EDU
555
Education and
Society
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Spring, 2004
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Instructor: Dr. Richard Reynolds Phone: (h) 423-5329 |
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Office: Webb Hall, Room 152 (w) 465-5323 |
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Class Meetings: 555.01 Webb Rm. 212 email: reynolds@easternct.edu 555.02
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Office Hours: M: |
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T:
11.00-2.00 & |
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W: |
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R: 11.00-12.30
& |
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or
by appointment |
Credit Hours: 3
Catalog Description: A
critical study of the American education system and contemporary educational
practices in relation to historical perspectives, societal issues,
philosophical principles, ethical considerations, political and economic
policies and current initiatives.
Course Prerequisite: Graduate
standing
Purpose of the Course: To provide
the opportunity for students to critically examine the American education
system in relation to historical antecedents, societal issues, philosophical
principles, ethical considerations, and political and economic policies that
have shaped the system.
Course Objectives: By the end of the course students will:
1.
Identify general historical periods and trends in
American education along with an understanding of its European heritage.
2.
Identify social issues as they pertain to education, but
more importantly examine those issues by analyzing and synthesizing important
historical, sociological, and governmental research references to provide a
balanced treatment of controversial issues.
3. Understand the basic tenets
of the various schools of educational philosophy as relating to the nature of
the goals of education, the learner, curriculum and classroom management.
4. Demonstrate competence in the problem-solving
approach and the skills necessary to identify a particular problem, collect evidence
on it, share that evidence with the class in an oral presentation and report
the research through a final term paper.
5. Apply what has been learned
in the situation where he or she works.
6.
Internalize a cognitive and affective frame of reference
that is objective, draws references from a variety of relevant academic
disciplines and demonstrate problem-solving, skills that are ethically sound as
well as pragmatic.
7. Appreciate and respect diverse educational thoughts and
practices and maintain a global understanding of their profession.
8.
Be conscious of ethical considerations as they impact
their thinking and judgment and as they answer the question “what should a
teacher do in a situation like this?”
Class Texts: Tozer,
S.E., Violas, P.C. and Senese, G. (2002)
(4th ed.) School and
Society.
McLaren,
P. (2003) (4th. ed.) Life
in Schools.
Kohn,
Alfie (2000) The Case against StandardizedTesting.
Suggested
Texts
and/or References: Gould, S.J. (1996)
The Mismeasure of
Gutek, G.L. (1992) (3rd. ed.) Education and Schooling in
Gutek, G.L. (1997)
(2nd. ed.) Historical
& Philosophical Foundations of Education: A Biographical Introduction.
Gutek, G.L. (1997)
(2nd. ed.) Philosophical
& Ideological Perspective on Education.
Gutek, G.L. (1991) (2nd. ed.) An Historical Introduction to American
Education.
Gutek, G. (2000). American
Education 1945-2000: A History and Commentary.
Johnson, J., Dupuis, V.,
Musial, D., Hall & G., Gollnick, D.
(2002) (12th. ed.) Introduction
to the Foundations of American Education.
Levine, D. & Levine, R.
(1996) (9th. ed.) Society
and Education.
McNergney, R & Herbert,
J. (2001) (3rd. ed.) Foundations of Education.
Newman, J. W. (2002) (4th ed.)
Ornstein, A. & Levine,
D. (2003) (8th. ed.) Foundations
of Education.
Pai, Y. & Adler,
S. (1997) (2nd. ed.) Cultural Foundations of Education.
Perkinson, H. (1995) (4th. ed.) The Imperfect Panacea.
Pulliam, J.D. and Van
Patten, J. (1999) (7th.
ed.) History of Education in
Rothstein, S.W. (1996)
Schools and Society.
Sadker, M.P. and Sadker,
D.M. (2003) (6th. ed.) Teachers,
Schools, and Society.
Schultz, F. (Ed.) Annual
Edition: Education 01/02.
Spring, J. (1989) The Sorting Machine Revisited.
Spring, J. (1999) (2nd
ed.). Wheels in the head.
Spring, J. (2004) (11th. ed.) American Education.
Stevens, E., Wood, G. &
Sheehan, J. (2002) (4th ed.) Justice,
Ideology, and Education.
Urban, W. & Wagoner,
J. (2004) (3nd. ed.). American
Education: A History.
