SCHOOL

CONTEXT

THE R

OLE O

F SEC

ON

DA

RY E

DU

CAT IO

N I

N

AD

OLES

CEN

CE

SECONDARY EDUCATION

+ includes middle/junior high school and high school

+ most kids attend, even in poorest parts of the world

+ typical U.S. student spends more than 1/3 of their waking hours on school (or related activities)

ROLE IN

ADOLESCENCE Education (obviously) Defining social world

Shaping psychosocial development

Learning to think as individuals

Learning about sexuality

SECONDARY EDUCATION ON THE RISE

o Lack of work for kids

o

o Social reformerso

o Improve quality of life

o

o Social controlo

o Americanization

BIRTH OF COMPREHENSIVE

HIGH SCHOOLAN EDUCATIONAL

INST ITUTION THAT EVOLVED DURING THE F IRST HALF OF

THE 20 T H CENTURY, OFFERING A VARIED

CURRICULUM AND DESIGNED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF A DIVERSE POPULATION OF

ADOLESCENTSNumber of individuals enrolled in school jumped from 32% in 1920 to 73% in 1940

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND Passed by George W. Bush in 2002

States must ensure students achieve academic proficiency, regardless of socioeconomic status

Measured through annual standardized tests

(although these are not uniform across states)

Consistent failure can lead to decreased funding *addressed problem of social

promotion

WHAT’S NEXT. . . ?Common standard

across

the states Relevance vs. rigor

(standards-based reform)

Reform in inner-city schools

12% of high schools in the U.S. produce half of the country’s dropouts and nearly half of the nation’s Black and Latino students attend these schools

WAITING FOR SUPERMANhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKTfaro96dg

SOCIAL

ORGANIZAT

ION

OF SCHOOLS 5 K E Y A S PE CT S

S C H O O L S I Z E A N D C L A S S S I Z E

A G E G R O U P I N G

T R A C K I N G

E T H N I C C O M P O S I T I O N

P U B L I C V S . P R I VAT E

SCHOOL SIZE AND CLASS SIZE- Class size does not appear to have much impact.

- Equal learning in classes of 20 vs. 40 students.- School size, however, does seem to matter.

- Large schools: - more athletics and other extracurricular organizations- exposed to more people

- Small schools:- more participation in organizations- sense of community- more likely to be in leadership roles- consistent curriculum more feasible

Do you agree that smaller vs. bigger classes do not affect learning? Could there be differences between the impact of class

size on adolescents (middle and high school) and college students?

AGE GROUPING

Grades seem to drop when students transition from one school to another (specifically middle to high school)

however……

Scores on standardized tests do not show similar trends.

WHY?

+ preconceptions and misconceptions

+ adjusting to grading practices

+ changes in motivation

TRACKING (A.K.A. ABILITY GROUPING)

Remedial, average, and giftedLabeling issues

“Rich get richer, poor get poorer” How could this phrase apply to tracking?

Separation vs. mainstreamBig fish-little pond effect

What differences did you notice between “regular” and “gifted” classes?

ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Desegregation had little effect on academic achievement

Minority students’ self esteem is higher when they attend schools where they are the majority safer, less lonely, less harassed teacher attitudes

Cultural environment of neighborhood = cultural environment of school

PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Private schools

Parochial- religious affiliationAdvantages for students who attend Catholic schools

Could be due to social capital

Coulld be due to existing background characteristics of students

Independent- charter or magnet

What goes on in schools seems to be more important than how they are funded

or organized

CLASSROOM

CLIMAT

E

NAME 5 ADJECTIVES OF CLASSES YOU HAVE ENJOYED

QUALITIES OF SUCCESSFUL SCHOOLS

MODERATE DEGREE OF STRUCTURE

HIGH INVOLVEMENT

HIGH TEACHER SUPPORT

CLEAR FEEDBACK

AMPLE PRAISE

FEEL TEACHERS CARE ABOUT

AND RESPECT THEM

COOPERATION VS. COMPETITION

HALF OF ALL HIGH

SCHOOL SOPHOMORE

S SAY DISRUPTIVE STUDENTS GET IN THE

WAY OF THEIR

LEARNING

POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

Grew dramatically between 1950 and 1970

Today, 2/3 enroll right after high school

What about the other third??