Page 430 - Essencials of Sociology

Education: Transferring Knowledge and Skills 403

Kathy Spiegel was upset. Horace Mann, the school principal in her hometown in
Oregon, had asked her to come to his office. He explained that Kathy’s 11-year-old twins had Learning
been acting up in class. They were disturbing other children and the teacher—and what was Objectives
Kathy going to do about this?
Kathy didn’t want to tell Mr. Mann what he could do with the situation. That would have got- After you have read this chap-
ten her kicked out of the office. Instead, she bit her tongue and said she would talk to her daughters. ter, you should be able to:
13.1 Understand how education
* * * * * is related to a nation’s culture
“Kathy’s 11-year-old On the other side of the country, Jim and Julia and economy; compare
twins were disturbing Attaway were pondering their own problem. When they education in Japan, Russia,
visited their son’s school in the Bronx, they didn’t like what
and Egypt. (p. 403)
other children and the they saw. The boys looked like they were little gangsta wan- 13.2 Explain the functions of
teacher—and what nabes, and the girls dressed and acted as though they were education: knowledge
and skills, values, social
was Kathy going to sexually active. Their own 13-year-old son had started us- integration, gatekeeping,
ing street language at home, and it was becoming increas-
and replacing family
do about this?” ingly difficult to talk to him. functions. (p. 408)
* * * * * 13.3 Explain how the educational
In Minneapolis, Denzil and Tamika Jefferson were facing a much quieter crisis. They system reproduces the social
found life frantic as they hurried from one school activity to another. Their 13-year-old son class structure. (p. 410)
attended a private school, and the demands were so intense that it felt like the junior year in 13.4 Explain the significance of
teacher expectations and
high school. They no longer seemed to have any relaxed family time together. give examples. (p. 413)
* * * * * 13.5 Discuss mediocrity in
In Atlanta, Jaime and Maria Morelos were upset at the ideas that their 8-year-old education, grade inflation,
daughter had begun to express at home. As devout first-generation Protestants, Jaime and social promotion, raising
Maria felt moral issues were a top priority, and they didn’t like what they were hearing. standards, cheating
by administrators, and
* * * * * violence in schools. (p. 415)
Kathy talked the matter over with her husband, Bob. Jim and Julia discussed their prob- 13.6 Explain what Durkheim
lem, as did Denzil and Tamika and Jaime and Maria. They all came to the same conclu- meant by sacred and
sion: The problem was not their children. The problem was the school their children attended. profane; discuss the three
All four sets of parents also came to the same solution: home schooling for their children. elements of religion. (p. 418)
13.7 Apply the functionalist
Home schooling might seem to be a radical solution to today’s education problems, but perspective to religion:
functions and dysfunctions.
it is one that the parents of 1½ million U.S. children have chosen. We’ll come back to (p. 421)
this topic, but, first, let’s take a broad look at education.
13.8 Apply the symbolic
interactionist perspective
Education: Transferring Knowledge and Skills to religion: symbols, rituals,
beliefs, and religious
experience. (p. 422)
13.9 Apply the conflict
perspective to religion:
Education in Global Perspective opium of the people
and legitimating social
inequalities. (p. 426)
Have you ever wondered why people need a high school diploma to sell cars or to join
the U.S. Marines? You will learn what you know on the job. Why do employers insist on 13.10 Explain Weber’s analysis of
how religion broke tradition
diplomas and degrees? Why don’t they simply use on-the-job training? and brought capitalism.
In some cases, job skills must be mastered before you are allowed to do the work. (p. 426)
On-the-job training was once adequate to become an engineer or an airline pilot, but 13.11 Compare cult, sect, church,
with changes in information and technology it is no longer sufficient. This is precisely and ecclesia. (p. 427)
why doctors display their credentials so prominently. Their framed degrees declare that 13.12 Summarize main features
an institution of higher learning has certified them to work on your body. of religion in the United
But testing in algebra or paragraph construction to sell gizmos at Radio Shack? Sociol- States. (p. 430)
ogist Randall Collins (1979) observed that industrialized nations have become credential 13.13 Discuss the likely future
societies. By this, he means that employers use diplomas and degrees as sorting devices of religion. (p. 432)
to determine who is eligible for a job. Because employers don’t know potential workers,