark side

True -general tracking benefits - in-btwn tracking does not -students from privileged background are more likely to be in college even after looking at variables that predict track placement (achievement) -race, ethnicity, and class allow high class whites to be over represented in academic tracks and black, hispanic, and lower-class students to be over represented in non college tracks

True or False: some important aspects of embodied cultural capital include the ability to deal with bureaucracies(school system), confidence in public school settings, and a sense of entitlement

True -in a school setting these advantages work in concert with awards schools give to students w/ same values of the institution. -ex: parent involvement ; volunteering in classrooms or reading to children leads to improved student edu outcomes. -behaviors rewarded by schools are not necessarily what is "right" or "correct" -ex:schools sometimes value children who quietly accept directives and students who don't share their opinions

True or False: a large portion of the achievement gap can be explained by African American students hesitancy to excel in school for feel of being accused of "acting white"

True These things lead blacks to doubt their own intellectual ability and associate book learning and school with being white... -oppression -questions about their innate intelligence

True or False: schools have been viewed as excellent places to integrate immigrants and other outsiders to instill dominant cultural values.

True ex: American Indians as the country expanded eastward; Americans used school to assimilate native Americans. -Banners like "kill the school" save the child were used -Boarding schools were used , such as Carlisle Indian Industrial school. These schools took children away from their schools to teach them a more civilized way of living. -Children where forbidden to speak their own language, -schools were placed far from the home -native practices were disparaged -christianity was encouraged -white ways were generally praised.

True or False: inversion of dominant values is prevalent among many groups (achievement is bad, acting out is good)

True also the acting white dynamic may be a result of school desegregation and tracking (????) -many blacks find themselves in majority-white schools now. -this combined with tracking, unfair tracking, means high achieving blacks find themselves socially isolated in honors and ap classes. -good: does not deter efforts to achieve -bad: minorities challenge themselves in an academic setting

True or False: peers can affect instruction that is taught within the class room

True. - behavior problems in a classroom can significantly increase other students disciplinary problems and reduce their test scores. -low performing students can also benefit from being in a class room with students of high ability

True or false: Schools may teach more specific skills that students need for the workplace

True; vocational programs focus on carpentry or mechanical skills whereas professional schools train doctors and lawyers

True or False: African American and Hispanic students who gain entrance to selective schools through affirmative action are underprepared and will flounder in the competitive environment.

false (this is a myth) -black and hispanic students who have background characteristics, sat scores , and high school gpa equivalent to white students have lower college gpa -however the more the selective the schools that black and hispanics attend, the greater their chance for graduation and the more likely to earn professional or doctoral degrees. -these students perform the same as their non minority counterparts in achievement but they don't perform the same in income -post schooling disparities exist based on other determinants like family income. minorities will come from lower class families and athletes from higher class families (within elite colleges)

Innumeracy

having insufficient mathematical skills to function in society it affects 22% of the nations population 16 years and older.

Socialization

is another function of schooling; it is the act of the school passing down beliefs, values, and attitudes that are important to American society. ex: bell rings that ensure we get to class on time; punished for cheating reinforces consequences of being dishonest; taught to obey authority. what is important is that most of American students go through the same socialization process; it gives them common background so that they can enter the workforce or other institutions where they must function collectively.

IQ test

measurements of intelligence -are iQ test reliable? Not really.

class and edu (advantages)

money -parents can afford tutoring if the student is lagging (Kaplan= $1000, hand scoring=$100, and college-consultants=$40,000) -parents can liquidate or borrow against stocks and bonds or mortgage their housing to pay for college edu, buy another house in a better school district, or send you to private school. parental edu -more parents with edu feel more comfortable helping their children with homework( less educated parents have a hard time) -parents with income, wealth,and education can afford tutors and the best schools to provide more extensive help with homework.

Class and education

social class or socioeconomic status (a persons position in stratified social order) is composed of -parent education -parent occupation status -family income -family wealth student who have higher levels of any of these 4 measures oaf class generally enjoy better educational opportunities. -obtain more years of schooling -more likely to complete high school before 19 -score higher on cognitive test -more likely to be placed in higher tracks ** class can be determined through factors that affect educational achievement ; sat scores can be an example. Sat scores determine educational outcomes based on class (link between what edu you have and what ses that edu is placed)

components of the class room

teacher: some teachers are more effective than others however researchers can not pinpoint the characteristics of teachers that affect student achievement (experience is one but only in the 1st few years ; education is another but there is no systematic pattern) -teacher expectation may motivate students to learn better -teacher low expectations may also depress outcomes of students -teacher instructional methods can also make him/her more affective than another. peers: who attends the class and how they behave set a tone for the classroom environemnt

best practices

teaching methods that have been found to positively affect achievement ; they are also supported by extensive research.

Functional illiteracy

the inability to read or write well enough to be a functioning member of society it affects 14% of the nations population 16 years of age and older.

social capital

the information, knowledge or people, and connections that help individuals enter, gain power in , or otherwise leverage social network.

education

the process through which academic, social, and cultural ideas and tools, both general and specific are developed.

Tracking

the way of dividing students into different classes by ability or future plans. tracking is used to place students so that existing social structures can be reproduced.

The pygmalion effect / The self-fulfilling prophecy

when teachers hold high expectations for certain students, these students respond by meeting teacher expectations

are there any alternatives to the public vs private school theories?

yes, it could be that families who value education are most able to get their kids into a private school are the families whose kids would succeed no matter what school they are in. schools are ultimately the sorting machine; they do not have any effect of their own. parents who send their kids to private school may only be receiving ideology of a better education for their money. *this is most accurate according to research**