Education is one of the fundamental institutions in our society.  It
is one of the main places where we learn not only how to read and
write, but also how to behave in public, follow directions, and get
along with others.  Schools help prepare us for adult life and
employment, and help us become good citizens who are prepared to
participate in a democracy.  Around the world, schools can help
alleviate poverty and help with the development of third-world
countries, among many other factors.  Education is clearly one of the
most influential institutions in the world, and yet it is also subject
to an incredible amount of criticism.  Schools in the United States
are criticized for things such as not adequately preparing students
for college or future jobs, not providing a moral education, being too
bureaucratic, having too many or too few extracurricular activities
and nonacademic courses, engaging in social promotion of unprepared
students, and hiring under-qualified or ineffective teachers.  This
list could go on and on.  This course will address many of these
criticisms, along with the history and structure of the education
system.  We will focus mainly on the U.S. education system, but we
will also spend time talking about how U.S. schools compare to schools
in other countries.

This is a sociology course, so we will use sociological concepts and
theories to examine the educational system and its effects on students
and society.  Sociologists provide a unique perspective from which to
study the education system, as they focus on the effects social
processes and social structure have on individual and institutional
outcomes.  Examples of sociological questions about education that
will be explored in this class include:
•	Why do students from different race and social class backgrounds
tend to have different educational outcomes?
•	How do family and community factors affect schools and students?
•	What is the “hidden curriculum” in U.S. schools?
•	Are standardized tests an effective method for evaluating how much
students are learning?
•	How do education reforms like vouchers or charter schools really
work, and are they effective?
•	Will changing the way schools are financed help schools and students
do better?
•	How does professionalization of teachers affect the school system?
Should teachers be required to get advanced degrees or be subject-area
specialists?
•	What do schools in other countries look like compared to U.S.
schools, and how do their purposes and outcomes for students differ?
•	Are U.S. public schools really performing as badly as some people
claim?