'The Book' - Blog 8

Chapter two continued...

It was at this point in the industrial revolution that the potato famine occurred in Ireland and there was an influx of Irish into the Northeastern U.S. The education system at the time saw schooling as a necessary means to "integrate this uncouth and dangerous" element into society, and education reformers saw this influx of Irish immigrants as a moral and social issue. Education of the time (around 1850) saw education as a way to 'enlighten the ignorant.' This was when education was seen as having the following objectives: To promote equality and a form of social control. Schooling was something that was done FOR and TO the poor. At this time in history education reformers did not question the fundamentals of capitalism, which was the control a minority had through owing the means of production, which controlled the majority of citizens. Education was seen as a way to preserve this capitalist relationship that existed.

The function of the education system was to develop the necessary skills to enter the workforce. There was a fundamental view that was held by the majority of individuals at the time that classes and races of individuals are equipped differently and it was through these racial differences that occurred naturally, and certain people were destined to fill certain roles in the work force. The purpose of education was to elevate the masses which would guide everyone fairly into the work force. So education was used to create a system where it prepared individuals to enter into the workforce at the level they would be fit for. Schooling was considered to reflect the class structure. This was done through education as being the means of enhancing wealth and morality, which would work to the advantage of all. It would be the amount of education you had that would place you in your class. This was how education could be used as a tool to get the masses to accept the inevitable. To make the best of what one had. Which at the time for the majority of people was not much. This put social control and social justice at odds. The authors then switch from the past to writing about the issues within the education at the time they were writing, late 60's early 70's.

The authors restate their idea that the number of years of schooling one attained was highly correlated to what their parents socio economic status was. (Their parents income, occupation, and education level) and that this was the same now as it was 50 years ago, therefore the idea that school can be an equalizing force does not hold. There was data collected in 1962 which supported this idea. Families earning less than $3,000 per year had children who were 6 times as likely not to attend college. There were also differences in scholastic achievement in that parents who were well educated, had children that scored well over 3 grade levels in scholastic achievement. Some might argue that this is due to unequal intelligence levels and not due to class inequalities in regards to college admittance. The elite of the time believed that it is based on ones I.Q. which leads to higher education. It is these I.Q. test scores and individuals who have parents with a higher socio economic backgrounds who typically have children who enter into university. This is not based on a whole host of reasons why one should be allowed to enter higher education, which is looked at next.

The authors feel that students with parents who are not well off, from K - 12 , are treated differently than other students. Education resources go to school districts that are more wealthy and that leads to social inequality within the school system. The authors do feel that these gaps are getting better due to the fact that things were way worse in the past, but that this is still an issue that needs to be dealt with.

The last point of chapter two is based on the following question: "Has the attainment of education lead to a closing of the income gap?" According to all of the theories that we have looked at so far the answer would be yes. But the authors say the income gap has actually gotten worse since WWII. This is exactly the opposite of what the egalitarian school reformers were claiming would happen. This was made clear in regards to the education gap between the blacks and whites. Blacks still earn less than whites, but this was due to inequality that existed outside of the school system. This idea was coupled with the fact that school was seen at the time as a way to punish students and keep them in line. It is this internalization of 'normal behavior' which mirrors that world of work. (Teacher vs. students, Boss vs. employees.)

The authors wanted to know why schools reward passivity and obedience? When actually at the time schools claimed that the purpose of was to let children develop naturally? The authors feel that this was never given a chance to be put into practice. Schools had administration that was more concerned about cost savings and control rather than the quality of education. This is when standardized tests were brought into heavy rotation, therefore all of this was not actually progressivism, but a mirroring of business values.

The next blog will start chapter three.