Webb, L.D., Metha, A. and
Education Journals
o
Phi Delta Kappan
o
Educational Leadership
o Journal of
Teacher Education
Newspapers/News Magazines
o
Education Week
o
o
Journal Inquirer,
Chronicle
Useful Web Sites:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) www.ascd.org
American Educational
Research Association (AERA) www.aera.net
American Association of
School Administrators (AASA) www.aasa.org
National School Board
Association (NSBA) www.nsba.org
Connecticut State
Department of Education (CSDE) www.state.
ct. us/sde
U. S. Department of
Education, Office of Research www.ed.gov/offies/OERI/ResCtr.html
National newspapers www. ajr. news link. orglnews. html
Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) www.pdkintl.org
The New York Times www.nytimes,com
The Boston Globe www.boston.com
The Washington Post www.washingtonpost.com
Education Week www.edweek.org
Teachers College Record www.tcrecord.org
Course Outline:
1. Introduction:
“Getting to know
you.” Explanation of syllabus. Why Study Theory? Terms:
Political Economy, Ideology, Democracy, education, schooling, training . The
relationship between school and the larger society.
Tozer
et al.
Organize the
schedule of in-class presentations
2. Educational Vision of
Jefferson and the Classic Liberals Faith in human reason. Natural law. Liberal
conceptions of virtue, progress, freedom. The education/democracy nexus. Tozer
et al. C
Reading
- McLaren, Pt. I. pp. 1-51
3. The Common School Era & Horace Mann
Effects of urbanization,
industrialization, immigration on the nation. Creating a national identity and
the role of a free, secular school system in this process. Tozer at al. Ch. 3
Discussion
- The riddle of religion in the schools.
Reading
- McLaren, Ch. 1, pp. 55-98
4. The
Progressive Era (1870-1920) in American Schools.
‘Old ‘ and ‘new’ immigrants.
Progressive reforms in various guises throughout the nation. The Dewey
Progressives and the Social Efficiency progressives fight for control of the
education agenda. The new liberal ideology and the age of the “experts” Tozer
et al. - Ch. 4
Discussion
- Dewey's Progressivism or the social -efficiency approach?
Reading
- McLaren, Ch. 2, pp. 99-136
5. The Modern Era (1950- 1970)
Goodbye to the primacy of
the Common Man. The new Democracy administered by experts. J.B. Conant and the
resurrection of meritocracy. IQ testing, SAT’s. The Cold War, Sputnik and the
Communist menace. NDEA. Tozer et al. -
Chs. 8.
Discussion -
Was Coleman correct?
Reading - McLaren, Ch. 3, pp. 137-182
6.
The Challenge of
Diversity and Equity
The origins of inequality.
Genetic Inferiority v Cultural Deficit Theory. Brown v Board (1954). The
Coleman Report (1966). Lyndon Johnson’s response – New Society and the War on
Poverty. Tozer et al. - Ch. 12.
Discussion - Resistance Theory.
Reading - McLaren, Chs. 4 & 5, pp. 185-221
7. The Modern
Era (1980-2000)
Contemporary school reform.
“A nation at risk” (1983). The ascendancy of excellence over equity. Smaller
government and a return to local control of education? America 2000, Goals
2000, “No child left behind” (2001). Reshaping the teaching profession. Who is
driving these efforts to reform? Tozer
et al - Ch. 14.
Reading - McLaren, Ch. 6,7,8 &9, pp. 227-261
8. "More bang for your
buck" - Financing education and the Accountability Movement. School Choice
and vouchers. How do schools become accountable? Testing, the national dementia?
Discussion
- Applying the business model to Education?
Reading - McLaren, Ch. 10, pp. 263-292
9. The Literacy
Debate
Literacy
as a social construct. Conventional, functional, cultural and critical
literacy. Hegemony, the power elites and
literacy. Cultural hegemony and mass media. Schooling and cultural
hegemony. Tozer et al. - Ch. 9
Discussion: The views of E.D. Hirsch.
GROUP PRESENTATIONS
10. The Professionalization of Teaching
Professionalism
and contemporary school reform. The Holmes and Carnegie Reports. The political
and economic dimensions of teaching as a profession. The issue of professional
autonomy. Who controls the schools? Professional ethics and issues of satisfaction.
Tozer et
al. - Ch 10
Discussion: How to improve the teaching
force.
11. Differentiated Education - The Vocational and Liberal Ideals
Histories
of vocational and liberal education. Work and the quality of life. What is
critical pedagogy? Critical Education v Banking Education. School to work
programs. Tozer et al. - Ch. 11
Discussion: Ability grouping in schools?
12. Intelligence: A Misused and
Abused Concept.
The process of Reification.
Scientific measurement, heredity and prejudice!! Alfred Binet and intelligent
testing. Goddard, Terman and Burt and the misuse of statistics. Yerkes and the
doughboys. Spearman’s ‘g’ and ‘s’ factors. Jensen, Herrnstein and Murray – is
there more to the story than statistics? Howard Gardner may have the answers we
have been looking for.
