Preface xiii
Chapter 1
Sociology of Education: A Unique Perspective on Schools 1
The Field of Sociology of Education 2
What Sociologists Study 3
Why Study Sociology of Education? 3
Kinds of Questions Asked by Sociologists of Education 5
Theoretical Approaches and the Development of Sociology of Education 6
Functionalist Theory 7
Conflict Theory 10
Interaction and Interpretive Theories 13
Recent Theories in the Sociology of Education 14
American Sociology of Education 16
The Open Systems Approach 16
Research Methods in Sociology of Education 21
Sociology of Education in the Twenty-First Century 22
Organization of the Book 23
Summary
Sample study questions in sociology of education
Putting sociology to work
Chapter 2
Conflicting Functions and Processes in Education:
What Makes the System Work 27
Conflicting Functions of Education 27
The Importance of Processes in Educational Systems 29
The Function of Socialization: What We Learn and How We Learn It 29
The Early Childhood Education Controversy 30
Role of the Media and Commercials in Socialization 32
The Function of Cultural Transmission and Process of Passing On Culture 36
Some Factors Affecting Learning 37
How to Pass On Culture 38
What Culture to Pass On 39
The Function of Social Control and Personal Development 47
Violence and Discipline in Schools 48
The Function of Selection and Allocation: The Sorting Process 51
The Testing Game 52
Achievement Tests 54
The Function of Change and Innovation: The Process of Looking to the Future 55
Summary
Putting sociology to work
Chapter 3
Education and the Process of Stratification 60
The Crisis in Schooling 60
Education and Stratification in America 60
Education and Stratification Around the World 62
The Process of Stratification: Is Inequality Inevitable? 63
Determinants of Social Class 64
Major Explanations of Stratification 67
Stratification and Equality of Educational Opportunity 72
The Meaning of “Equality of Educational Opportunity” 72
Social Class Reproduction: The Debate over Public versus Private Schools 73
The Controversial Issue of “Choice” 75
Ability Grouping and Teacher Expectations 76
Financing Schools in the United States 85
Summary
Putting sociology to work
Chapter 4
Race, Class, and Gender: Attempts to Achieve Equality of Educational Opportunity 89
Gender and Equality of Educational Opportunity 90
Sex-Role Socialization 90
Sex Differences in the Educational System 92
Combating Gender Differences 100
Class, Race, and Attempts to Rectify Inequalities in Educational Opportunity 102
Trends in Public School Enrollments 102
The Underclass and At-Risk Students 104
Research on Equality of Educational Opportunity 104
The Battle over Desegregation 106
Court Cases on Desegregation 106
Effects of Efforts to Desegregate Schools 109
Student Goals, Aspirations, and Future Prospects 109
Integration Attempts 111
Educational Experience of Selected Minorities in the United States 116
Hispanic Students 116
Immigrants 118
Asian American Students 120
Native American Students 121
Special Education Students 122
Gifted Students 125
Improving Schools for Minority Students 126
Summary
Putting sociology to work
Chapter 5
The School as an Organization 131
Social System of the School 132
Goals of the School System 134
Societal and Community Goals 134
School Goals 136
Individual Goals 137
School Functions: The Purposes of the School 137
Diverse Functions 137
Unanticipated Consequences of Functions 138
Conflicting Goals and Functions 138
The School as an Organization 139
The School as a Bureaucracy 140
Characteristics of Bureaucracy 140
Development of Schools as Bureaucracies 145
Problems in Educational Bureaucracies 147
Schools as “Loosely Coupled” Organizations 148
Centralized versus Decentralized Decision Making:
The Fight over Control of Schools 149
Centralization of Decision Making 150
Decentralization 151
Professionals in the Educational System 153
Summary
Putting sociology to work
Chapter 6
Formal School Statuses and Roles: “The Way It Spozed to Be” 157
The Meaning of Roles 157
Status and Roles in the System 157
The School Organization and Roles 158
Role Expectations and Conflict 159
Perspectives on Roles 159
Roles in Schools 160
School Boards: Liaison Between School and Community 160
Superintendent: Manager of the School System 163
The Principal: School Boss-in-the-Middle 166
Teachers: The Front Line 170
Support Roles in the School: Behind the Scenes 181
Summary
Putting sociology to work
Chapter 7
Students: The Core of the School 186
Student Characteristics 186
Expectations for the Student Role 188
Learning the Student Role 189
Conflicting Expectations for the Student Role 191
Student Coping Mechanisms 191
School Failures and Dropouts 192
Who Drops Out? 193
Why Students Drop Out 195
Gangs and Schools 195
School Crime and Violence 198
Retention and Suspension: School Reactions to Problem Students 199
Adolescent Employment and Dropping Out of School 200
The Future for Dropouts 201
Criticisms of the Student Role 203
Students and the Informal System 205
Student’s Self-Concept 205
School Value Climate and Student Achievement 205
Teacher and Student Expectations 207
Peer Groups and Student Culture 207
Student Coping Strategies 210
Students and Their Environments 213
Effects of Home Environment on
Educational Achievement 213
Family Background and Parental Involvement 215
Social Class Background 216
Parenting Styles 217
Family Aspirations 218
Single-Parent Homes 218
The Role of Mothers 219
The Number of Siblings 219
