Social Institutions

1. Social Institutions An examination of education

2. Social Institutions • Social Institutions are: • The means by which basic social needs are met • Organized beliefs and rules that establish HOW society will attempt to meet its basic social needs.

3. Look Familiar? • Examples: TraditionalEmergent Family Sports Education Mass Media Religion Science/medicine The Economy Military Government

4. Your family vs. THE family • THE family – • Standardized patterns of behavior that organize family life. • Well-organized, well-defined relationships. • Husband-wife; parent-child, brother-sister • What social needs are met by THE family? • Early socialization • Care giving • Socially acceptable means of reproduction

5. Sociology and Social Institutions • Sociologists study human behavior as it occurs in and is influenced by social groups, institutions, organizations, and societies. • Examine ways in which social characteristics or categories (age, class, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality) • and social institutions (economics, education, family, media, politics, religion, sports) • affect human attitudes, actions, and opportunities.

6. Institutional Inequality • unequal access that is built into the structures that support and maintain society. • Case study for this week: Education

7. School FundingEducational Inequality (?)

8. Who pays for school? Local property taxes account for most school funding Rich townPoor town • 4 homes $250 k ea $100 k ea • Total property value $1 million $400 k • Number of children = 8 • Property tax base per pupil = Value of property/number of children PTB = $125,000 PTB = $50,000 • Tax rate = $3 per $100assessed value $30,000 $12,000

9. Who pays for school? Rich townPoor town Bernards Twp Camden • Tax Rate = $1.56/$100 $4.64/$100 • ‘09 data • PTB per pupil= $360,101 $63,066 • AverageWealthy vs. poorOlder data 84-85

10. Ridge High School Achievement Proficient or Advanced Proficient HSPA English – 97.2% Math – 94.5% Graduation via HSPA 97.1% SAT average (Math & Verbal) 1,167 # of students taking AP test 1,151 # of students attending 4 year college 88.3% Rich district/Poor district (05-06) Camden High School Achievement • Proficient or Advanced Proficient HSPA • English – 25.2% • Math – 14.5% • Graduation via HSPA • 30.4% • SAT average (Math & Verbal) • 717 • # of students taking AP test • 10 • # of students attending 4 year college • 19.1%

11. Ridge High School Achievement Proficient or Advanced Proficient HSPA English – 96.9% (↓0.3%) Math – 94.4% (↓ 0.1%) Graduation via HSPA 100% (↑ 2.9%) Graduation rate – 98.4% SAT average (Math & Verbal) 1,156 (↓ 11 points) # of students taking AP test 1,143 (↓ 8) # of students attending 4 year college 90.6% (↑ 2.3%) Rich district/Poor district (07-08) Camden High School Achievement • Proficient or Advanced Proficient HSPA • English – 26.4% (↑ 1.2%) • Math – 12.9% (↓1.6%) • Graduation via HSPA • 23.8% (↓6.6%) • Graduation rate – 49.9% • SAT average (Math & Verbal) • 700 (↓ 17 points) • # of students taking AP test • No Data Provided • # of students attending 4 year college • 10.9% (↓8.2%)

12. Funding Inequality • Traditional explanations for differences in educational achievement between wealthy and poor communities have been attributed to school funding

13. Funding Inequality • Since the 1970s – 50 states have been engaged in legal battles over the nature of their school funding formulas • In about one half of the cases, state supreme courts have ruled that funding formulas are unconstitutional because of the inequality

14. New Jersey District Factor Groups • developed in 1975 • purpose is to be able to compare students’ performance on statewide assessments across demographically similar school districts

15. New Jersey District Factor Groups • DFGs are calculated using six variables related to SES: • 1) Percent of adults with no high school diploma2) Percent of adults with some college education3) Occupational status4) Unemployment rate5) Percent of individuals in poverty6) Median family income.

16. New Jersey District Factor Groups • DFG examples • A – Camden City • B – Boundbrook Boro • CD – Manville • DE – N. Plainfield • FG – Somerville Boro • I – Somerset Hills (Bernardsville, Bedminster) • J - Bernards

17. Robinson v. Cahill • In 1973, the New Jersey Supreme Court declared, in Robinson v. Cahill, 303 A.2d 273, that New Jersey's school funding statute was unconstitutional because it violated the "thorough and efficient education" requirement of the state constitution. Since that decision, the supreme court has issued over a dozen school finance opinions, the latest in December 2005.

18. Abbott rulings • In its 1994 and 1997 Abbott v. Burke decisions, the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered “parity” funding, that is, state aid to bring per-pupil revenues in the Abbott districts up to the per-pupil expenditures in the state’s 110 successful, suburban districts. (I and J districts)

19. Abbott rulings • The court, in its 1998 decision, 710 A.2d 450, ordered an unprecedented series of entitlements for disadvantaged children, including • full-day kindergarten, • high quality preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, • a comprehensive facilities effort, • after-school programs, • and summer school.

20. Ridge High School Revenue Local property taxes 90% State aid 5% Federal aid 1 % Other 4% Camden High School Revenue Local property taxes 2% State aid 83% Federal aid 8% Other 7 % Funding comparison

21. Who pays for school in NJ? • New Jersey School Revenue (average) • Local property taxes 51% • State aid - 41% • Federal aid - 3 % • Other - 5 %

22. Ridge High School Costs Total Classroom $6,179 Support Svcs - $1,700 Administration - $900 Total Comparative cost - $10,188 Total cost (05-06) - $11,561 Total cost (03-04) - $12,221 Camden High School Costs Total Classroom $8,229 Support Svcs - $2,300 Administration - $1,700 Total Comparative cost - $14,339 Total cost (05-06) - $16,027 Total cost (03-04) - $12,221 Spending comparison

23. Ridge High School Costs Total Classroom $6,776 ↑ Support Svcs - $1,746 ↑ Administration - $900 Total Comparative cost - $11,082 ↑ Total cost (07-08) - $12,439↑ Total cost (03-04) - $12,221 Camden High School Costs Total Classroom $7,114 ↓ Support Svcs - $2,542 ↑ Administration - $1,492 ↓ Total Comparative cost - $14,339 ↓ Total cost (07-08) - $13,337 ↓ Total cost (03-04) - $12,221 Spending comparison (07-08)

24. Spending vs. Achievementa local comparison by school district Percentage in parenthesis-Classroom spending per pupil as a percentage of total spending per pupil Classroom spending – teacher salaries and benefits, general classroom supplies and textbooks Data compiled from New Jersey Department of Education School Report Cards 2003-04; http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc04

25. Spending vs. AchievementA state by state comparison *http:www.teateachers.org/informationcenter/Rankings/natlperpupil.html; †http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_baeo_t2.html; **Percentage of students in the class of 2004 who took the SAT Test, www.collegeboard.com

26. Spending vs. Achievement an international comparison based on OECD PISA exams Highest scores based on mean performance score on the PISA mathematics and reading scales **Spending based on cumulative expenditure per student from 6 to 15 years of age (in equivalent US dollars using purchasing power parities)

28. Inequality (?) • Do you think funding and spending account for the differences in educational achievement between Ridge and Camden? The US and Finland? • What else might be contributing to the educational achievement gap?