CHAPTER 16: EDUCATION

Education is the social process of  passing on to society members the 
things it is important to know. 

Sources:

   1) church 
   2) family
   3) peers
   4) Formal Organizations

In western societies,  FORMAL EDUCATION is the process by which
the state creates organizations that pass on literacy and other
skills,  but they also have a secondary function of socializing
(values, norms, etc) and bringing diverse groups together
The OFFICIAL goals of organizations  are called (by functionalists) 
the MANIFEST functions.  LATENT FUNCTIONS are the consquences of the
educational system that  are not part of the stated goals.
 
 
MANIFEST FUNCTIONS:  
     1) Transmitting culture
     2) Acculturation (of immigrants, outsiders, etc)  
     3)  Training for adult status (stuff we need to survive)

LATENT FUNCTIONS: 
     1) Hidden curriculums (other stuff learned: ethnocentrism,
        respect for authority, etc 
     2) Ideology (patriotism,  religion, meritoracy) Schools have a
         positive effect and negative effect (explain)

Despite fairly standard goals, schools differ:
   By type:   primary/secondary (grade and highschool) and post-secondary; 
           vocational/tech schools;  
           prep schools, etc (ie, by level and type)
   Area (suburban, city, inner city, rural)

This means that not all learn the same thing in the same way

SO:  Education, while seemingly neutral, becomes a battleground over ideas, 
values, etc (ask how)

(Conflicts over values, standards, curriculum content, what's
important to know, teaching methods, and other stuff

POINT: THE FUNCTION of education (both manifest and latent) is at issue

EXAMPLE: Meritocracy--distributing resources and rewards on the basis 
of abilities and credentials).  SATs, exams, and  IQ

EDUCATION is a stratifying mechanism:
   a) level attained
   b) performance
   c) type of school and what's studied

Return to JT's homepage