http://www.sullivancountyhistory.org/school.htm
Education
‘‘. . . [I]t is believed that the most effectual means
of preventing [tyranny] would be, to illuminate, as
far as practicable, the minds of the people at large,
and more especially to give them knowledge of
those facts, which history exhibiteth, that . . . they
may be enabled to know . . .’’
Thomas Jefferson’s ‘‘Bill for
the more general diffusion of knowledge’’ (1779).
Socialization
• 2nd only to family in importance
• Displaced organized religion as main
purveyor of formal knowledge
• K-12 = 13,000 hours in a class room
Sociology: Your Compass for a New World, Brym & Lie
Education in The Past
• 300 years ago only
small minority could read and write
• One century ago most people of the world never
attended school
• 1950-only 10% of world’s countries had a
system of mass education
Sociology: Your Compass for a New World, Brym & Lie
Today
• Every country in the world has a system of
mass education
– Sociology: Your Compass for a New World, Brym & Lie
• 1995: Average American completed 16
years of school
– 9 years in 1950
– 2007-2011: 85.4% of U.S. 25 + high school
graduate
– 28.2% of U.S. 25 + college graduates
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html
Reason for Spread of Man
Education
• I. Protestant Reformation
– Catholic church relied on
dogma and ritual.
http://encarta.msn.com/enc
yclopedia_761570003/Luth
er_Martin.html
– Bible alone should be guide
Sociology: Your Compass for a New World, Brym & Lie
II. French &
American Revolutions
• Learning for all people
http://www.pbs.org/ktc
a/liberty/libertytoday/i
ndex.html
Sociology: Your Compass for a New World, Brym & Lie
III. Industrialization
Industrialization
Formal education not
needed to work .
Factories & offices
called for literate &
numerate workers
• Formal education not
needed for many of
the jobs/work of the
past.
• Industrialization
create need for
literate & numerate
workers.
Sociology: Your Compass for a New World, Brym & Lie
Credential Inflation
• One century ago most professors at
universities did not have PhD's.
• Credential inflation makes it easy to sort
out people.
Sociology: Your Compass for a New World, Brym & Lie
Professionalization
Occurs when members of an occupation
insist that people earn certain credentials in
order to enter the occupation.
1. ensures standards are maintained
2. ensures high pay
3. is spreading rapidly
Sociology: Your Compass for a New World, Brym & Lie
Nursing
• Nursing followed a process of
professionalization
–
–
–
–
schooling
professional association
licensure,
code of ethics
• http://home.cwru.edu/~pst/
http://www.ufcw141nurses.org
/images.htm
The World Clown Association began in 1983 with the
vision of a few clowns for an organization that would
focus on education in clown arts and spread the art of
clowning around the world.
http://www.worldclownassociation.com/history.htm
Educational
Crisis in the
U.S?
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http://www.schoolsucks.com/
National Commission on
Excellence in Education, 1983
• SAT scores dropped 1960-1980
– SAT average took a one-point dip between
1998 & 1999
– 1997 SAT changes
– SAT & Social Economic Status
Back to Basics Movement
• NCE Proposal
– Longer school days
– More homework
– Stronger discipline
– Get rid of physical ed., music, art, etc.
Problems
• Back to basic movement doesn’t work on its own
– Need community & parent involvement
• Can increase dropout rate
• Can create low-self esteem
• Studies pointing to links between music & higher
math scores
• Are we a society of only math, reading &
science?
• Americans are becoming increasingly obese
Mathematics Nation Average
TIMSS 1999 (8th grade)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Singapore 604
Korea, Republic of 587
Chinese Taipei 585
Hong Kong SAR 582
Japan 579
BelgiumFlemish 558
Netherlands 540
Slovak Republic 534
Hungary 532
Canada 531
Slovenia 530
Russian Federation 526
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Australia 525
Finland 520
Czech Republic 520
Malaysia 519
Bulgaria 511
Latvia-LSS505
United States 502
http://nces.ed.gov/timss/results.asp#mathscience1999
U.S. TIMSS Results 1999
• Lower for 8th graders in 1999 than it was
for 4th graders in 1995.
• Same cohort.
http://nces.ed.gov/timss/results.asp#comparison1995to1999
TIMSS Problems
• Guidelines
• Final year
• Dropout rate
• Trade school programs
• US tries to make sure as many kids as possible graduate
– Discipline vs. ample opportunity?
• http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/97oct/fail.htm