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EQUAL RIGHT TO EDUCATION…RIGHT?

EQUAL RIGHT TO EDUCATION…RIGHT?. SOC 3300 – Social Inequality Dr. Mary Cay Sengstock, Ph.D., C.C.S. Professor of Sociology Wayne State University m.sengstock@wayne.edu http://users.wowway.com/~ marycay910. EDUCATION : PRESUMED SOURCE OF AMERICAN EQUALITY.

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EQUAL RIGHT TO EDUCATION…RIGHT?

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  1. EQUAL RIGHT TO EDUCATION…RIGHT? SOC 3300 – Social Inequality Dr. Mary Cay Sengstock, Ph.D., C.C.S. Professor of Sociology Wayne State University m.sengstock@wayne.edu http://users.wowway.com/~marycay910

  2. EDUCATION: PRESUMED SOURCE OF AMERICAN EQUALITY • For Decades, Education Was Seen as Key to Opportunity • Horatio Alger Myth: Anyone Can Start at the Bottom – & Make His Way to the Top • That Goes for Everyone: • Rich or Poor • Black or White • Immigrant or Native-Born • It Just Depends on Their Own Hard Work RIGHT?

  3. RETURN OF SEPARATE BUT EQUALKahlenberg, #21 • 1930s-1940s: NAACP Strategy re School Segregation • Brown v Board of Educ (1954): • Racially Separate Education Inherently Unequal • Required Public Schools to Desegregate • George Wallace: Segregation Today … Tomorrow … Forever!” (Alabama Gov, 1963) • BUT: 1990 Supreme Court Decisions re Schools: • Declared Desegregation Plans Temporary … • In Spite of Continued De Factor Segregation • Released Schools from Desegregation Plans

  4. WHAT RESULTED? • In Absence of Legal Requirements … • Geography Takes Precedence … • “Housing Policy is School Policy” • (Albuquerque Mayor David Rusk) • To 1980: Many School Achievement Gains • Since 1980: Most Lost • Middle Class Families With Children  Suburbs • Middle Class – No Children  Central Cities • Segregated Schools Have Returned

  5. CURRENT SEGREGATION DATA Black Students in Segregated Schools: 1980 63% 2005 70% Hispanics in Segregated Schools: 2005 76% 2/3 of Public School Students “Middle Class” 3/4 of Schools Have Majority “Low Income” Children of Color More Likely in These Schools Segregation Increased in Schools & Housing

  6. SEGREGATION: WHAT KIND COUNTS? • 1990s: Poorly Funded Districts in 40 States … • Lawyers Attempt to Prove That Property Tax Based Funding  Poor Schools in Poor Areas: • Larger Class Sizes – Less Qualified Teachers – Lower Salaries – Less Equipment & Supplies • Affluent Districts: Aver $7,731/Pupil • High Poverty Districts: Aver: $6,383/Pupil • Aver. $1,348; Some as Much as $2,000 More • Goal: Move Resources – Not Children!

  7. BUT RESOURCES ARE NOT ENOUGH! • Racial/Ethnic Integration Not Sufficient! • Classmates Are a Resource Too! • More Crucial Than Books, Computers, Supplies • Pupils Learn From One Another • Affluent Students Bring: • 4x As Large a Vocabulary • – More General Cultural Knowledge – Wider Experience – Less Disruptive • Kids of All Races, Classes Do Better in Middle Class Schools

  8. NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND? • Stresses Testing & Accountability • Ignores Impact of Child’s Background on Learning • Poor Districts Continue to Get Worse  Get Penalized  Less Resources  Do Even Worse • American Schools Are Becoming More Segregated: Racially, Ethnically, Economically • Theoretically, Parents Could Move Their Kids • Actually, Poor Families Were Unable to Do It • Charter Schools NOT Req’d to Take All Students!

  9. CONSEQUENCES? • Dropout Rate: Plummeted Nationally • Exceeds 2/3 in High Poverty Areas • Dropout Rate in Lowest 20% of Income … • 6x That of Highest 20% of Income • 78% of High Income Students Go to College • 49% of Low Income Students Go to College • 15% of Inner City High Schools Go to College

  10. CONCLUSION RE EQUAL EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS? • Separate But Equal Did Not Work • Racial Integration Did Not Work • Education Is Not Equal for All – Or Even Most • For Equal Educational Opportunity … • America Needs to Invest in ALL Students … • Of ALL Social Classes … In ALL School Districts • District-Based Property Taxes Are Not Working for the Benefit of All Children • Penalizing Ineffective Schools Makes It Worse!

