Chapter 13: Education and Religion Flashcards
What is education as a social institution?
Education is the social institution through which a society teaches its members skills, knowledge, norms, and values to become productive members of society.
What are the two types of education?
Formal education: Occurs within structured institutions (e.g., schools, universities) under professional educators.
Informal education: Takes place outside of formal institutions, often at home or through life experiences.
How was education during the colonial period in the U.S.?
Education was primarily informal.
Only 10% of colonial children, mostly wealthy, went to school, and schooling wasn’t mandatory.
What functions did textbooks serve after the Revolutionary War?
Textbooks promoted patriotism, religion, and standardized language.
They also reinforced negative stereotypes of Native Americans and immigrants.
What is the significance of compulsory education by the late 1800s?
Compulsory education made access to free education available to children from all social classes.
It aimed to teach democracy, assimilate immigrants, and train children for the industrial economy.
What were the three main educational themes in U.S. history?
Wealthy white males were primarily educated until recently.
Compulsory education often served ethnocentric purposes and prepared poor people for blue-collar jobs.
Local control of schools led to inequalities in resources between wealthy and poor communities.
What are the manifest functions of education according to functionalist theory?
Socialization: Teaching societal norms, values, and skills.
Social integration: Helping immigrants and diverse groups integrate into society.
Social placement: Sorting students based on perceived abilities.
Innovation: Encouraging the development of future scientists, artists, and thinkers.
What are the latent functions of education?
Child care: Providing care outside of the home.
Peer relationships: Forming lifelong friendships.
Suppression of teenage labor competition: Reducing youth unemployment by keeping students in school.
How do conflict theorists view education?
Education promotes social inequality through tracking, standardized tests, and the hidden curriculum.
Tracking locks students into different academic paths based on perceived ability.
Standardized tests often reflect students’ socioeconomic status, not just academic ability.
The hidden curriculum teaches values that support the existing social hierarchy.
How does symbolic interactionism explain school behavior?
It focuses on the interactions between students and teachers.
Self-fulfilling prophecies: Teachers’ labels (e.g., “gifted” or “troubled”) can influence student behavior and performance.
What is the dropout rate for undergraduates in the U.S.?
The dropout rate for undergraduates is around 40%, with almost 1/3 of freshmen dropping out before their sophomore year.
How does social class affect educational attainment?
Social class and race significantly influence access to schooling.
Higher-income schools offer better opportunities and college attendance rates than low-income schools.
How does race impact educational outcomes?
African American students have the highest high school dropout rate at 54%.
Latinx students have a consistent increase in college enrollment from 22% in 2000 to 36% in 2020.
Asian Americans have the highest college enrollment rate at 59%.
What is the relationship between education and income in the U.S.?
Higher education correlates with higher employment rates and incomes.
People with a college degree earn significantly more than those with only a high school diploma.
How does education affect attitudes and behaviors?
Education typically leads to greater tolerance and less prejudice, particularly regarding race and sexism.
Learning challenges traditional ways of thinking and encourages more open-minded views.
What is a “credential society”?
A credential society is one in which the attainment of a degree or diploma is necessary for accessing most jobs.
How does education impact employment and income?
Higher levels of education lead to higher employment rates and higher earnings.
For example, in 2019, 87.3% of people with a bachelor’s degree were employed compared to 61.2% of those with less than a high school degree.
What role does education play in income disparity?
People with more education generally earn higher incomes.
In 2019, the median income for those with a master’s degree or higher was $69,980, while those with less than a high school degree earned $29,340.
How does race and gender affect the payoff from education?
Race and gender can influence the economic benefits of education.
White men and Asian American men tend to benefit more financially from education compared to Black, Latinx, and female students.
How does the U.S. educational system impact children from low-income families?
Children from low-income families often attend underfunded and inadequate schools, limiting their educational opportunities and future prospects.
What did Jonathan Kozol refer to as “savage inequalities”?
Kozol referred to disparities in school funding, conditions, and quality as “savage inequalities,” highlighting the poor infrastructure and resources in schools serving disadvantaged communities.
What was Kozol’s experience teaching in 1960s Boston?
Kozol observed crumbling school infrastructure, large classes, and severe overcrowding in public schools.