Summary
Putting sociology to work
Chapter 8
The Informal System and the “Hidden Curriculum”:
What Really Happens in School? 223
The Open Systems Approach and the Informal System 224
The Hidden Curriculum 225
Reproduction Theory and the Informal System 226
The Educational “Climate” and School Effectiveness 227
The Value Climate 228
The School Climate and Effective Schools 229
Classroom Learning Climate 231
Student Friendship and Interaction Patterns in the Classroom 233
Power Dynamics and Roles in the Informal System 238
Theoretical Explanations of Power Dynamics in the Classroom 239
Teacher Strategies and the Informal System 240
Summary
Putting sociology to work
Chapter 9
The Educational System and the Environment: A Symbiotic Relationship 246
The Environment and the Educational System 247
Types of Environments 248
The School Systems’ Environments: Interdependence Between Institutions 250
Home and Family Influences on School 250
The Institution of Religion: Separation of Church and State 252
The Economics of Education: Financing Schools 256
The Political and Legal Institution 261
Communities and Their Schools 263
Summary
Putting sociology to work
Chapter 10
The System of Higher Education 267
History and Development of Higher Education 268
Historical Functions of Higher Education 268
Trends in Development of Higher Education 269
Theoretical Approaches to Higher Education 272
The Expansion of Higher Education 273
Access to Higher Education 274
Stratification and Equal Opportunity in Higher Education 274
Elite versus Public Colleges 276
Admissions and the Courts 276
Characteristics of Higher Education in the United States 278
Growth of Higher Education 279
The School-to-Work Transition and the Credential Crisis 279
Functions of the Higher Education System 280
The University as a Community 281
The Function of Research 281
The Function of Teaching 281
The Function of Service 282
The Function of the “National Security State” 282
Conflicts over the University’s Function 282
The Academic Function of Universities versus Big Business 283
What Type of Curriculum? 285
Higher Education as an Organization 286
Higher Education Structure and the Bureaucratic Model: Does It Work? 286
Roles in Higher Education 290
Roles in Higher Education: The Clients 290
Gender and Race in Higher Education 291
The Graying of College Graduates 296
Roles in Higher Education: The Faculty 298
Faculty Issues in Higher Education 299
Roles in Higher Education: Administrators 304
Environmental Pressures on Higher Education 305
Government Influence on Funding of Higher Education 305
The Courts and Affirmative Action 307
Environmental Feedback and Organizational Change 311
Outcomes of Higher Education 312
Higher Education: Attitudes, Values, and Behaviors 312
The Value of a College Education 313
Problems and Reform in Higher Education 315
Summary
Putting sociology to work
Chapter 11
Educational Systems Around the World: A Comparative View 319
The Field of Comparative Education
Comparative Education as a Field of Study 322
Comparative Education and the Systems Approach 324
Cross-Cultural Studies of Educational Systems 324
Comparative International Studies of Achievement 325
Theoretical Perspectives in Comparative Education 330
Human Capital Perspectives
World System Analysis
“Legitimation of Knowledge” Perspective 333
Rich versus Poor: An Educational Typology 334\
Global Institutional Interdependence 339
Education and the Institution of Religion 340
Family, Social Class, and Education 341
Education and Economic Institutions 342
Political-Economic Divisions Between Societal Systems 345
Higher Education Around the World 347
Summary
Putting sociology to work
Chapter 12
Educational Systems Around the World: Case Studies 353
Education in Britain 354
Development of Education in Britain 354
Control and Decision Making in Education 356
Structure of the Educational System 356
Composition of British Schools 357
Exams and Credentials 358
Inequality in Education and Occupational Mobility 358
Higher Education in Great Britain: Elite versus Mass Education 359
Education in the People’s Republic of China 360
Recent Historical Events Affecting China 361
The Drive Toward Modernization 361
Equality of Educational Opportunity
Status and Structure of Education in China 363
Higher Education in PRC 364
Formal Education in Colonial Africa 365
Education in Ghana
History of Ghanaian Education 366
Forms of Education 367
Nonformal Education in Africa
Structure of the Ghanaian Educational System 369
Equality of Opportunity in Ghanaian Education 369
Higher Education in Post-colonial Africa 370
Summary
Putting sociology to work
Chapter 13
Educational Movements and Reform 373
The Nature of Educational Movements 375
Early Educational Movements 377
Early European Education: Purpose and Function for Society 377
Educational Movements in the United States 378
Alternative Education and Related Movements 381
Third World Alternative Educational Movements 382
English Primary Schools 382
Open Classrooms 383
Back to Basics 384
Private Schools 386
Accountability Movements 387
Effective Schools and Educational Reform 388
Structural and Curricular Changes in the Schools 389
The “School Choice” Movement 389
“Multiculturalism” and “Political Correctness” 391
Technology and the Classroom 392
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
Other Movements, Reforms, and Fads 392
A Look into The Future
Summary
Putting sociology to work
References 426
Index 469