  11. OTHER END OF THE SCHOOL SPECTRUM: PREPARING FOR POWER(Cooksen & Persell, #22) • Study of America’s Elite Boarding Schools • What Are the Goals of These Schools? • What Is Taught There? • Who Studies There? • What Do They Learn? • What Are the “Added” Advantages?

  12. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND • British Upper Class Tradition • Need to Learn “Culture” • Greek & Latin – Mental Acuity – More Readings – Longer School Hours – More Discipline • NOT for Girls – Unnecessary for Wives, Mothers • Clearly Not for Ethnic Minorities!

  13. ELITE BOARDING SCHOOLS TODAYEX: GROTON SCHOOL • Quality of Mind • Precise & Articulate Communication • Accurate Computation • Reason Quantitatively • Scientific Problem-Solving • Reason Logically & Carefully • Think Imaginatively & Sensitively • Social, Political, Culture of Western Civilization • Emphasis on Language, Mathematics, Science, History, and Arts

  14. WHAT CURRICULUM LOOKS LIKE • Far More Electives, Independent Study • Far More Readings, More Intense Analysis • Analysis of Original Sources, Not Texts • Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in Original English • Extra Assistance With English for SAT Taking • Emphasis on the Arts, Music, “Well-Rounded” • Opportunity to Study, Work Off Campus • Opportunities to Travel • Even Opportunities to Help Less Fortunate (Native Reservations)

  15. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:ATHLETICS • Elite Schools Have Athletics • May or May Not Be Competitive • Often a Wide Variety of Options • ALL Students Must Participate • Not Public School Focus on “THE TEAM” • Athletic Resources Are Exceptional • Some Include Off Campus Ties to Elite Clubs • Preparation for a Gentleman/Gentlewoman • (Preparation for the Country Club Later?)

  16. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:OTHER PREPARATION FOR LIFE • Wide Variety of Other Activities: Yearbook, Newspaper, Fund Drives, Student Government • 1 in 3 Private School Students in Student Govt • 1 in 5 Public School Students in Student Govt • Roles in Off Campus Political, Cultural Groups • Many Opportunities to Make Contacts Which May Be Continued After Graduation • Best Positions Go to Boys; Girls Get 2nd Place

  17. LEARNING BY EXAMPLE – FROM THE BEST! • Elite Schools Can Afford Elite Guest Speakers! • Often They Donate Their Time! • Politicians & Successful CEOs • Professional Musicians, Astronauts • Often Alumni Invited Back to Speak • Provide Students With Models of Success • Not to Mention Later Business & Social Contacts! • Awards for Students – Gold Cups, Trophies ... • Not Just a Public School Certificate!

  18. NATIVE AMERICANS GET THE STICK!(Crow Dog & Erdoes, 1990, #23) • Native Americans Generally Treated Brutally • Transferred, Killed, Died of European Diseases (Mich Dutch Settlers: “God Helping Us – They Die of Plague!”) • Children Were Treated “More Humanely”: • Taken From Their Homes & Families Most of Year • Placed in Boarding Schools/Orphanages • Very Impersonal (v. Native Family/Tribe Closeness) • Often Brutally Beaten – By Religious Teachers

  19. NATIVE AMERICANS (ctd) Totally Different Child-Rearing Cultural Patterns (Contrast Similar to Other Ethnic Communities Also) Anglo-American “Artificial” Time Orientation Demeaning of Nature Rigid Physical Punishment Forced Religious Conversion Boarding School Focused Socialization Native American “Natural” Time Focus Respect for Nature Loving, Supportive Discipline Tribal Religion Supported Family/Tribe Focused Socialization

  20. NATIVE AMERICANS (ctd) • Any Good Examples? • The “Good Priest”: • Mary Ellen’s EX: Young Priest/English Teacher • Student Who Had Trouble Expressing Himself • Confrontation With Him for Embarrassing Student • His Eventual Acceptance of Native American Life • Support for Native Americans in Face of Conflicts • Eventually Became a Friend of Hers & Others

  21. NATIVE AMERICANS (ctd) • Pattern Continued for Generations: • Forced Cultural Change • Demeaning of Culture • Forced Religious Conversion • Deprival of Contact With Family, Tribe • Demeaning of Individual Dignity • “Western” (i.e., English) Culture Forced on Natives – the Ones Not Killed Outright • Any Similarities to Other Ethnic Communities?

