Functionalists believe education is a key component in the construction of society, they also believe that it is one of the most important institutions and plays a major role during secondary socialisation. They also believe that without education, society would not be able to continue functioning. This links to the idea of the ‘human body analogy’ which suggests that society is like a living organism, the institutions are like organs in a body and must work together in order to function. Parsons came up with the idea of role allocation. This is where young people are sifted and sorted in terms of their talents and abilities and then allocated a particular role in society.
According to the New Rightâs beliefs, the role of education is to instil drive, initiative and enterprise. The New Right believe this will come from competition between schools and colleges, motivating teachers to improve standards and providing parents and students with a choice of schools and colleges. The New Right see them as being similar to functionalists and they believe in the freedom of the individual with less central control. They believe in free market principles within education with a desire to reduce public spending, they also believe that education as an important part in the process of socialisation. They believe that education can help socialise children through religious assemblies, the National Curriculum and citizenship lessons.
| How should student success be measured relating to the vision of the school? | Various schedules and instructional strategies to maximize teacher’s talents and increase student learning. | Analyze and use data to create more effective instruction. | How challenging and physically stressful creating a vision for an effective school can be. | What is the most effective way to implement school culture change relating to the vision statement?
Education is also one of the main influences on role allocation within society; allocating people to the most appropriate jobs for their talent, using examinations and their results from these. Durkheim views the education system as an institution that can create social solidarity. This is done by teaching students about the common norms and values of the British culture through the national and hidden curriculum, this enables people to establish a common view on society as a whole, therefore, in theory, creating a more harmonic society. In addition to this, schools create a miniature society, teaching students to cooperate, follow rules and respect their seniors. Parson views the education system as being meritocratic, enabling everyone to have equal opportunities, and success being down to individual desire to succeed and ability.
The whole idea behind marketisation was that by introducing the ideas of big business into schools the education system would improve. Consumer/parental choice and competition between schools would inevitably lead to better standards and would improve equality of opportunity. Parents were given the right to send their children to a school of their choice. Schools now had to publish league tables which would help parents make an informed decision. This led to parents having more power as consumers.
Outline some of the functions that the education system may perform. (12 marks) Education system performs various functions and sociologists hold different and conflicting views. This however depends on their sociological perspective and the way they see the society. According to functionalists, education performs three important functions- creating social solidarity, teaching specialist skills and transmission of values. Durkheim argues that education system helps to create social solidarity by transmitting society’s culture- its shared belief and culture from one generation to next.
Some think it as promoting value consensus and some see otherwise. Functionalists believe that education transmits society's norms and values and therefore promotes value consensus, with the educational and economic system working hand in hand to develop the skills required for the world of work. Emile Durkheim provides the basic framework of the functionalists view on the education system, agreeing with its function of transmitting norms and values. He believed that for society to operate effectively they have to develop a sense of belonging to something, becoming 'social beings' with a loyalty and commitment to society as a whole. The education system creates this effectively by teaching subjects such as history, which enables children to see the link between themselves and wider society.
One way is to get something to do for income. This method provides money, clothes, shelter and food for the workers’ families. Children who see their parents working for a living gain a sense of confidence, and search for tools to educate themselves. Studies show that people who graduate with a High School diploma are more likely to be employed than those who have dropped out. Another alternative is to further your education.
It is a impact on what teacher’s can achieve to improve themselves and therefore improve their students but it must all have an interconnection of validity and results. As identified by Darling-Hammond and McLaughlin (2011), “Habits and cultures inside schools must foster critical
To start with, the main aim of educational system is to provide the basis for the individuals’ integration into society. Minister of Education, Daniel Filmus, said: “The education is not just a role for the individual but for a social role”. According to this quotation, by the time we leave secondary school, we should have learned about how we can fit into the larger society as well as how our abilities and skills can be used in our community. But are we prepared enough to deal with everyday life? Do we have the available tools needed to face difficulties?