sociology exam 3 - education

two functions in the role of education

process of assimilation and skills + knowledge

process of assimilation

education is key to creating common culture and feelings of nationalism

skills and knowledge

contribute to the economy by ensuring people have skills to be good workers and have knowledge needed for higher ed

school funding and its implications

90% of funding comes from state and local budgets. on a local level, public schools are funded through property taxes. this creates a socioeconomic divide as more wealthier, affluent communities typically have more money going towards their schools

two forms of education and inequality

racial and economic segregation and achievement gap

achievement gap

disparity in the number of educational measures between performance of groups of students

what are ways that public policy tries to level the playing field in education

vouchers, charter schools, and marketization of education

vouchers

certificates of government funding that are provided to low-income parents as a source of money to send children to more affluent/wealthier public schools or private schools

charter schools

publicly funded, but established under a charter so do not have to follow state regulations. choose own staffing, teaching methods that are not typically traditional practices but have mixed results in academic performance

marketization of education

the implementation of market-based principles within the education system that aims to improve educational quality by fostering competition and allowing parents more choices by allowing for more autonomy and competition

implications of public policy and education

research has found that white parents value not having children attend with minority and these public policies allow for white parents to separate their white children from the minority

standardization testing and concerns

not a fair method to assess intelligence because those who made less than 80k per year, were a minority group, or disabled, all performed worse on SAT and ACT

higher education: trends in the US

• about 40% of Americans go to college

• wealthier a person’s family is, more likely to go to college and complete their degree

• women outpace men in bachelor’s degree completion

higher education: student loans

student loans are higher than ever and number of students borrowing is increasing because even though private colleges are more expensive than public, both have skyrocketed in price tremendously

higher education: student debt

price of college is increasing much faster than wages so more people have to take out loans to attend college but this causes more debt. majority of people believe college is worth it if you do NOT have to take out loans

implications of student debt

• affects career choices as people seek out higher paying jobs even if it may not interest them

• affects ownership (inability to buy/afford a home)

• affects savings

• affects mental + physical health