SOC150: Stratification and Education

important concepts of public schools

linked to a country’s economic development, are funded by the government and taxpayer dollars, separation of church and state led to publicly funded schools, mandatory education laws passed to promote literacy and civic engagement, and 87% of US students attend public schools

education

a social institution that teaches students to become members of society; directly and indirectly exposes students to the knowledge and skills they need to participate in other social institutions like the economy and the family

educational attainment

how much education a person has

educational achievement

how a person performs in school

educational achievement gap

disparity on various education measures between the performance of groups of students, especially groups defined by gender, race, ethnicity, ability, and socioeconomic status

factors explaining the educational achievement gap

1. higher SES; parents invest more in children’s cognitive development

2. income inequality; parents with higher incomes purchase more goods and services to help their children succeed in school

3. differences in parental education

4. residential segregation; higher resourced schools and extracurricular activities

assimilation

education and its contents are important in creating a common culture

official curriculum

learning a common language and the facts of a shared history creates a sense of “affinity” among members of a society

credentialism

overemphasis on credentials, like education degrees, in determining status and employment opportunities

impacts of credentialism

less emphasis on the content of the official curriculum, reliance on credentials to confer social status, focus on degree impedes actual learning, reproduces stratification, credentials are devalued over time, and credentials become increasingly expensive

the Hidden Curriculum

traits of behavior or attitudes that are learned at school but not included in the formal curriculum; more emphasis on social reproduction, “tracking” socializes students into different roles

Bowles and Gintis, 1976

modern education is a response to the economic needs of industrial capitalism

myth of meritocracy

a society or system in which stratification is based on personal merit, individual talent, and effort; anyone who works hard can get ahead since opportunities are not constrained by the social position we were born into (not true in US society)

educational measures

grades, SAT scores, and college admissions; don’t always measure everyone’s talents consistently since they don’t account for differences in opportunities and resources