  22. PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT/ABUSE & EDUCATION • Much Disagreement About Whether Schools Should Use Physical Punishment • Widespread Belief in Biblical Warning: • “Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child.” • Especially Among Conservative Religious Leaders • In Contrast, Most States Require School Personnel to Report Suspected Abuse Cases

  23. VIEWS RE REPORTING ABUSE • Administrators Do Not Like the Publicity • They Prefer Internal Reports – i.e., Teachers Report to Administrators; They Decide • Oct., 2011: Penn State Athletic Dept: • Asst Football Coach Jerry Sandusky … • Sexually Abused Several Young Boys • Reports Sent to Coach Paterno & Administration • State Police Frank Noonen: Never Heard of This! • He’s a Dreamer! It Happens A Lot!

  24. RELATION TO OTHER INSTITUTIONS – COURTS • Many System Personnel Condone Abuse! • Nov., 2011: Texas Video Goes Viral! • Judge William Adams – Texas Family Court • Beat Disabled 16 Year Old Daughter, Hilary (2004) • Daughter’s Video Posted On-Line in 2011 • Judge Presides in Family Court – Which Handles Child Abuse Cases • How Can He Be Objective?

  25. GENDER COMPLIANCE IN EDUCATION Boys in Action – Girls in Inaction Boys Called on More Often Asked & Answer More Questions More Praise for Good Responses Allowed/Encouraged to Shout Out Get More Challenges, Help Raise Hands Vigorously “Smart” Boys Get Lots of Attention Girls Called on Less Corrected If They Break Rules Get Better Grades Fewer Punishments Than Boys Rewarded for Passivity Get Less Help, Few Challenges Raise Hands Politely “Smart” Girls Really Ignored! Leave Teacher More Time for Boys

  26. TYPICAL TEACHER BEHAVIORS • Praise: “Good Job!” “Nice Analysis!” “Great Paper!” (10% of Time) • Remediation: “Check Your Answers.” “Think About It & Try Again.” • Criticism: “#4 is Wrong. “Terrible Paper!” (5% of Time) • Acceptance: “Uh-huh.” “OK.” (Most Common – More Than Half the Time)

  27. TYPICAL TEACHER BEHAVIORS:GENDER ORIENTED • Boys Received More of All 4 Reactions: • Praise – Remediation – Criticism – Acceptance • Boys More Like to Get Useful Responses: • Praise – Correction – Help – Criticism • Girls Received More Acceptance – “OK.” • Especially True of African American Girls! • Girls Not Criticized – Esp. by Male Teachers: “Don’t Want to Upset Her. She Might Cry.”

  28. TYPICAL TEACHER BEHAVIORS:GENDER ORIENTED (ctd) • When Girls Are Rewarded – It is Most Likely For Appearance! (EX: Ashley Reiter – Math Award – Complimented on Her Appearance) • Boys’ Looks Used to Teach (EX: Cowboy Belt History) • Bombing Rate: Teacher Questions: 9/10 Second for Response – Little Time to Think • Boys Get More Time Than Girls • EX: Math Q: Girl – 1/2 Second; Boy – 4 Seconds

  29. SUMMATION: GENDER IN CLASSROOM • Boys Get Much More Attention, Better Training Than Girls • Girls Are Largely Ignored – Not Given Time to Think About Answers • Girls Are Taught to Be Non-Assertive • Has Long-Term Impact on Female Achievement & Self-Esteem • Conclusion: The “OK” Classroom is NOT OK!

  30. GENDER ON THE PLAYGROUND • Boys Get More of the Playground (Middle – 10 Times the Size – For Their Games) • Girls Pushed to Outside – Leftovers • Boys Got Balls, Girls Got Jump Ropes • Girls Who Want to Play – Pushed Out By Boys • Teachers Do Not Intervene – Even Correct Girls Who Are in “Wrong Place” • Girls Reminded That Boys Will Like Them Later

  31. GENDER IN OTHER NON-OFFICIAL ENVIRONMENTS • Lunchroom Segregation – Boys: “Ooh! Too Many Girls! • Boys More Likely to Taunt Girls – “Different Species” – Polluting Cooties • Sex Segregation Often Child Imposed – More Rigid Than Ethnic/Racial • Many Teachers Use the Antagonism: “If You Don’t Behave, I’ll Make You Sit With the Girls!”

  32. CURRICULAR GENDERISM • Boys Are Doctors – Girls Are Nurses • Boys Are Eating – Girls Are Cooking • Boys & Girls in “Wrong” Roles Are Ridiculed • Tough-Looking Policewomen • Boys DO Things – Girls Need Things Fixed • Eli Whitney’s Patented Cotton Gin – Catherine Littlefield Green’s “Brush” Contribution • Kids Can’t Develop “Famous Woman” List

  33. CURRICULAR GENDERISM (ctd) • Textbooks Used in MD, VA, DC: • 1989: 2,3 or 4x as Many Pictures of Boys, Men • 1992 6th Grade History Text: Only 11 Females, No American Women • 631 pages of History: Only 7 Pages for Women • 2/7 Pages: 5th Grade Girl’s Mission to Soviet Union • No Mention of Susan B. Anthony • Most Boys Say: “Of Course! Why Have Any!”

