Education

Functionalist view: A theory that emphasizes the smooth working of society and the maintains of the social order  

Socialization: Process through which people come to share the values and practices of a society  

Sorting: The process of dividing students into groups, often based on ideas about intelligence or achievement  

Manifest functions: The obvious, intended functions of an institutions  

Latent functions: Unintended or unrecognized functions of an insitution  

Conflict perspective: A theory that society is characterized by a struggle among groups over power, and those with power attempt to hold onto it  

Achievement ideology: Belief that anyone can succeed through education and hard work  

Social reproduction: Process through which schools perpetuate the class structure  

Social capital: Resources people access through their relationships or social networks  

Cultural capital: Knowledge, habits, and skills valued by institutions  

Institutionalized racism: Racism is built into policies and practices  

Social interactionist theory: Perspective that looks at how people interact in normal life, including taken-for-granted behaviours  

Achievement gap: Differences in academic outcomes between groups of students 

Opportunity gap: Differences in opportunities and resources available to groups of students  

Food insecure: Lacking consistent access to nutritious food  

Concerted cultivation: A practice in which families, especially in the middle class, carefully and deliberately prepare their children for future success 

Accomplishment of natural growth: A less intensive form of parenting, more common among working class parents, that relies less on investing lots of time and money in each individual child’s success 

Social construct: A category that can take on the appearance of scientific fact, but is actually the product of society and culture  

De jure segregation: Segregation of schools enforced by law  

De Facto segregation: Segregation of schools created by residential segregation  

Double segregation: Concentration of large numbers of low-income student of color in particular schools  

Heteronormativity: Assumption that individuals are heterosexual and that biological sex and gender expressions are aligned  

Hidden curriculum: Unofficial messages to students that are communicated through rules, routines, arrangements of classrooms, and interactions 

Tracking: Process of sorting students into different groups based on ideas about ability, achievement, or prospects 

Second-generation segregation: Racial segregation within schools because of racialzied patterns in tracking assignments  

Education policy: Decisions about school related issues, including funding, operations, curriculum, student assignment, and staffing  

No Child Left Behind Act: 2001 federal law that mandated regular standardized testing and set consequences for low-performing schools  

Charter Schools: Privately run but publicly funded schools 

Critical race theory: race is the major source of oppression, is institutionalized in US society, and benefits white people and disadvantages POC