Sociology of Education

50:920:345:01
Fall 2007

Professor Cati Coe

405-407 Cooper Street, Room 214
phone: (856) 225-6455
email: ccoe@camden.rutgers.edu

Class hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:30-2:50pm, Penn 401
Office hours: Tuesdays, 3-5pm, 405-407 Cooper Street, Room 214 or by appointment

Syllabus website: http://crab.rutgers.edu/~ccoe/courses/soe/syllabus.html

Course Description

While most people in the US think of schools when they hear the word "education," education is much broader, encompassing all the ways that young people are socialized into their communities, including through peers, family members, and other adults. Education, in its broadest definition, is the way that one generation's social structure and way of being in the world---including all its knowledge and behaviors---are transmitted to the next generation, but not without contestation and transformation. Schooling is a particular institutional form for educating young people. In this course, we will examine the social aspects of education and schooling in America: the interaction between home, society, and educational institutions; the ways that identities are formed through education; and the ways that social inequalities are reproduced through schools. Schools both exist within a larger society and are their own social world, with the formation of peer groups, particular institutional arrangements, and ways of transmitting relationships and knowledge. We will pay particular attention to the way that small interactions within educational settings have much larger implications within society.

This course fulfils a requirement in the Teacher Preparation Program, and as a result, this class is geared towards giving future teachers a deeper understanding of important issues affecting contemporary schools in the US.

Expectations

By the end of this course, you will be expected to be able to:

explain the relationship between schooling and social inequality, including some of the ways that schools contribute to social inequality;
analyze and explain data collected through an interview format as a case example of the theories presented in this course;
summarize and critique the arguments presented in the readings in this course;
research and evaluate solutions to the problems discussed in class;
and evaluate current trends in education (privatization, vouchers, charters, and standardized testing) for their impact on the issues introduced in this course (authority relations in schools, social inequality, curriculum and pedagogy).

This course directly addresses the following New Jersey Professional Teaching Standards:

Teachers know and understand how a person's worldview is profoundly shaped by his or her life experiences, as mediated by factors such as social class, gender, race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, age, and special needs (3-1).
Teachers know and understand the supports for and barriers to culturally responsive teaching in school environments (3-2).
Teachers value and are committed to respect for individual and cultural differences, and appreciation of the basic worth of each individual and cultural group (3-4).
Teachers value and are committed to the diversity of learning that takes place in the classroom, respect for the talents and perspectives of each student and sensitivity to community and cultural norms (3-5).
Teachers know and understand the power of communication in the teaching and learning process (8-1)
Teachers value and are committed to appreciating the cultural dimension of communication, responding appropriately and seeking to foster culturally sensitive communication by and among all students in the class (8-2).
Teachers know and understand how education research and other methods of inquiry can be used as a means for continuous learning, self-assessment, and development (10-1).
Teachers value and are committed to collaboration with colleagues to give and receive help (10-4).

For more information, see the New Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers and School Leaders

Required Texts

Three books are at the campus bookstore:

conrespeto

Con Respeto (1996)
by Guadelupe Valdes

Ain't No Makin' It (1995)
by Jay McLeod

School Talk (1995)
by Donna Eder with
Catherine Colleen Evans
and Stephen Parker

The remainder of the readings can be found online via the library’s reserve readings.

Course Schedule

September 4: What is Education and Society?

Discussion of the terms "education" and "society." Course overview and requirements.

To do by Friday at the latest:

Get a NetID if you don't already so that you can access library resources online and from home: http://oit.rutgers.edu/services/account/quick.html
Update your email address if necessary at https://www.acs.rutgers.edu/studentdir. This is important for receiving course emails. Be sure to keep your registered email address current in order to receive important course information.
Get a Student Photo ID (available from the Impact Booth in the Campus Center) if you don't have one.
Go to the bookstore to get the books.
Print out all the readings on reserve so that you have them for the whole semester.
Review Rutgers's policy on academic integrity.

Part I: How are Children Socialized in their Families and How is this Different from Socialization in Schools?

September 6: What does socialization look like? Why does it look different in different communities?

Spindler, G. P. (1997). The Transmission of Culture. In G. P. Spindler (Ed.), Education and Cultural Process: Anthropological Approaches (pp. 275-309). New York: Holt, Reinhart, and Winston. [on reserve]
Class Resources: Socialization powerpoint

September 11: What does children's socialization in school look like?

Valdes, G. (1996). Con Respeto: Bridging the Distances Between Culturally Diverse Families and Schools, An Ethnographic Portrait . New York: Teachers College. Read: Introduction and chapter 1, pp. 1-40.
Class resources: The Education Trust's Measured Progress (2004) and The Achievement Gap powerpoint

I will be putting you in groups for your presentation assignment, so please check your email by Thursday morning to receive your group assignment. If you are dropping the course, please let me know so that I can make evenly-sized groups.