What disparities did Kozol find in his comparisons of inner-city and suburban schools?
Inner-city schools had crumbling buildings, outdated textbooks, and overcrowded classrooms, while suburban schools had modern facilities, extracurricular activities, and high-quality resources.
How has inequality in education persisted since Kozol’s book?
In wealthy states like Connecticut, poor students still attend some of the worst schools in the nation, with significant disparities in spending and resources.
How does children’s social class affect their education?
Social class is a key predictor of educational success, with poorer children facing early educational disadvantages that impact their long-term performance.
What is the difference between de jure and de facto segregation?
De jure segregation is legally mandated segregation, while de facto segregation occurs due to social and economic factors, without legal enforcement.
How did Brown v. Board of Education impact de jure segregation?
In 1954, Brown v. Board overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and declared de jure segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
Why does de facto segregation still exist in schools?
De facto segregation exists due to residential patterns, as children attend schools near their homes, and neighborhoods are often racially and economically segregated.
What is “double segregation”?
Double segregation refers to the segregation of students by both race and social class, often leading to concentrated poverty and fewer opportunities.
What is school choice?
School choice allows parents to use public funding for private schools or charter schools, offering alternatives to traditional public schooling.
What are the benefits of school choice according to advocates?
School choice provides poor families with access to high-quality education and forces public schools to compete, improving their offerings.
What are the criticisms of school choice programs?
Critics argue school choice defunds public schools, creates inequalities, and may result in “brain drains” from poorer districts.
What is the current status of school choice research?
Research is inconclusive, with some benefits for families, but little evidence that school choice improves public schools overall.
What were the statistics on school violence in the 1990s?
Between 1992-1999, there were 248 school deaths, averaging 35 per year, with the most infamous event being the Columbine High School shooting in 1999.
How has school violence changed since Columbine?
Since Columbine, 220,000 students have experienced gun violence at school, with 383 deaths and 805 injuries.
Are mass shootings common in schools?
Mass shootings are rare; less than 1% of homicides involving school-aged children occur at school.
What is the most common form of school violence?
Bullying is more common, with over 20% of students aged 12-18 reporting being bullied in 2019.
What are zero-tolerance policies in schools?
Zero-tolerance policies automatically suspend or expel students for weapons or weapon-like items, but they can lead to overreach and disproportionate punishment, especially for minority students.
What is the school-to-prison pipeline?
The school-to-prison pipeline refers to policies that criminalize minor misbehaviors, disproportionately affecting African American students and leading to higher incarceration rates.
Why is it harder to attain a college degree despite its growing importance?
Rising college costs and insufficient government support make it more difficult for many students to afford higher education.
How much student loan debt did Americans have by 2020?
National student loan debt topped $1.6 trillion by 2020, with the typical student loan debt exceeding $30,000.
What are the advantages of having a college degree?
College graduates typically experience lower unemployment rates and earn more, about $30K more per year than non-college graduates.
Is a college degree still worth it?
While the wage gap has increased, a college degree also provides “cultural capital,” which can enhance career prospects and social mobility.
How have college admissions changed regarding low-income students?
Many selective colleges are focusing on recruiting low-income students to increase socioeconomic diversity, and some institutions now provide financial aid to cover most expenses.
What has happened to social class stratification in higher education?
The U.S. higher education system has become more stratified, with wealthier students attending more selective colleges and poorer students attending less selective or community colleges.
What are graduation rates like for different student groups?
About 60% of students at 4-year institutions graduate within 6 years. Graduation rates vary by institution type, race, and social class, with lower rates for African American and low-income students.
What challenges do low-income students face in graduating?
Low-income students often face academic and financial difficulties, work long hours, and may struggle with weaker academic skills and adjusting to college life.
How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect education?
The pandemic disrupted education significantly, leading to enrollment drops, underperformance, mental health issues, and greater challenges for under-resourced districts.
What positive outcomes emerged from the pandemic for education?
Educators and students adapted to new technologies and methods, leading to more innovative teaching strategies and improved connection and care for students.
What Supreme Court case addressed the use of taxpayer money for tuition at religious schools?
Carson, et al. v. Makin (2022), where the Court ruled that once a state subsidizes private education, it cannot exclude religious schools.
