education

• education


  the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding, the process happens throughout our lives through formal and informal education
• meritocratic system


  you are rewarded for how hard you try and effort you put in
• myth of meritocracy 


  you don't get what you deserve even if you have worked hard
• social mobility 


  able to move up and down the social ladder of life
• social cohesion


  idea that schools are meant to teach you how to like other people and not discriminate them based on race, age, gender, social class
• hidden curriculum

  • the learning that takes place outside of lessons in day to day school life
• hierarchy 


  shape of a pyramid, each later is smaller than the other - decrease in power

  in a school head teacher at the top and students at the bottom

  hierarchy in school reflect hierarchal structure of society
• competition 


  schools encourage competition between students

  eg. exam results

  society is also based on competition
• social control 


  the hidden curriculum of rules, regulations, obedience and respect for authority

  it is one mechanism of control that reflects those social control of Britain in society at large
• gender role allocation


  subject choice and gender in school and gender role allocation in the wider society

  job segregation begins at school
• lack of satisfaction


  critics of school claim that much or the school day is taken up with boring and meaningless activities
• durkheim (1858 - 1917)


  • durkheim saw the teaching of history as a key part of the socialisation process. people learnt to feel part of something bigger than themselves (part of a community), this helps to encourage children to understand that society is important
  • schools prepare us for the wider society where we have to co operate with people too wouldn't be with
  • Durkheim believed that in modern society where different people need to be able to do different jobs people need to have specialist skills
• criticisms of durkheim

  • feminists argue that the culture being transmitted is patriarchal and male dominated
  • they say it encourages traditional gender roles where girls/women are subordinated
  • not all students may accept the norms and values being transmitted
• bowles and gintis

  • education creates and then reproduces an obedient, submissive, disciplined and hard working workforce for capitalists
  • they are effectively 'trained' not to question bad decisions
  • studied 237 new york high school students - schools rewarded obedient and disciplined students
  • they concluded that schools produce an unimaginative and unquestioning workforce
• correspondence principle

  • link between the relationships and interactions expected values in school and those that are expected
  • schools mirror the workplace
• the myth of meritocracy

  • we are just led to believe that it treats people fairly/equally
  • this prevents people from questioning the system
• criticisms of bowles and gintis


  they assume that students have no free will

  many students reject the values of schools

  modern economies now require a flexible and creative workforce
• butler education act 1944

  aimed to improve society and the economy through a better education system --- led to the tripartite system
• aim of the butler act was for students to have an equal chance to improve their talents in a system of free education
• pros of the tripartite system

  • support available for different abilities
  • meritocratic
• cons of the tripartite system

  • reflected social class background as more privileged children would have better access to education and cultural capital outside of the classroom
  • therefore more ready for the 11+ exam
• 1965 comprehensive act

  middle class and working class students went to the same schoo
• pros of the comprehensive act

  • everyone went to the same local school
• cons of comprehensive act

  • continued to reproduce class inequalities due to streaming and labelling
• education reform act 1988

  • make the education system more business like
• national curriculum

  all schools in england and wales had to do the same subjects

  assessments were effected e.g SATs GCSEs

  produced greater equality in terms of subject choice
• privileged/skilled choosers

  generally middle class

  they sent their kids to schools that they want
• semi-skilled choosers 


  mixed class group

  more open to the media reports and judgment of other school s
• disconnected choosers 


  less able to make choices

  usually made their selections on geography or on the current 'happiness' of the child rather than in terms of job prospects
• criticisms of ball bowe and gerwitz

  • less academically able students were neglected
  • some schools introduced streaming and setting and this focused on higher sets
  • made schools unequal
• aims of new labour 


  wanted to raise standards in schools

  too many failing schools, without the right qualifications

  educational equality

  gave nursery kids free school meals
• raising standards (NL)


  introduction of academies

  education maintenance allowance - disadvantaged students get a weekly allowance for attending college

  gifted and talented programme

  aim higher programme

  sure start programme
• pre school education


  children under 5

  could be nurseries, playgroups, nursery schools
• primary education 


  infant and junior schools

  from age 5-11

  most is provided by the state, although there are some private, fee paying primary schools
• secondary education


  from ages 11-16

  provided by the state

  private fee paying grammar and independent faith schools are also available
• further and higher education


  eduction beyond compulsory age
• the independent sector 


  private schools

  they don't have to follow the same rules as state schools
• should education be provided by the state or by the independent sector 


  yes:

  the schools are usually local

  state schools are free

  morally right

  no:

  lower teacher:student ratio

  exam results are significantly higher than national average
• vocational education and training


  skills linked to specific jobs

  this trend has been developing since 1970, but is still sometimes known as the 'new vocationalism'
• for vocational education


  lead to skilled better qualified workforce

  students who aren't as academic have the chance to excel in other areas