Theory - C6: Education

According to David Labaree (1997), what are the three goals of the American education system?

1. democratic equality: Equal Access to Education (Title I funding)

2. social efficiency: Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs → produce a high skilled workforce

3. social mobility: College Access Programs → facilitate access to higher ed for disadvantaged Ss

(Bình đẳng dân chủ, hiệu quả xã hội, biến đổi mang tính xã hội.)

What is educationalization?

It can be used as the general concept to identify the overall orientation or trend toward thinking about education as the focal point for addressing or solving larger human problems.

How did the 1944 Education Act change the education system in England and Wales?

•       State schooling became free and compulsory up to the age of fifteen and was divided into three stages: primary schools (5-11 years), secondary schools (11-15) and further post-school training.

  -       A decentralized system resulted, in which a Ministry of Education drew up policy guidelines and local education authorities (LEAs) decided which forms of schooling would be used in their areas.

  -       Two types of state schools resulted from the Act: county and voluntary.

  - The eleven-plus examination (linguistic, mathematical and general knowledge tests) was taken in the last year of primary school at the age of 11

Progressive education is a pedagogical movement that began in the late nineteenth century and has persisted in various forms to the present. What was/were characteristic of progressive education?

• Moralistic piety → practical skills

• Rote memorization → “learning by doing”

• Subject-centered → child centered and means of social progress

• Physical education, music, and fine arts

• Vocational subjects as electives

• After-school extra-curricular activities (e.g. team sports)
  → Self-actualized person, free-thinking democracy

What is the significance of the Brown v. Board of Education case

• Struck down the principle of separate-but-equal education facilities for the races

• Pushed public schools districts to present plans for achieving “racial balance” in their schools

In the US, what is affirmative action in education

• It is the government’s attempt during the early 1970s to rectify the long-standing effects of discrimination within the education system. The affirmative action aims to support women and ethnic minority groups.

• It includes a redesign of primary/secondary school textbooks, hiring more teachers representing minority groups and encouraging minority groups to join the academic field.

What are the features of No Child Left Behind

-       George Bush, the US president signed the NCLB Act

-       Heavy emphasis on standard test results,

-       teachers being evaluated based on SAT score, high qualified teachers

-       more federal involvement in upholding teaching standards

-       school giving performance boost for minority/poor students, expanded options for parents

-       expanded flexibility and local control of schools (but they were constrained by strict federal accountability and testing requirements.)

What are the ongoing problems in education in the UK and the US

- Underpaid/overworked teachers, the teaching/learning standards, the heavy emphasis on test results, social/economic class inequality, job opportunity.