Education as a Social Institution Social institutions are an important element in the structure of human societies. They provide a structure for behavior in a particular part of social life. The five major social institutions in large societies are family, education, religion, politics, and economics. While each institution does deal with a different aspect of life, they are interrelated and intersect often in the course of daily life. For example, for schools to be able to exist they rely on funding from the government. This is an intersection between politics and education. Social institutions affect individual lives through other aspects of society such as culture, socialization, social stratification, and deviance. This paper will focus on the social institution of education, and how it affects individual lives through socialization, deviance, and social stratification. Education plays a large part in the socialization of children into society. Most American children spend the required 180 days each year in school from the first grade through high school. Most of a child's day through these years is devoted to activities involving school such as attending classes, doing homework, and participating in extracurricular activities. The school format is designed to teach children to be productive members of society. Schools bear most of the responsibility of preparing young people for the working environment. Children learn punctuality, time management, and to respect the authority of their teacher which prepares them to respect their boss. The curriculum also plays an important role. A class in civics teaches a child to be a good American, and a class in home economics teaches a child how to operate a househol... ... middle of paper ... ...trated in the inner city where the worst, most impoverished schools are located. Therefore, even if they wish to attend school, they still receive have less access to good teachers and a good learning environment. And perhaps the most detrimental issue that minorities face is that they are often stigmatized as inferior. This causes them to be treated differently and it causes them to have low expectations for themselves, which leads to poor performance. Education is a vital part of society. It serves the beneficial purpose of educating our children and getting them ready to be productive adults in today's society. But, the social institution of education is not without its problems. Continual efforts to modify and improve the system need to be made, if we are to reap the highest benefits that education has to offer to our children and our society as a whole.
The constant debate over the school systems in America, have yielded a discussion over whether these school systems promote individuality through ones’ schoolwork or if the whole system is set up to conform every student. Some important issues to discuss when looking at schools causing individuality or conformity are school dress codes, rigid school schedules and classes, and little creativity promoted in schools.
...d form our own identities. Society greatly affects the education of its people. If society believes in a set of norms and values, it is but natural for these individuals to teach to others their principles. What a society advocates will be reflected in the way its people interact with others, these interactions provide learning to all people. This is called non-formal education from the society. Society plays a significant role in education, it can influence an enormous affect on people whether, positively and negatively. The values, morals, and principles of a society create an education system that upholds the same values, morals, and principles. A social group that believes in righteous acts and decent interactions will teach its individuals to teach the same to other people. “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom” (George Washington Carver).
Students who are enrolled in a year-round school attend school for 180 days, the same number of days as students on a traditional calendar schedule. A year-round school calendar is formulated into nine-week quarters. Each quarter is separated by a three-week break called an intersession. There is still a summer vacation , but at four or five weeks, it is less than half that of a traditional school summer break, and does not provide enough time for students to completely forget what they learned all year. This solution actually reduces the problem. This school system has been proven to have positive effects on student achievement, especially for students with learning disabilities. The goal of year-round schooling is to create continuous or extended learning by adding hours to the days and days to the year. According to the benefits of year round education article, “Fifty years ago, most American households were supported by a working father, while mothers were expected to stay at home. However, the women’s movement of the 1970’s combined with the rise in divorce rate and the high cost of living, lead to a decline of stay at home mothers.”First, The shorter vacations implemented by year-round education and intersession are helpful to today’s working parents because it is a less expensive alternative to daycare or summer camps. Also, parents and teachers can schedule vacations
Education supports everyone getting opportunities in life and being able to choose better for themselves. As Horace Mann wrote, education is the “great equalizer for all.“ However, the United States Public School system will likely never be able to equally educate its masses of students. Public school educating all fairly is a myth.There is no one entity to blame for this failure. The failure lies with each student who has been conditioned to sit passively in an un-engaging classroom. Its failure lies in some students disrespectfully distracting their classmates and frustrating their once inspired teacher or administrator. The failure lies with administration being distracted with causes of the moment and burns out from knowing that all
The repetitive structure of a school day, in a way, provides me with a sense of security, an awareness of what to expect, but it can be monotonous and lack excitement. When you consider how much time students spend in school it is clear that the experience shapes their lives and can have a lasting effect. It is for this reason that it is crucial to have the correct balance of conformity and individuality for the benefit of both civilization and individuals.
