January 21...Labaree's Competing Purposes of Schooling
Did Labaree leave any purposes out? What do you make of his conclusion--is there any hope to push back against the predominant notion of education as a private good? Any other thoughts on this reading?
I think Labaree covered a lot on what is the purpose of education. I think education in the United States is important in order for students to create opinions of their own and become their own person, which is good because in some countries, education can be a way to enforce a certain idea or opinion to the students. In total honesty, the purpose of schooling isn't really something I have thought much about so my understanding on the history of it and views on this topic are very limited and I feel could use a bit more research before I add or disagree with Labaree but this definitely got my mind thinking especially while reading the conclusion where there were a list of contradictions. It was very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI believe Labaree did a great job of covering a lot of material on educational goals. The information that he provided was very informative for the public to read since many are not aware of some of these ideas. His conclusion comes to an agreement that the idea of education is important but there are some aspects of it that are questioned. His points show that even though education is very important and higher education should be more accessible to those who want to pursue it, the education seemed to be centered so students can come out prepared for the workforce rather than making education their priority. The idea of making education a competition can be seen encouraging for students to strive for harder but it can also make it unhealthy because of major stress. This reading was very interesting because I didn't know some of the aims that Labaree covered and especially towards the end when he supports that resources should be available so they people can be prepared for the society.
ReplyDeleteThis post was written by Ji-eun H
DeleteI think Labaree covered most purposes very well. I think our education system has its benefits, but is also flawed in many ways. I don't think seeing education as a private good is beneficial for everyone because then, only those with money will benefit while others fall behind. I do believe that we can push back on the idea of education being a private good, but it will take a lot discussion and cooperation.
ReplyDeleteLabaree argued that the central problems with American education are not pedagogical or organizational or social or cultural but are fundamentally political. According to Labaree, schools are occupying a tricky position at the interaction between what we want society to become and what it really is Over the years, the contradictory ideas and purposes within schools have turned into three educational goal. Labaree calls these goals democratic equality, social efficiency, and social mobility.
ReplyDeleteDemocratic equality: This approach argues that schools should prepare students with equal care.
Social equality: This approach argues that school is a good place to prepare workers.
Social mobility: This approach argues that the only purpose of education is to provide students with a competitive advantage.
One political difference between these three goals is that people in different positions have different perspectives on the purpose of education.
We cannot escape from the fact that educational goals are in conflict by choosing only one goal over the others. Any healthy and good educational system should help producing good citizens, good workers, and good social opportunities. Labaree argued that the main problem is not the conflict. Instead, the biggest threat comes from the increasing dominance of the social mobility goal over the two other goals. Public schools are not under attack only because they are public.
I believe that schools should provide equal opportunities for all students. School systems should help students grow academically and professionally. They should also help student realize who they really are as a person. Education should help students achieve their goals and dreams.
I don’t think Labaree left any purposes out, I think he covered all of them really well. His conclusion ended but the discussion about the goal of schooling is still open, he has his own opinion about the solution, but he leaves space for readers to think about it and be able to agree and disagree with him. This topic, goal of schooling in the U.S. is a very new topic to me since I grew up in a different country, a country where all schooling was public and you, the student, could choose any middle and high school of your choice. So, it is hard for me to really understand the school system here, however, I do think that there’s hope to push back against the predominant notion of education as a private good. I don’t think having education as a private good will benefit all individuals and society as a whole, neither would it be worth the investment of changing the system. Overall, I thought this reading was very interesting, especially since I don’t know a lot about this topic yet.
ReplyDeletethis post (01/20/20 at 1:21pm) was written by Sasha Elliott
DeleteI think Labaree’s thoughts are all inclusive and the reading covered his thoughts and purposes in full. His conclusion is what I was already thinking- that we reaching perfection in any of his 3 goals is impossible because of the overlap of the three. As a society, it almost seems plausible to pick “the most” important to a region and run with it, making those schools smaller. I then recognize this would have a strong push against the idea of school being one of the only equal opportunities in America, thus making everything more complicated. The hope for a push back lies in somehow merging Labaree’s three goals. The main goal of the three seems to be a majorly socialist idea (social and socioeconomic equality). So if we take this goal- and possibly water it down to the point it can be used in some capacity across US public education perhaps there is a balance there.
