Inequality in American Education

1
Inequality in American Education

• Sociology of Education Overview

2
Sociology of Education A division of the field

• Functionalist Theory
• Conflict Theory
• Interactionist Theory
• Contemporary Perspectives
• Postmodern-Critical Theory

3
Functionalism and Conflict Theories of Society

• Functionalism
• Society is held together by shared values and
  collective agreement
• Consensus as the normal state of society/Conflict
  as abnormal or representing an area where society
  has broken down
• Change is inevitable but evolutionary- a natural
  progression of society through reform
• Meritocracy exists in our current society- if you
  work hard you can achieve anything. Rewards and
  success are commensurate with hard work and
  ability
• Inequality and stratification are natural and
  necessary for the functioning of society

• Conflict Theory
• Society is held together by the ability of the
  dominant group to oppress and impose their
  desires onto subordinate groups
• Conflict is the organizing principle of society
• Change is abrupt, often violent and revolutionary
  because it must overthrow the existing social
  order
• 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
• Inequality and stratification are manufactured by
  the dominant group to serve their own purposes

4
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.

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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.

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Structuralism (Macro) Constructivism (Micro/Interactionist Theory)
Functionalism Structural Functionalism Constructivism
Conflict Theory Conflict Structuralism Conflict Constructivism
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Structural Functionalist Theories of Education

• 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
• 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.

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Conflict Structuralist Theories of Education

• 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
• Schooling is an active agent in the distribution
  of power and access to resources
• Purpose of Education
• 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.
• Differential Socialization Inequality as
  perpetuated through socialization- where certain
  classes and races are socialized into limited
  occupational roles while others are socialized
  into higher tier occupations.
• Promote Meritocracy an ideological cloud that
  creates false consciousness.
• Bowles and Gintis

9
Bowles and Gintis

• Corresponding relationship between social
  relations in schools and social relations at work
• Different tiers of the education system mirror
  different tiers of the workplace
• Social Reproduction and Universities
• Vocational vs. College Prep courses
• These practices in education dont cause
  stratification in society
• Indeed, the class, sex, and race biases in
  schooling do not produce, but rather reflect, the
  structure of privilege in society at large (85)

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Constructivist Theories of Education

• Social Construction Focus on how the identities,
  realities, and inequalities among and between
  students are constructed through interaction in
  schools
• 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
  
• Purpose of Education constructivists do not have
  a strong opinion as to the purpose of education
• Mehans Article

11
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

12
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