Discussion: Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligence
Reading Guides: Reading Guides are provided for the
chapters covered in the Tozer et al. text and are designed to encourage you to
focus and gain as much as possible from the readings. These guides
are posted on the university web site and are accessible as follows:
Go to ECSU home page
click
Faculty Web Pages
click
Reynolds, Richard Education
click
on the EDU 555 link
click
on Reading Guides
Group
Presentations:
will
consist of the study of selected educational issues from sociological,
philosophical, historical, ethical, political and comparative perspectives.
Individuals or groups of
students will research and present their findings in class presentations.
Specifically, class members may choose to present material and viewpoints
derived from the following list of studies, initiatives, reforms and
philosophical positions.
1. Studies relating Social Class and Academic
Achievement
2. Standardized Testing
3. Magnet Schools/ Charter Schools
4. Education of
Minority Populations
5. Education of Women and Girls
6. Effective Schools Research
7. High
School Reform Proposals; Theodore Sizer
8. Proposals to Help Potential Drop-Outs
9. Special Education; the Inclusion Debate
10.
Should U.S. Emulate Other Countries?
11.
Improving the Teaching Force
12.
Cultural Literacy: The views of E.D. Hirsch
13. Moral Education:
The riddle of religion in the schools
14. Proposals to
Reform Middle Schools: “Turning Points”
15. School Choice and Vouchers
16. The Role of Teachers' Unions
17.
School-to-Work Programs
18.
Liberal and vocational conceptions of
education: Ability grouping and tracking
19. “No Child Left
Behind” (2001)
20.
An appropriate topic of your own choosing
EDU 555 Rubric for Research/Presentation
a.
Class Handout
10 points 8 points 5 points
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a) Complete Table of Contents b) Full bibliography in APA format |
a) Incomplete Table of Contents b) Incomplete bibliography in APA format or complete bibliography not in APA style |
a) No Table of Contents b) No bibliography |
b.
Balance of your own and photocopied work
10 points 8
points 5
point
|
Good balance of your own work and useful copied (photocopied) materials |
Heavy reliance on copied (photocopied) materials. Handout was ‘slim’ |
Total or almost total absence of your own work |
c.
Sources
10 points 8 points 5 points
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a) 3 types of resources were used: books, journal articles, interviews, surveys, Internet, newspaper articles, case studies, personal videos etc. b) A total of at least 10 resources |
a) 2 types of resources b) total of 5-9 resources |
a) 1 type of resource b) less than 5 resources |
d.
Diverse Perspectives
10 points 8 points 5 points
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Evidence that research has been done from differing viewpoints (historical, ethical, philosophical, sociological, statistical) and acknowledges the various criticisms in addition to several pros & cons on the topic presented |
Evidence that research has been done from adequate coverage of differing viewpoints and acknowledges some of the criticisms with a few pros & cons on the topic |
Evidence that research has been done through limited coverage of different viewpoints with little acknowledgement of criticisms and no treatment of pros and cons |
a. Organization
10 points 8 points 5 points
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a) The presentation is well organized with an introduction, followed by supporting evidence and closure b) The presentation is coherent and fully developed |
a) The presentation is not well developed. It lacks an introduction, well-developed evidence or closure. b) Coherence is attempted but not achieved |
a) Little of nothing is presented. The whole lacks organization and coherence and is poorly developed b) the presentation does not stay on topic |
b. Evidence of Collaboration
10 points 8 points 5 points
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Evidence of collaboration. Equal participation in the
presentation |
Evidence of collaboration with less than equal participation in the presentation |
Little evidence of collaboration with extremely unequal participation in presentation |
c. Variety of Learning Styles
10 points 8 points 5 points
|
The presenters demonstrated the use of 3 or more modes of instruction: lecture, game, skit activity, discussion, group work, questioning, debate, guest lecturer etc. |
The presenters demonstrated the use of 2 modes of instruction |
The presenters relied almost entirely on lecture demonstrating the use of only 1 mode of instruction |
10 points 8 points 5 points
|
Use of at least 2 types of visual aids: Powerpoint, video, slide projector, charts, OHP, document camera etc. |
Use of at least 1 type of visual aids |
No visual aids |
e. Engaged Interest of Class
10 points 8 points 5 points
|
High level of class engagement in the presentation |
Low levels of class involvement or presentation was too confusing |
Lecture only; presenters failed to engage the interest of the class. |
f. Personal Critical Analysis
10 points 8 points 5 points
|
The presenters successfully built their personal critical analysis of the subject material into the presentation |
Some attempt to build a personal critical analysis into the presentation |
