Social and Cultural Foundations of American Education/Chapter 1 Supplemental Materials/What is the purpose of schooling? 1

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The Purpose of Schooling

Schooling, in the educational respect, is defined as the act of training or disciplining on a particular issue. The purpose of schooling, from an initial view, appears to be to teach students to perform a certain task. In Math class, students learn to add; in Art, students learn to draw and paint; in English students learn to read and write. Unfortunately, this assumption often fails to fully explain or appreciate all of the causes for this practice. As students in this course, you will investigate and discover the causes for schooling, as well as the public and hidden agendas that are often associated with the craft. As an educator and learner, participation in this course fulfills your need for information and your personal interests. Other factors, however, have influenced both your past educational experiences, many of these factors will be important considerations for you as an educator and help you better understand your students. These factors include, but are not limited to, socioeconomic, religious factors and political factors as they are briefly introduced here. While some factors are multifaceted, others are more individualized.

Schooling for the Individual--

The act of schooling, either as the student or the teacher, often involves a personal interest. For the teacher, this is a personal interest in enriching young minds, and for the student, this involves a personal interest in some reward. This reward is often knowledge, but can be also include a vacation from another environment, the availability of nutrition, or the potential to socialize. As an objective for learning, you should acquaint yourself with these issues to prepare yourself for your career in teaching.

Schooling as a form of Childcare--

Through the course of investigation, you will find that public schooling has a particular function as a form of childcare. To exemplify this quality, the federally funded early- child education program Head Start serves as an example. The Head Start program was started in 1964 to provide early intervention and education to children of underprivileged households. This new program provided education to its students and received mixed reviews, but some would argue that benefits for the families extended beyond the child’s early exposure to academia. While parents of these children were often low-income single parent households, Head Start, and the education it provided, offered the families of students a reprieve from the barrier of locating a babysitter, and an opportunity to seek employment while the child was in school. While in 1964 the number of single parent households and dual earner households was lower, the typical family today often fits one or both of these profiles. Today, with the school day often ending before parents get home from work, some school systems have struggled to meet the demands of the community and added after school programs or evening classes to keep children off the streets and out of mischief.

Social Development--

Aside from learning subject skills, you should also understand that schooling also provides an environment for social development to students with the teachers and administrators being the passive monitors. Teachers enforce classroom rules and behavioral guidelines and develop and implement in class extra curricular activities that provide students with an opportunity to socialize and develop skills for interacting with others. Teachers may accomplish this through use of group work, presentations, or provide a welcoming environment for socialization during recess periods.

Schooling outside the Classroom--

Schooling occurs both in and outside of the traditional classroom environment. While a majority of all people in the United States consider public schooling as the primary method of learning, schooling can occur at home or elsewhere and does not always involve intended academic subjects.

In some cultures, schooling consists of the passing of known tradition from one member of the community to another. This might involve teaching a relative to make furniture, sew, or learn a language. In many contexts, this is considered a form of apprenticeship. In this instance, the focus on learning involves not only knowing a craft or skill, but developing a kinship to the mentor.

When teaching occurs at home, some may refer to the practice as home schooling. This method of schooling has received national attention and has indefinable reasons. A majority of those who choose home schooling do so for religious reasons, while others prefer increased control over curriculum.

Political Purpose for Schooling--

In recent years, legislation has been enacted that calls for an increased emphasis on all students meeting basic knowledge requirements. In this respect, teachers have their purpose for teaching shift toward an extreme effort to meet minimum learning standards. Throughout the duration of this course, you should acquaint yourself with the political concerns affecting schooling and how they will affect your intended subject area.

Sidebar:

Famous quotes from founding educators:

“If the children are untaught, their ignorance and vices will in future life cost us much dearer in their consequences than it would have done in their correction by a good education.”

--Thomas Jefferson to Joseph C. Cabell, 1818

“Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people may be engaged in. That everyone may receive at least a moderate education appears to be an objective of vital importance.”

~Abraham Lincoln

Sources

Filling the time after school: after school programs in United States. State Legislatures 32.3, (March 2006): 9(1).

Ryan, K. & Cooper, J.M. (2004). Those Who Can, Teach. (pp. 5-9). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Timmins, Nicholas. Universal childcare and pre-school education urged.(NATIONAL NEWS POLITICS & POLICY)." The Financial Times (June 6, 2005): 4. U.S. Dept. of Education: No Child Left Behind. Retreived June 20, 2006 from: http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2003/11/11062003.html.

U.S. Dept. Of Health and Human Services: Head Start History. Retrieved June 20, 2006 from: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/about/history.htm.

Where are the multiple choice questions??? Where is the essay question? Love the quotes, but did not see any questions for this article.

Where are the multiple choice questions???