ReplyDelete-Alexandra Amirato
DeleteLabaree pretty much covered everything in his article that is purpose of education. He mentioned that public schools are “ineffective because they are public.” I agree with him private schools are more to a safe side. The way he concluded his article was kind of a discussion for every reader on how each one of us can come up with a goal to have the best education in the US. Which is not meant to be a force from the parents or anyone for the kids or even older people. Having the options of choosing our own way of education path is a smart way of think because each generation has its own way of thinking. I think that yes, there is hope to push back against the predominate notion of education as a private good. There will be no difference than being public. This article was motivating it added a lot of information that I never read about or knew.
ReplyDelete-Mera Khalil
DeleteFrom Lexie Lawson:
ReplyDeleteI think the most necessary points were covered on what the goals of education are. Although education as a private good is beneficial to select individuals and companies, it is not beneficial for the wellbeing of our country. Public schooling offers a good baseline of education and exposing people to necessary knowledge like reading comprehension, simple math and civic duty. We already have an underwhelming participation of civic duties in certain groups in the U.S. Lowering the amount of access to public education would lead to higher unemployment and lower citizen participation due to lack of “simple” knowledge. This could quickly lead to more division and violence in our country due to certain groups without education feeling unheard and under represented. I believe people who want to succeed will do so on an individual basis, so giving every access to public education is/will always be the best option. Those with the desire to pay and further their education can do so. Those with the desire to go into specific work can apply and be trained or learn trades. Those with the desire to not do either of those things at least have a basic education and awareness of their ability to be a participating member of society, free of charge.
Labaree covered all the purposes of school. It is nearly impossible to create the perfect education system because of the overlap of the three goals of education. He concludes by saying turning education into a consumer commodity and the main goal being social mobility, reinforces social stratification and puts monetary value on educational credits, valuing those over learning. I really enjoyed this article. Do I think I fully completely understood it? No. But it had me thinking.
ReplyDeleteMadison Nail
DeleteAlexa Lindquist:
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Labaree left out any purposes of education, however, he touched on the impact of education at the beginning of the article and never really came back to it. He chose to focus on education on the larger scale, and the impacts it has there. While this is important, I feel that it is also important to remember the purpose of education is for a student to learn, amongst other things, not solely to train them to be a member of our society.
I think that Labaree concludes his article very effectively, as he leaves the topic open for discussion, and open to interpretation. He also makes it a point that educational strategies are not black and white, and it may take a combination of aims to get education where we see best fit. He also notes that educational practices and procedures are ever changing in the world that we live in. This gives the reader hope that education will be able to stray from the private good, and focus more on the benefit of the public good.
I think that Labaree's article is very effective in its means of translating and dissecting the desires of educators for educational practices. I also feel that he gives hope to those who wish to see changes in our modern society.
Erica:
ReplyDeleteI think that Labaree focused his article on the “down-to-the-core” purpose of education. He emphasized the importance of understanding WHY we put our children in schools and WHAT we want them to get out of it. He mentions that the issue is political, in the sense that we have leaders who all want a better education system, but are fighting against each other to find the “best” solution to the problem. I don’t think that the purpose of education is to fulfill a course curriculum or make sure you cover all chapters of so so unit. I think the purpose of education is to adequately prepare our kids for the future; to ensure that they are equipped with all the knowledge we as educators can provide them whether they be through manifest or latent functions. I think educators should place more importance on HOW they are helping their students learn the information rather than focusing on checking off the to do list. Education as a private good will continue as long as political leaders allow an excess of economic wealth, there is too little oversee and regulation of economic wealth that allows private schools and universities to gain status. Democratic equity is only feasible if we are providing the exact same education across the board to everyone.
Nour:
ReplyDeleteLabaree argued that the central problems with American education are not pedagogical or organizational or social or cultural but are fundamentally political. According to Labaree, schools are occupying a tricky position at the interaction between what we want society to become and what it really is Over the years, the contradictory ideas and purposes within schools have turned into three educational goal. Labaree calls these goals democratic equality, social efficiency, and social mobility.
