The Role of Education, Functionalism and the New Right

The Role of Education, Functionalism and the New Right

1. Functionalism

   • A consensus approach
   • Durkheim
     • Social Solidarity
       • o make people feel the are part of a single "body" or community. School transmits society's culture and acts as a "society miniature" to prepare kids
     • Specialist Skills
       • Modern industrial economies have a complex division of labour where even the production of one item may involve the co operation of many specialists.
         • Education teaches individuals the specialist skills they need to play their part in the social division of labour
   • Parsons
     • Learn unversalistic Standards
       • Teaches children that in society that we are all viewed as the same and we all have the same rules
     • Teaches Shared values of society
       • Shows that status is achieved not ascribed. You can change your status depending on how hard you work
     • Facilitates Meritocracy
       • The idea that everyone has the same opportunities
   • Davis and Moore
     • Assessing children to how they act, their abilities ect. school helps assign them to the job they are most suited to
   • Criticisms
     • There is evidence that equality of opportunity does not exist either in school or society, achievement is influenced by class, ethnicity ect.
     • The New Right argue that education does not teach the specialist skills needed in society as some school subjects show limited usefulness in work

2. The New Right

   • They share the functionalist view that some people are naturally more talented than others and so favour a meritocratic school system
     • However they do not think that the current system does this because it is run by the state
   • They argue the state uses education to impose their own views and impose a one size fits all education system
   • Chubb and Moe
     • Argue state education has failed to create equality of opportunity
     • They propose the marketisation of education by giving parents vouchers to spend on their choice of school, making it the schools main source of income
   • The role of the state
     • The state imposes the framework for schools in which they must compete e.g. league tables
     • The state should also transmit a single shared culture by imposing a single national curriculum and so oppose multi cultural education
   • Criticsms
     • In rural areas there are no opportunities for a market as there is no other schools to go to
     • The real cause of low educational standards is social inequality and not state control
     • Marxists argue the single national identity is the culture of the dominant R/C