Sociology Study Guide Unit 8 Education

Education ● It should come as no surprise that education, along with its quality, varies around the world. ○ For instance, a country that does have basic amenities such as running water is unable to offer high-quality education or sometimes any education at all. ● International education also differs in how much education is valued, the time dedicated to it, and how education is spread in a country. ○ An example is South Korean students having 220 school days while American students have 180. ● Education analysts noticed that the countries with the best education systems all had well-established standards for education with clear goals for all students. They also hired teachers from the top 5-10% of university graduates each year, which most countries don’t do. ● There are two types of education: formal and informal education. ○ Formal education is taught using an official curriculum and usually takes place in a classroom. ○ Informal education focuses on teaching cultural values, norms, and expected behavior. Rather than learn in a classroom, people are taught these things through their participation in society. What is taught in schools? ● Schools help students develop social networks through things such as small groups and partner projects. ● Students learn about social issues, social and political advocacy, and respecting views that differ from theirs. ● Some schools teach students to prioritize groups while others teach their students to prioritize themselves. ○ For example, American students learn early on that they are rewarded for excelling in academics or athletics. These awards range from honor roll lists and certificates to trophies to words of affirmation. The pursuit of these rewards creates a naturally competitive environment. Whether one is trying to rank the highest in their class or win a sports game, students are pitted against each other. ● Students in America are also taught to be patriotic by pledging allegiance to the flag every morning and learning about their country’s heroes in history classes. ● Schools are also beginning to teach students things that were formerly taught at home, such as sexuality, financial literacy, and career education. Problems in the education system ● Many schools are prioritizing getting their students to succeed on standardized tests over making sure that their students are actually learning. Standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT are supposedly used to test if a student is ready for college-level work, but many people also use them as a measure of intelligence. ● The issue with such tests is that a student who is falling behind in their classes can study really hard and score well on the SAT, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are barely passing their classes. On the other hand, a student with straight A’s can do poorly on the ACT. This is clearly an inaccurate measure of intelligence because students are being tested on how well they can study, not their actual knowledge. ● Another issue with the education system is how some schools are seen as superior to others. When choosing a college to attend, rankings are probably the most considered factor. In addition, the lower the acceptance rate, the higher the respect a school is given. This is in spite of rankings not being an accurate reflection of a school’s quality. ○ The most well-known example of this is people pedestalizing ivy league institutions or universities of similar prominence. ● There is also the issue of community college not being considered a “real college”. Students who attend these institutions are seen as less intelligent than their peers who attend four-year schools. They are looked down upon, despite avoiding loads of debt and community college classes being of similar quality to four-year college classes. ● The superiority complex lies not only in colleges but also in college degrees. Often people will claim that STEM degrees (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) are superior to liberal arts and social science degrees. The main reasons behind this are that STEM degrees tend to be more difficult and time-consuming. In addition, STEM jobs have significantly higher salaries. ● Many people forget that one of the purposes of education is to actually educate and expand someone’s knowledge. While it is true that education is also meant to help equip people with skills needed to land them a job, people act like this is education’s only purpose. The tendency to only focus on this aspect of education is what leads people to look down on liberal arts majors. ● When people ask for advice on what they should get their degree in, they will often hear one of two answers: major in what you’re passionate about or only major in something that will make you a lot of money. Both of these pieces of advice have flaws because one ignores practicality while the other disregards personal interest. ● A lot of schools don’t adequately teach their students financial literacy. They might have one class that usually lasts about a semester, but students soon forget the information they learn in that class. This method of teaching produces a bunch of financially illiterate and financially-irresponsible young adults. Not only are the courses dedicated to teaching this subject too short, but they also lack consistency. If someone only has to take one finance class out of their entire four years in high school, they will not have enough time to retain a lot of information.