University of Washington



University of Washington

College of Education, Teacher Education Division

EDTEP 571 B

SCHOOLS AND SOCIETY

Monday & Wednesday

12:30-2:50

Smith Hall 115

Instructor: Tom Halverson E-mail: thalvers@u.washington.edu

Telephone: (206) 543-4014 or EDLPS office (206) 543-1836

Office: Miller Hall M214 Office Hours: by appointment

Course Overview and Goals

“The two most important things to people are their kids and their taxes. Public school is the place they both meet.”

Samuel Freedman

In societies throughout the world, students are taught the ways of the group and the skills necessary for the society and the individual to prosper. It is; however, what the group or society values that largely determines where, when, which, and by whom students will be taught. Political structure, level of economic development, and historical precedent help to establish what things a society and individual’s value, and it is within this mix of expectations, competing interests and concerns that our American system of public education functions.

It is the aim of this course to explore the larger social, political, economic, and historical contexts within which systems of public education in America function, and how these contexts influence the public debate about; which children go to which schools, what should be taught in schools, what qualifies you to teach, how should schools be administered and funded, and most importantly, who is (and isn’t) included in the process to make the these decisions.

As educators, you will be included in this dialogue on many levels (e.g., as a student/training teacher, in the classroom, faculty meetings, parent/teacher conference, and in the grocery store or across your back fence). As such, this course will provide you with a number of opportunities to explore the competing issues and interests surrounding the never-ending development of public education’s purpose and function in America. Through focused readings, structured assignments, and in-class exercises this course will introduce you to some of the fundamental concepts and foundational debates that continue to drive this important dialogue.

Course Requirements

Attendance and participation in class. A significant part of this class will be discussions of required readings, in-class exercises, and group presentations. Therefore, it is imperative that you are present, prepared, and that you actively participate during class. Actively participating means that you a.) bring a question, comment or concern from the readings to class to share during the discussion, b.) ask questions or add to a point made by another student during a discussion or exercise, or c.) are present and prepared for an in-class presentation. You will have a wonderful opportunity to learn from one another by engaging in constructive dialogues, but you need to be in class with the readings and assignments completed to get the most out of the experience.

Required readings. It is my expectation that you will have the required readings completed before we are scheduled to discuss them, as they will form a point of departure for each of our discussions.

Completion of assignments by due dates. If you anticipate any difficulty in meeting assigned due dates it is important that you contact the instructor at your earliest convenience. Late assignments without prior consent of the instructor will receive a maximum of 70% credit. Students will be involved in a group presentation and must be present and participate in the presentation to get full credit.

Course Assignments

Assignment sheets detailing requirements, expectations, and evaluation criteria will be handed out in class. A brief overview of the course assignments follows;

1. Examining Education’s Purpose/Values Assignment (Pre/Post)

An assignment designed to help you chart your thinking over the course of the quarter on the subjects of education’s purpose, and the social values that impact the development of policy, curriculum, and practice.

Due Date(s): March 26th & May 21st

2. Reading Discussion Questions (1-2 pages)

Students will be asked to bring a (typed) question, comment, or concern regarding a/the reading(s) for that class session (not all class sessions, see Course Calendar for (“Q’s”). Students will turn these questions in following the class session.

Due Date: Following class session

3. Letter to Parents Assignment (3-5 pages)

An opportunity for you to synthesize and summarize some of your thinking about the issues and concepts introduced through the readings and in-class discussions. Each student will write a letter (structured essay) that outlines their perspectives and understandings about the relationship(s) between society/ “The Public” and schooling/learning/teaching.

You can think of this “Letter” as something you might (hypothetically) write to the parents of the students in your class, outlining for them some of your central perspectives on teaching/learning/education, and defining some of the key terms and vocabulary. This letter is your opportunity to let them know “where you are coming from” in terms of how the class will be run, how you will treat their child and the rest of the students, how you expect the students to treat you and each other, and what your expectations of parents and the community at large are in relationship to your class.

Due Date : May 23rd

4. Group Presentation (approx 15 min in length)

As part of a group of 4-6, each team will research and present on a current public policy issue as it relates to, or impacts public, K-12 education in America. Presentations will be a group effort designed to share with the class the insights and information gathered by the team. There will be NO written component of this presentation and a detailed outline will be presented to guide you in your work.

Due Date: May 3oth

Course Readings

Required readings for the course will be available as “e-reserve” materials online at (), or will be provided in class by the instructor.

Grading

Course requirements and assignments will be weighted as follows:

Points

• Participation Component (GR) 20% 20

• Purpose/Values Assignment (C/NC) 20% 10/10

• Discussion Questions (GR) 10% 10

• Letter to Parents Assignment (GR) 40% 40

• Group Presentation (C/NC) 10% 10

Percentage to Numeric Grade Scale

100-99% 4.0 87-85% 3.4

98-97% 3.9 84-82% 3.3

96-95% 3.8 81-80% 3.2

94-93% 3.7 79-77% 3.1

92-90% 3.6 76-74% 3.0

89-88% 3.5 73-70% 2.9

If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disabled Student Services, 448 Schmitz, 543-8924 (V/TDD). If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services indicating you have a disability that requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to me so we can discuss the accommodations you might need for class.

