Page 425 - Sociology and You

Chapter 12 Education 395
performing arts while an- other might stress science. Magnet schools are designed to enhance school quality and to promote desegrega- tion. They have become a significant factor in improv- ing urban education.
What is the nature of for-
profit schools? Some reform-
ers do not believe local or federal
government is capable of improv-
ing the educational system.
Government, they say, is too
wasteful and ineffective. Why not
look to business and market
forces to solve the problems fac- ingschoolstoday?For-profitschoolswouldbesupportedbygovernment funds but run by private companies. By borrowing from modern business prac- tices, the argument goes, these schools could be efficient, productive, and cost effective. Marketplace forces would ensure that the best schools will survive.
The most comprehensive for-profit organization is Edison, which launched a $40-million, three-year campaign in 1992 to develop its program. Edison schools feature challenging curriculums, along with a schedule that has chil- dren in school almost a third longer than the average public school. Beginning in the third grade, students are equipped with a computer and modem to take home, in order to access Edison’s intranet system (Symonds, 2000).
Critics of this approach are bothered by the idea of mixing profit and pub- lic service. What would happen to the students when their needs were weighed against the profit margin? Would for-profit schools skimp on equip- ment, services, and training? Another problem involves oversight. That is, with a for-profit system, voters would lose the power to influence officials and educational policy.
Section 1 Assessment
1. State three ways in which schools in the United States follow the bureaucratic model.
2. Identify three specific types of reform in public education.
Critical Thinking
3. AnalyzingInformation Explainwhysuchreformsasopen classrooms and integrative learning are characterized as more democratic than the traditional or bureaucratic approach.
4. SummarizingInformation Firstbrieflysummarizetheideasabout school choice presented in this section. Then evaluate them. Do you favor one approach over another? Give reasons for your choice.
Calvin expects to reap the rewards of education, but has a problem with the effort of getting educated.
for-profitschools
schools run by private companies on government funds