September 13: What are families' goals for socialization?

Valdes, Con Respeto, Chapters 2 & 3, pp. 41-71
Group presentation assignment given. Guest speaker: Vibiana Bowman, Rutgers University reference librarian

September 18: What are families' goals for socialization? continued

Valdes, Con Respeto, Chapters 4 & 5, pp. 72-115
Class Resources: Model of the Class Structure

September 20: What are the differences between the socialization practices of these families and the schools their children attend?

Valdes, Con Respeto, Chapters 6 & 7, pp. 116-168

September 25: What might schools and teachers do to increase the educational success of these children?

Valdes, Con Respeto, Chapters 8 & 9, pp. 169-205
Assignment for first paper given

Part II: Is There a Relationship between Social Inequality and Educational Opportunity in America?

September 27: Are opportunities for educational success equal in American society? An examination of the role of class

1) Brint, S. (1998). Schools and Social Selection: Opportunity. Schools and Societies (p. 171-203). Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press. [on reserve]
2) Leonhardt, D. (2005). The College Dropout Boom. In Correspondents of the New York Times (Ed.), Class Matters (pp. 87-104). New York: Henry Holt & Company. [on reserve]
Class resources: Tables on Income, Wealth, and the Relationship to Education

October 2: What is the impact of social class on educational success? Some explanations

MacLeod, J. (1995). Ain't No Makin' It: Aspirations and Attainment in a Low-Income Neighborhood. Boulder: Westview Press. Chapters 1, 2, and 3, pp. 3-49
Class resources: Three Explanations for Social Reproduction

October 4: What is the impact of social class on educational success? What does Wilcox argue?

Wilcox, K. (1982). Differential Socialization in the Classrooms: Implications for Equal Opportunity. In G. Spindler (Ed.), Doing the Ethnography of Schooling (pp. 269-305). New York: Holt, Reinhart, and Winston. [on reserve]
Class resources: Thinking through the Wilcox reading, Group #1 presentation

October 9: What is the impact of social class on educational success? What does Lareau argue?

Lareau, A. (2000). Why Does Social Class Influence Parent Involvement in Schooling. Home Advantage: Social Class and Parental Intervention in Elementary Education (pp. 97-148). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. [on reserve]
Class resources: Thinking about the Lareau reading, Group #2 presentation
Due: First paper

October 11: How do family, work, and school socialize the Brothers and Hallway Hangers?

MacLeod, Ain't No Makin' It, Chapters 4, 5, and 6, pp. 50-111
Class resources: Thinking through the data, Group #3 presentation

October 16: What is MacLeod's explanation for why they "don't make it"? Which theory does he choose?

MacLeod, Ain't No Makin' It, Chapters 7 and 8, pp. 112-151
Class resources: MacLeod's argument, Group #4 presentation

October 18: What is MacLeod's explanation for why they "don't make it" in ten years? Which theory does he choose now?

No class because Professor Coe will be presenting a paper at the African Studies Association annual meeting, but read:
MacLeod, Ain't No Makin' It, Chapter 10, pp. 196-238 is required, but if you are interested in what happened to the Brothers, read Chapter 9 also.

October 23: What is MacLeod's explanation for why they "don't make it" in ten years? Which theory does he choose now?

MacLeod, Ain't No Makin' It, Chapter 11, pp. 239-269.
Class resources: The Conclusions of Ain't No Makin' It, New Jobs and Affordable Housing

October 25: Examining theories about the effect of social class on educational outcomes through one person's experience

Rubin, H. J. & Rubin, I. S. (1995). "Interviews as Guided Conversations" and "Assembling the Parts: Structuring a Qualitative Interview." In Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data (pp. 122-139, 145-158). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. [on reserve]
Assignment for second paper given

October 30: What is the role of segregation by race and social class in creating unequal outcomes for students?

Link to: Orfield, G. & Lee, C. (January 2006). Racial Transformation and the Changing Nature of Segregation. Report for the Civil Rights Project, Harvard University.
Class resources: Segregation Powerpoint, Group #5's presentation, Group #6's presentation

November 1: What is the role of school funding in creating unequal outcomes for students?

1) Link to: Report by the Education Trust. (Fall 2006). Funding Gaps 2006
2) Kozol, J. (2005). Hitting Them Hardest When They're Small. The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America (pp. 39-49). New York: Crown Publishers. [on reserve]
Class resources: Powerpoint Presentation on School Funding, Group #7's presentation

November 6: What is the role of tracking students into different educational programs in creating unequal outcomes for students?

