Transcript Inequality in American Education

Inequality in American
Education
Sociology of Education Overview
Sociology of Education:
A division of the field
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Functionalist Theory
Conflict Theory
Interactionist Theory
Contemporary Perspectives
Postmodern-Critical Theory
Functionalism and Conflict Theories of
Society
Functionalism
Conflict Theory
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Society is held together by shared values and
collective agreement
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Society is held together by the ability of the
dominant group to oppress and impose their
desires onto subordinate groups
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Consensus as the normal state of
society/Conflict as abnormal or representing
an area where society has broken down
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Conflict is the organizing principle of society
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Change is inevitable but evolutionary- a
natural progression of society through
reform
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Change is abrupt, often violent and
revolutionary because it must overthrow the
existing social order
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Meritocracy exists in our current society- if
you work hard you can achieve anything.
Rewards and success are commensurate
with hard work and ability
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Meritocracy is an ideology used to disguise true
power relations. It keeps people believing in the
system which is actuality a sorting machine that
serves the interest of the powerful
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Inequality and stratification are natural and
necessary for the functioning of society
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Inequality and stratification are manufactured
by the dominant group to serve their own
purposes
Interactionist Theory
(Constructivism)
– Critiques functionalists and conflict theorists as abstract
and only looking at societal (macro) level
– Focuses on interactions- takes the level of analysis
down from the societal level to the individual level.
– Explains how society is socially constructed through the
negotiation between our interactions with one another
and with the social structure.
– Commonly combined with either functionalist or conflict
perspective.
Current Dichotomies/False
Dichotomies?
• Functionalism vs. Conflict Theory
• Macro/Structural Perspectives vs.
Micro/Constructivist Perspectives
We need an analysis of the field that
recognizes how these dichotomies (false)
intersect and actually overlap.
Structuralism (Macro)
Constructivism
(Micro/Interactionist Theory)
Functionalism
Structural Functionalism Constructivism
Conflict
Theory
Conflict Structuralism
Conflict
Constructivism
Structural Functionalist Theories of
Education
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Since society is held together by shared values and collective
agreement, education functions to socialize students according to these
shared values
Function of schooling is to maintain social order
Schooling operates in the interests of the majority of citizens since social
order is in their best interest
Purpose of education
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Intellectual (teach cognitive skills)
Political (develop allegiance to the political order and how to function within a
democracy, learn basic laws of society)
Social (socialization to ensure social cohesion)
Economic (prepare students for later occupational roles, select and train and
allocate individuals in the division of labor)
Meritocracy: Success in school and therefore society is based on merit
and/or achieved through hard work.
Conflict Structuralist Theories of
Education
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Since society is held together by the ability of the dominant group to oppress and
impose their desires onto subordinate groups, education is also tool of oppression
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Schooling is an active agent in the distribution of power and access to resources
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Purpose of Education
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Sorting Machine: education stratifies people in neither natural nor fair ways.
Such stratification serves the interests of the powerful to maintain their
domination. Students are sorted toward occupations not based on ability but
based on their racial, gender, and class identities.
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Differential Socialization: Inequality as perpetuated through socializationwhere certain classes and races are socialized into limited occupational roles
while others are socialized into higher tier occupations.
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Promote Meritocracy: an ideological cloud that creates false consciousness.
Bowles and Gintis
Bowles and Gintis
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Corresponding relationship between social relations in
schools and social relations at work
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Different tiers of the education system mirror different
tiers of the workplace
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Social Reproduction and Universities
Vocational vs. College Prep courses
These practices in education don’t cause stratification
in society
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“Indeed, the class, sex, and race biases in schooling do not
produce, but rather reflect, the structure of privilege in society
at large” (85)
Constructivist Theories of
Education
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Social Construction: Focus on how the identities, realities, and
inequalities among and between students are constructed
through interaction in schools
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Agency: They emphasize the power of agency in clarifying and
uncovering interactions such as labeling, testing, counseling,
and teaching that lead to inequalities within and through
education
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Purpose of Education: constructivists do not have a strong
opinion as to the purpose of education
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Mehan’s Article
Conflict Constructivism
• Much like conflict structuralism but focuses on
social inequalities as products of complex
interactions
• Purpose of education: social reproduction
• Lack of agency: conflict constructivists leave
very little room for social mobility, leading to a
somewhat bleak and determinist view of
schooling and the reproduction of inequalities
Critical Theory
– Student and teacher empowerment
– Classrooms as sites for political action
– Democratic education that empowers
– Incorporate different voices in the
curriculum
– Education as social critique