Course Calendar

This is a tentative outline subject to minor revisions. I will aim to avoid unnecessary, untimely, or “surprise” changes; however, the course is expected to “evolve” according to students’ interests, background, and emerging topics so I want to leave some room for flexibility.

Session #1 Monday, March 26th

Welcome/Introductions

• An overview of the purpose and objectives of this course

• Examining Education’s Purpose/Values Assignment (Pre Test)

Session #2 Wednesday, March 28th

Right versus Right Decisions: An Introduction

• Cohen, R. (2002), Introduction: Why Ethics, Why now?, Chapter 1, The Good, the Bad & The Difference; How to tell right from wrong in everyday situations, Broadway Books, New York, NY., pp.3-25

• Kidder, R. (1996), Right Versus Wrong: Why Ethics Matters, Chapter 1, How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Everyday Living, Harper Collins, New York, NY., pp. 3-56

Session #3 Monday, April 2nd (Q)

The Nature of Dilemma Paradigms and Choosing a Fork in the Road

• Kidder (1996), Right Versus Right: The Nature of Dilemma Paradigms, Chapter 5, How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Everyday Living, Harper Collins, New York, NY., pp. 109-126

• Shapiro, J. & Stefkovich, J. (2005), Viewing Ethical Dilemmas from Multiple Paradigms, Chapter 2, Ethical Leadership and Decision Making in Education, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, Mahwah, NJ., pp. 10-27

Session #4 Wednesday, April 4th (Q)

Moral Considerations and Transactions

• Fenstermacher (1990), Some Moral Considerations on Teaching as a Profession,

Chapter 4, Goodlad et al, Moral Dimensions of Teaching, pp. 130-151

• Clark (1990) The Teacher and the Taught: Moral Transactions in the Classroom,

Chapter 8, Goodlad et al, Moral Dimensions of Teaching, pp. 251-265

Session #5 Monday, April 9th (Q)

The Historical Development of Public Education’s Purpose(s)

• Graham (1995) Assimilation, Adjustment, and Access: An Antiquarian View of American Education, Chap. 1, pp. 3-24

• Gagon (1995) What Should Children Learn, Atlantic Monthly, December, pp. 65-78

• Gatto (2003) Against School: How public education cripples our kids, and why, Harpers Magazine, September, pp. 33-38

Session #6 Wednesday, April 11th (Q)

Access, Opportunity, and Outcomes in America Public Education

• Persell (2003) Social Class and Educational Equality, Chap. 4, Banks et al, Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives, pp. 87-109

• Kozol (1991) Other People’s Children, Chap. 2, Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools, , pp. 40-81

• Levine & Nediffer (1996) Beating the Odds: How the poor get to college, Chap. 1, pp.9-28

Session #7 Monday, April 16th (Q)

American Public Education and the Global Village

• Ballantine (2001) Educational Systems around the World: A comparative view, Sociology of Education: A Systematic Analysis, Chap. 11, pp. 319-352

• Hickling-Hudson & Ahlquist (2003) Contesting the Curriculum in Schooling of Indigenous Children in Australia and the United States: from Eurocentrism to culturally powerful pedagogies, Comparative Education Review, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp 64-89

• Bennett, M. J. (1986). Towards Ethnorelativism: A developmental model of intercultural sensitivity. In R. M. Paige, (Ed.), Cross-cultural Orientation (pp. 27-69). Lanham, MD: University Press of America. pp. 27-41

Session #8 Wednesday, April 18th (Q)

Exploring Educational Reform Policy and Decision Making

• Ballantine (2001), Educational Movements and Reform, Sociology of Education: A Systematic Analysis, Chap. 13, pp. 373-396

• Kahne (1996) The Constraining Culture of Educational Policy Analysis, Reframing Educational Policy: Democracy, Community, and the Individual, Chap. 1, pp 1-8.

• McLaughlin, M. (1987) Learning From Experience: Lessons From Policy

Implementation, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 171-178

Session #9 Monday, May 21st * Purpose and Values Post Test Due

De-Briefing Your Field Experiences & Group Presentation Work

❖ Outlining the Expectations of the Groups/Presentations

❖ Establishing Groups, Choosing Policies to Explore, Delegation of Duties

❖ Lottery Drawing for Presentation Order

Session #10 Wednesday, May 23rd * Letter to Parents Assignment Due

❖ In-Class Group Presentation Work

✓ Monday, May 28th NO CLASS (Memorial Day)

Session #11 Wednesday, May 30th

Group Presentations

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