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Essential Question: How does politics influence the establishment of…
Essential Question: How does politics influence the establishment of educational (in)equity and the priorities of teaching and learning throughout the history of schooling in the United States?
Politics
"Critical theorists generally analyze schools in a twofold way: as sorting mechanisms in which select groups of students are favored based on race, class, and gender; and as agencies for self and social empowerment." (McLaren, p. 123)
As explored in the documentary, the common school movement was meant to create a "public" school. However, the common school was essentially only for white male upper/middle-class people. This helps to explain the historical roots of schools that favor students based on race, class, and gender.
"The traditional views of classroom instruction and learning as a neutral process antiseptically removed from the concepts of power, politics, history, and context can no longer be credibly endorsed." (McLaren, p.123)
1791 - Bill of Rights
The Tenth Amendment states that powers not delegated to the federal government “are reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people.” Thus, education becomes a function of the state rather than the federal government.
Because education is not explicitly defined as a federal right, policies, funding, and equitable learning opportunities. This then creates inequities in all aspects of education.
Economics
"Educators within the critical tradition argue that mainstream schooling supports an inherently unjust ideological and political imperative, resulting not only in the transmission and reproduction of the dominant status quo culture in all its sexist, homophobic, and patriarchal splendor, but more fundamentally in the reproduction of the division of labor and interests of ruling class." (McLaren, p. 126)
"Schools do not provide opportunities in the broad Western humanist tradition for self and social empowerment and in fact often work against those opportunities ." (McLaren, p. 126)
Essential to Democracy
Looking at the Documentary, the United States needed to prove to be a national power after Britain did not own the 13 colonies anymore. George Washington felt that school must preserve the status quo for Americans. Children must grow up to be exactly like their parents.
According to the Documentary, Mann wanted to create a "Common School", where both rich and poor could go to get an opportunity to be successful with life. The school would provide opportunities for all to learn.
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Culture
"When we are talking about pedagogy, it is like talking about the details of what students and others might do together and the cultural politics such practices support." (McLaren, p. 124)
Systems of privilege, power, and oppression are woven into American culture. The education enforces these systems, creating marginalized groups within the classroom settings. Teachers must be made aware of this problem to come up with a solution to fix it.
Types of Schools
White middle/upper-class men were the first people to be educated in schools in the Latin Grammar Schools in 1635. It took over 100 years for women to be included in the school systems. Throughout this timeline, we see how the educational system has prioritized the education of white men.
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Religion in Education
According to the documentary, public schools were created by protestants. Because of this, Catholic immigrants did not feel comfortable sending their children to school. People began to speak up against religion being taught in the classroom because all people were paying taxes that helped pay for schools.
Race
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According to the documentary, the US did not value African Americans. Separate schools cost more money and did little to educate black youth.