Culture, Eugenics, and Educational Inequality: Key Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on culture of poverty, biological determinism, eugenics, standardized testing, and educational inequity.

Culture of Poverty

A social theory popularized by Oscar Lewis arguing that poverty creates distinct values, attitudes, and behaviors (present-focused, fatalistic, lacking long-term planning) that reproduce poverty across generations.

The Children of Sanchez

Oscar Lewis's book that illustrated the culture of poverty in Mexican communities and informed his theory.

Oscar Lewis

Anthropologist who proposed the culture of poverty concept, using fieldwork to describe how poverty is sustained by cultural patterns.

Biological determinism

The belief that genetic/biological factors largely determine human traits and social outcomes, minimizing environmental or cultural influence.

Eugenics

A discredited pseudoscience that claimed to improve human populations by controlling genetic quality; used skull measurements and biased tests to justify racism, slavery, and coercive sterilization.

Samuel Morton

19th-century physician whose skull measurements were used to argue racial differences; his methods were biased and foundational to eugenics.

The Mismeasure of Man

Seminal critique by Stephen Jay Gould showing how intelligence was measured and interpreted with bias to support eugenic ideas.

IQ test

A standardized test intended to measure intelligence; historically used to justify social hierarchies and biased against certain groups.

Forced sterilization

Coercive sterilization practices (e.g., in U.S. hospitals) targeting people deemed genetically unfit, rooted in eugenic thinking.

High-stakes testing

Standardized tests with significant consequences (advancement, admissions); can reinforce inequities due to unequal access to resources and preparation.

Environmental Context Dashboard

A tool used by the College Board to provide context for SAT scores by accounting for students' environmental factors.

Proposition 13

California ballot measure (1978) that limited property tax increases, reducing funding for education and public services and increasing inequities.

Tracking

Dividing students into ability-based groups or classes, which can limit opportunities and reinforce educational segregation.

Industrial model of education

View of schooling as training for factory-like, obedient labor; critique of outdated, rigid classroom structure.

EL students (English Learners)

Students whose first language is not English; face unique barriers in assessment and access to instruction.

Scaffolding

Educational support that is gradually removed as students gain independence in tackling challenging tasks.

Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR)

Approach where youth researchers investigate issues affecting their communities and take action to create change.

Positionality statement

Reflection on a researcher/teacher’s social identities and power, acknowledging biases and how they shape practice and interpretation.

Privilege

Unearned advantages tied to social identities (race, class, gender) that influence access to opportunities.

Intersectionality

The interconnected nature of social identities that create overlapping systems of discrimination or privilege.

Genetic determinants

Belief that genetics alone explains differences in traits/outcomes; used to justify segregation or punitive policies.

Cultural determinants

Theory that culture and socialization explain differences in outcomes; can lead to arguments for assimilation or cultural change.

School determinants

Within-school factors (resources, policies, curriculum) that affect student success and contribute to inequities.

Societal determinants

Broad social factors (racism, policy, economy) that shape educational opportunities and outcomes.