Comprehensive Exam
Sociology of Education (General)
Spring 2012
Please answer three of the five questions listed below:
1. The ecological model of human development emphasizes how the different contexts of daily life are
intricately connected to each other and that understanding these connection is fundamental to
understanding how young people do in life. Where do schools fit into this ecology? What are
important theoretical insights into the connections of schools with other settings of youths’ lives that
sociologists have articulated, and are these insights reflected in educational policies and
interventions?
2. Though they’ve made undeniable progress academically in recent years, studies continue to show that
Hispanics tend to have lower than average achievement rates, and that achievement gaps between
Whites and Hispanics remain significant. First, what has the literature identified as major contributing
factors to White/Hispanic achievement disparities in K-12 schooling? Second, when thinking
particularly about the impact schools can make in closing the achievement gap, would you say that
the odds are stacked against Hispanics? If yes, why? If no, why not? In explaining your answer to the
second question, be sure to discuss the K-12 educational experiences of Hispanics.
3. Education needs to be thought of in the long-term. In what ways do educational experiences in
elementary and secondary school shape how the rest of life turns out—in terms of work and
socioeconomic attainment, of course, but also in terms of other domains of adjustment and
functioning? Is this long tail of educational influence adequately incorporated into educational
theoretical perspectives and reflected in educational and social policies in the U.S.? If so, explain
how. If not, explain how it could be.
4. In early research, scholars viewed minority students’ academic difficulties as the result of some kind
of racial or culturally related deficit, most notably inadequate home preparation for school experience.
However, this racially/culturally related deficit model could not account for the academic success of
some minority students and accordingly, gave rise to several competing theoretical perspectives. First,
discuss (3) theoretical perspectives that challenge these deficit models. Second, offer a critique of the
shortcomings or limitations of the perspectives you mentioned.
5. Schools can be viewed both as formal organizations that structure opportunities to learn as well as
normative contexts which also influence student learning. Drawing on empirical evidence, discuss the
ways in which both the formal and informal contexts of schools have been shown to influence
students’ academic achievement. Additionally, discuss how both the organizational and contextual
aspects of schools may influence individuals’ non-academic outcomes, being sure to specify what
those outcomes might be and why they may be important.