1) Gamoran, A. (1992). Is Ability Grouping Equitable? Educational Leadership 50:2, 11-17. [on reserve]
2) O’Neil, J. (1992). On Tracking and Individual Differences: A Conversation with Jeannie Oakes. Educational Leadership 50:2, 18-22. [on reserve]
3) Rose, M. (2001). The Working Life of a Waitress. Mind, Culture, and Activity 8:1, 3-27. [on reserve]
Class resources: High-Track Students' Experiences in School, Low-Track Students' Experiences of School, High-Track Teachers' Expectations, Low-Track Teachers' Expectations, Conclusions, Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence, Group #8's presentation

Part III: How Do Recent Developments in Education (Vouchers, Charter Schools, and Standardized Testing) Affect Educational Inequality?

November 8: Vouchers: What are different metaphors for education and how do they influence our society's view of the role and purpose of schools?

1) Friedman, M. (1955). The Role of Government in Education. In R. A. Solo (Ed.), Economics and the Public Interest (pp. 123-144). Westport: Greenwood Press. [on reserve]
2) Henig, J. (1996). The Danger of Market Rhetoric. In R. Lowe and B. Miner (Ed.), Selling Out Our Schools: Vouchers, Markets, and Public Education (pp 8-11). Milwaukee: Rethinking Schools Publishers. [on reserve]
Class resources: Hawley quote, Vouchers powerpoint

November 13:What are the effects of charter schools on educational inequalities?

1) Link to: History of the Charter School Movement by the League of Women Voters, DC (2000) http://www.dcwatch.com/lwvdc/lwv0003c.htm
2) Link to: New Jersey Charter School Act (1995; amended 2000) http://www.state.nj.us/njded/chartsch/cspa95.shtml
and answer the question you are assigned here
3) Bastian, A. (1996). Charter Schools: Potentials and Pitfalls." In In R. Lowe and B. Miner (Ed.), Selling Out Our Schools: Vouchers, Markets, and Public Education (pp. 45-49). Milwaukee: Rethinking Schools Publishers. [on reserve]
4) Hassel, B. C. (2006). Charter Schools: Mom and Pops or Corporate Design. In P. E. Peterson (Ed.), Choice and Competition in American Education, (pp. 148-160). New York: Rowman and Littlefield. [on reserve]
Class resources: Charter Schools Powerpoint

November 15: What is the effect of standards, standardized testing, and the "No Child Left Behind Act" on educational inequalities?

Link to:
1) Richard F. Elmore, "Unwarranted Intrusion," Education Next, Spring 2002 http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/3367491.html
2) James E. Ryan, "The Perverse Incentives of the No Child Left Behind Act," New York University Law Review 79:3 (2004), pp. 932-989 http://www.law.nyu.edu/journals/lawreview/issues/vol79/no3/NYU303.pdf
Class resources: New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards, The High Stakes for Schools, Is NCLB a solution for educational inequality?

Part IV: How is Socialization within Schools Affected by their Institutional Structure?

November 20: What are institutional arrangements in school that contribute to different educational outcomes?

1) Fine, M. (1991). Discharging the Student Bodies. Framing Dropouts: Notes on the Politics of an Urban Public High School (pp. 63-83). Albany: SUNY Press. [on reserve]
2) Link to: D. Hall. (2007). Graduation Matters: Improving Accountability for High School Graduation. Washington, DC: The Education Trust (pdf).
Streaming Video: "Disappearing Dropouts" (November 2004)
Class resources: Camden Kids Count (2004) report, Group #9's presentation
Due: Second Paper

November 22 Thanksgiving

November 27: Why do teachers not always teach well? How do institutional structures in schools contribute to a low level of knowledge transmission?

McNeil, L. (1986). "Defensive Teaching and Classroom Control" and "Contradictions of Control." Contradictions of Control: School Structure and School Knowledge (pp. 157-190, 209-216). New York: Routledge. [on reserve]
Class Resources: Teachers and Gender

Part V: What Is the Role of Student Peer Culture in Socializing Students?

November 29: Are peer networks in schools another kind of social inequality? Do they have an impact on social inequality outside of school?

Eder, D. with Parker, C. C. & Parker, S. (1995). School Talk: Gender and Adolescent Culture. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4, pp. 1-59.
Class resources: Why is Peer Culture Important?, Group #11's presentation

December 4: How are students socialized to particular gender identities in school?

1) Eder et al, School Talk, Chapters 5 & 6, pp. 61-102.
2) Orenstein, P. (2002). Striking Back: Sexual Harassment at Weston. In Jossey-Bass Reader on Gender in Education (pp. 459-475). San-Francisco: Jossey-Bass. [on reserve]
Class resources: Harassment Laws, Sexual harassment in a middle school, Group #12's presentation

December 6: How are students socialized to particular gender identities in school?

Eder et al, School Talk, Chapters 7 & 8, pp. 103-148
Class Resources: Questions for Small Groups regarding Gender Socialization , Group #13's presentation

December 11: What can schools do to reduce the damaging effects of peer socialization?

Eder et al, School Talk, Chapters 9 & 10, pp. 149-170
Class Resources: Group #14's presentation

Monday, December 17, 2-5pm

Final Exam