Presenters failed to include a personal critical analysis of the subject matter |
g. Quoting from the Research Literature
10 points 8 points 5 points
|
4 or more quotes from the research literature |
2 quotes from the research literature |
Presenters failed to provide quotes from the research literature |
h. Management of Time
10 points 8 points 5 points
|
The presenters used their time wisely covering the material content of their presentation, the scheduled activities, closure and time for questions within the time allowed. |
The presenters got part way through their presentation but ran out of time and did not allow for adequate closure or questions. |
The presentation essentially fell apart. The presenters did not follow a logical sequence and lost focus |
EDU 555 Rubric for Final Research Paper
1. # of pages, 10-12
2. APA format is followed
throughout
3. Main premise/theme is
clearly stated and supported by at least 2 sources
4. The paper is well written
and free of grammatical, syntactic and spelling errors
5. The paper is well organized
and logically ordered
6. Opposing views are stated
and examined
7. Major ideas are supported
with quotes from the research literature
8. There is a strong conclusion
1. # of pages, less than 10
2. APA format is followed on
most occasions
3. Main premise/theme is
clearly stated and supported by at least 1 source
4. The paper is reasonable well
written; some grammatical, syntactic, spelling errors
5. The paper has some
organizational flaws
6. At least one opposing view
is stated and examined
7. Major ideas are supported
with quotes from the research literature
8. There is a stated conclusion
1. # of pages, less than 9
2. APA format is inconsistent
3. Main premise/theme is
difficult to determine and unsupported
4. The paper has numerous
grammatical, syntactic and spelling errors
5. The paper has numerous
organizational flaws
6. Opposing views are not
stated
7. Excessive original ideas
and/or over reliance on quotes
8. The conclusion is weak or
missing
1. # of pages, less than 8
2. APA format is inconsistent
or non existent
3. Main premise/theme is not
stated
4. The paper has numerous
grammatical, syntactic and spelling errors
5. The paper is not organized
6. Opposing views are not
stated
7. Excessive original ideas
and/or over reliance on quotes predominate
8. The conclusion is missing
Marking & Grading:
Attendance
and Participation 30 points
in
Class Discussions
Two
Reaction papers 60 points
Research/Presentation 120 points
Final
Paper 90 points
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TOTAL 300
points
Your mark will be converted to a % score and grades will be awarded as
follows:
92%
- 100% A
88%
- 91% A-
84%
- 87% B+
80%
- 83% B
76%
- 79% B-
72%
- 75% C+
68%
- 71% C
64%
- 67% C-
62%
- 63% D+
60%
- 61% D
Assignments: NO LATE WRITTEN
ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Lest you consider this stricture too harsh,
consider the reasons why the vast majority of requests are made for (time)
extensions.
All written work
submitted for correction should be typed.
Typed papers should be doubled spaced, 12 point font (23 lines/page) on
standard 8 1/2" x 11" paper with a one inch margin all round. Papers should be stapled. Please ensure that your paper carries a title
page on which your name, the course name and number, the date and the title of
the assignment are clearly marked.
Deductions will
be made for grammatical or mechanical errors.
A Pocket Style Manual (2004) (4rd
ed.) by Diana Hacker may prove to be a useful reference when checking for
correct grammar and syntax and details
of the APA style of referencing.
Attendance and Participation: You are
expected to be in attendance and to be punctual. If for reason you are unable to attend class,
then I would appreciate knowing this PRIOR to the event.
The attendance policy for this class allows for ONE unexplained absence. A serious attendance problem, a student missing all or part of a second or third class will occasion the loss of points to be subtracted from the grade for attendance and participation. Missing all or part of four (or more) scheduled classes will result in the issuance of a failing grade for the course.
Participation in class will be judged in terms
of students' ability to answer
questions posed in the Reading Guides and general contributions to class
discussions. Please speak up, you are among friends.
Students with
Disabilities: If you are a student
with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this
class, it is your responsibility to contact the Office of AccessAbility
Services at 465-5573. To avoid any delay in the receipt of accommodations you
should contact the Office as soon as possible. Please note that I cannot
provide accommodations based upon disability until I have a letter from the
Office of AccessAbility Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
555.01
M: 4.00 – 6.45 p.m.
555.02 W: 4.00 – 6.45 p.m.
Week
1 January
26 (555.01) Library Tour
28 (555.02)
Library Tour
2 February
2
4
3
9
11
4 16
Washington’s Birthday
18 1st. Reaction Paper due
5 23 1st. Reaction Paper due
25
6 March 1
3
7 8 2nd. Reaction Paper due
10 2nd. Reaction Paper due
8 15
17
9 22 Spring
24 Break
10 29
31
11 April 5 Begin Group Presentation
7 Begin Group Presentations
12 12
14
13 19
21
14 26
28
15 May 3
5
16 10 Hand in Final Paper
12 Hand in Final Paper