  34. CONTROLLING SEXUALITY THROUGH SCHOOLS • School Legitimizes the Dominant Culture • Appear to Be “Neutral” Transmitters of Culture • Really Promote Male Heterosexual Hegemony • Enforced By Culture of the Schools • “Natural” School Environment: • Interactions of Boys, Girls Interacting • School Dances, Parties – Heterosexuality Assumed • Harassment of Gays, Lesbians Accepted

  35. EX: “THE PROM” • Assumes Boy-Girl Attendance • Highly Valued By Everyone – Kids, Parents, Teachers – Entire Community – Media • “Hetero-Romantic” Role Educates Adolescents Re “Proper” Behavior – All Others Left Out • “Proper” Male Assertiveness, Masculinity • “Proper” Female Submissiveness, Weak, Soft • Demeans GLBT

  36. PROM CONFLICTS IN SOME COMMUNITIES • Prom Confrontations Re Same Sex Couples • Itawanba County, MS: • Constance McMillan Wanted to Come With Girlfriend • School Cancelled Prom • Parents Sponsored Prom Off Campus • Better That Way – “We Concentrate on Learning” • (They Can Also Avoid “Equal Opportunity” Rules) • Exclude Gays, Blacks, Muslims, Whoever!

  37. BEING GLBT IN U.S. HIGH SCHOOLS • GLBT Youth Complaints About High School: • Everything is Boys, Girls: Flirting, Holding Hands • Continuous Discussion of Heterosexual Acts, Ideas • “Flaunting” of Heterosexual Activity Allowed • Message to GLBT Youth: Heterosexuality Is Normal • YOU Are NOT! • Pressures GLBT Youth to Conform

  38. SCHOOL TREATMENT OF LGBT TEENS • 2003 Survey of 887 GLBT Youth Across U.S.: • 84% Had Been Verbally Harassed • 82.9% Said Teachers/Administrators Rarely Stop Homophobic Actions • 55% of Transgender Kids Physically Harassed Re Gender Orientation • 41% of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexuals Were Harassed • 64.3% of LGBT Felt Unsafe at School • 42 States Graded Failing to Protect GLBT Youth

  39. GLBT IN CURRICULUM • GLBT People Rarely Mentioned In Curriculum • GLBT People Are Invisible • While Heterosexuality Is Presented As Norm • NO Treatment of GLBT Views is Allowed • EX: Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Clubs in School • Feared, Criticized, Outlawed By School District • Pressure from Parents, Churches, Politicians • Seen as “Neutral” Stance by the Schools

  40. WESTERN SEX EDUCATION & SOCIAL CONTROL OF SEXUALITY Obsession vs. Repression (Michel Foucault) • Intense Discussion of “Approved” Sex • Male Dominant – Female Submissive • Comprehensive Sex Education Forbidden: • Abstinence – Contraception – Abortion – Anatomy – Physiology – Homosexuality – Masturbation – Sexually Transmitted Diseases • Abstinence Only Sex Education Classes OK • Encourage Ignorance, Shame, Teen Pregnancy

  41. EUROPEAN vs. U.S. MODELS U.S. Model ADLA (Adolescent Family Life Act) Suppress Discussing Female Desire Discuss Female Sexual Victimization Privilege Married Heterosexuality Open Discussion Forbidden Sex Viewed as “Dirty” Sex Education Late, if at All European Model More Open Discussion Sex Education in Early Grades Open, Accepting Discussion of Sex Less Teen Pregnancy, Abortion Aver. Age 1st Sex = to U.S.

  42. U.S. PUBLIC OPINION • Population Supports Comprehensive Model • 1998 Survey: • 87% Favor Sex Education • 89%: Include Abstinence, Contraception, STDs • U.S. Policy (Federal & Local) Very Traditional Congress (Politicians) – Religious Leaders – School Administrators

  43. CONCLUSION • Do U.S. Schools Support Diversity? • RACIAL, ETHNIC, ECONOMIC, GENDER GROUPS? • ANYONE? • Or Do They Reinforce the Pre-Determined Social Categories Preferred by the White, Male, Heterosexual Hegemony? • What Do Our Institutions Have to Do With It? YOU DECIDE!

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