Soc 201

Dr. Gray

How Education in the United States Has Changed

Education-a social institution that transmits attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, values, norms, and skills to its members through formal, systematic training.

Schooling, a narrower term, refers to the formal training and instruction provided in a classroom setting.

In the United States, both education and schooling have changed in four important ways:

Education has expanded and mass schooling is universal

Community colleges have flourished

Public higher education has burgeoned

Student diversity has greatly increased

Sociological Perspectives on Education

Functionalist-contributes to society's stability, solidarity, and cohesion

Conflict-reproduces and reinforces inequality and maintains a rigid social class structure

Symbolic...