Many Americans do not question the credibility of the education system within the country because they believe it forms good citizens and creates a stepping-stone to success. John Taylor Gatto is an American teacher who has experience in the classroom for thirty years and has now devoted his life to critiquing American schools exploiting his own experiences. In his essay “Against School”, he argues that the 12-year system of school may not be necessary, due to its curriculum, and that it may be a tactic of manipulation from the government to promote obedience. I agree with his argument because there are many paths to individual success outside of public education, such as homeschooling or vocational school.
The schooling system has become an accepted part of young education in America. Although this system creates a standard system without much deviation, it still provides children with many opportunities to develop their passions. Many people feel constricted by this set education, however, this education is the key to success later in life. The skills learned not only academically, but how to behave in a scheduled environment, guide children to behave correctly throughout their lives. The schooling system uses ideas of conformity to make children value the idea of working together while still gaining an abundance of knowledge.
Although education can be an escape from poverty, the people of color rarely have access to good schools or education systems.
Not one single person on earth can explain why they are where they are in life in a single sentence. I used to think that I would just take a year off of school after I graduated from college. Maybe I would explore or just work a lot and save up some money so I could have a little more freedom in life. Whatever it was, I was not quite sure yet, I just really did not want to be in school for a while. Well, my plans changed when everyone I knew was telling me not to do that because I would most likely not go back. I also saw friends that were older than I was take that break, and then regret it when all of their friends were graduating without them. I changed my mind pretty quickly after hearing about and witnessing their mistakes and decided to go to college right out of high school after all. But after attending Shasta College for just a few weeks, I realized that I actually liked going to school. I found a whole new love for learning. I actually enjoyed soaking up information and learning from my professors. Looking back on my life, I'm so glad that my little idea of not going to college for a while was out weighed by all of the reasons that did cause me to go. My primary group which consists of my family and my boyfriend, the way I view myself, and the values that I hold close to me all greatly affected my decision to attend Shasta College.
. . . African American, Latino/a, and Native American students score less well on standardized tests. [Achievement] gaps persist in additional levels of achievement, such as grades and class rank. . . . In addition, African American students are more likely to be placed in special education classes and, once placed, are less likely to be mainstreamed or returned to regular classes (Davis, 96). Minorities are at a greater risk for being referred to special education.
Even though people say that you can’t teach old dogs new tricks, everyday is a learning experience and your never too old to learn something new. Education is something that you can never have enough of. There is always something new and improved for people to learn about. Especially with the way technology is developing these days. Even though education is just one of the several social institutions, I think that it is very important. Family however is more important but it seemed that several students were already working on papers having to do with family.
Education is an important base for life since the skills we obtain are used to better our living qualities. The reason why I think the education system needs to be improved is because the US was once one of the top nations with high educational standards and overtime it has declined and now is no where near the top. Although, th...
Robert Hardingham, PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER: building healthy communities for our most vulnerable generation, Australian Journal of Middle Schooling, vol l, no 1, May 2001.
you want to do it. Also, evidence suggests that social class prevents the education system from efficiently grading individuals in terms of ability to be able to do To conclude this essay, the functionalists have identified education. as a crucial part of the socialisation process as it transmits and re-inforces society’s norms and values, prepares children for adulthood. roles and selects young people in terms of their abilities for crucial roles.
From a perspective of parents and the public, the power of school is its capability to educate and secure degree end for its candidates. Acting as ‘sorting devices’ and classify agents, attending and completing schooling are considered a necessary move that every child to take in order to be accepted in the work force. Schools are constantly seen “as a filter between the home and the labor market” (Apple, 1982:44).