Functionalism

Durkheim (social solidarity)

Individuals need to feel united and a part of a larger community then cooperation will be impossible

School is “society in miniature”

Transmit the value consensus

Durkheim (social solidarity) - evaluation

Marxists say that education transmits capitalism

Durkheim (specialist skills)

• Successful industrial economies need different specialist

• Education teaches specialist skills that parents can’t

• Schulz – human capital, we need to invest in education to create a qualified workforce

Durkheim (specialist skills) - evaluation

Often there is no correlation

Parsons (social bridge)

• Education is a social bridge between family life and the real world

• Family life = particularistic values (individual rules) like bedtimes, discipline, swearing etc

• Real world = universalistic values (same for everyone) like manners, politeness, queues

• Links to ascribed status (family e.g. brother status) and achieved status (manager etc status) – meritocracy

Parsons (social bridge) - evaluation

Meritocracy is a myth, wealthy people inherit wealth e.g. family businesses, elite jobs based on ascribed status

Davis and Moore (role allocation)

• Education system “sifts and sorts” workers into right jobs

•   High salaries for most important jobs encourage people to compete

• Financial inequality is necessary and a by product of meritocracy

• Everyone has equality of opportunity

Davis and Moore (role allocation) - evaluation

• Marxists say education brainwashes us into accepting capitalism

• Interactionists say this is an overly structural view, pupils do have free will and choice

• New right would argue students are not prepared to help the economy. There is a lack of vocational education

Education system is not meritocratic

• Class continues to be biggest determinant of educational achievement

• Black boys are 7 times more likely to be excluded than white boys

• Gap between gcse results between girls and boys