Democratic equality: This approach argues that schools should prepare students with equal care.
Social equality: This approach argues that school is a good place to prepare workers.
Social mobility: This approach argues that the only purpose of education is to provide students with a competitive advantage.
One political difference between these three goals is that people in different positions have different perspectives on the purpose of education.
We cannot escape from the fact that educational goals are in conflict by choosing only one goal over the others. Any healthy and good educational system should help producing good citizens, good workers, and good social opportunities. Labaree argued that the main problem is not the conflict. Instead, the biggest threat comes from the increasing dominance of the social mobility goal over the two other goals. Public schools are not under attack only because they are public.
I believe that schools should provide equal opportunities for all students. School systems should help students grow academically and professionally. They should also help students realize who they really are as a person. Education should help students achieve their goals and dreams.
I believe Labaree covered the purposes and educational goals very well. I like that in the end he gave the audience something to question about some educational ideas but also how important school is. It also gave a way for people to become more informed about these topics. It talks a lot about how the people who have financial benefits will be able to prosper and pursue as far of an education as they want while others who are less fortunate cant afford to do higher education even if they want to its often unobtainable. I believe that the students who want to pursue education and have high enough grades to prove that they want to continue their education should be given the ability to continue on. I also agree with the concept that school should provide actual work force teaching so they are more prepared for life. If college became cheaper it would allow schooling to become more of a public good rather than private, due to the amount of money college costs it restricts who can go and who can’t so either if college became cheaper it would allow more people who want to go to be able to go or if it became more along the lines of whoever was determined and dedicated to continue their education it would allow more educated individuals.
ReplyDeleteI think Labaree did a good job covering the purposes of education. He mentions alternative goals for an American education. One of them was in order to create a citizen that is capable , every one needs a a rich education. I look at that as saying if its not an private education its not beneficial. The only difference people see in public and private school is the money of it. The topic needs to be more thought about. This Article also adds a lot of different aspects of education that more people should know and read about it.
ReplyDeleteThis is Erin Felix.
ReplyDeleteI think Labree did a good job on covering educational purpose and goals. Labree explains education conflicts come from having different educational goals. Their goals were democratic equality, social efficiency, and social mobility. Democratic equality is for schools to give all students to have equal access, social efficiency is school should prepare students to be skilled laborers, and social mobility is for schools to help student maintain or move up in socioeconomic status. Conflicts come from people having different educational goals and their biases on the purpose of American education. In Labree's conclusion they explain how contradictions have been counter productive for these educational goals. He believes that the goal of education is to require the necessities to allow full participation in politics and work.
I think that we should give students equal access to allow students to grow academically. I also think it should help students grow individually as a person and discover who they are. I feel like that will help them reach their academic and personal goals. I enjoyed this article because I don't know a lot about the topic so it gave me new perspectives to think about.
Jessica MacIntyre:
ReplyDeleteI personally agree with the purposes of education Labaree writes about in his article. I think it shows us a perspective on education that we may not have thought about. I definitely also agree that education ends up having to be a balancing act between the three main purposes of education. I believe to push away the predominant notion that education is a private good, we need to place more emphasis on the factors that make education a public good; democratic and social equality. Social mobility is the main reason that students end up falling behind or getting ahead. Students are pitted against each other when it comes to class rankings, honor roll, GPA, and other factors. However, many schools don't have ways to put all kids on an even playing field, so that the students GPA or class ranking is entirely on them and not on what resources they have available to them. There's not always an equal perspective on a student, often due to the fact that they resemble a certain stereotype. I think that providing more opportunities to put students on an even playing field, while still allowing them to compete in other ways, will allow them to succeed in society.
Joiya Brightwell:
ReplyDeleteI believe that Labaree did a good job of educating his audience on what the purposes are and how they operate in the American public school system. This is something I hadn’t even thought about prior to reading this article but, I believe that this is definitely something that needs to be thought about and discussed more when having a conversation about education. When it comes to push back and change, I do not personally believe that there is a chance that education will become less of a private good any time soon. I say that because the system works for the people that truly do have the power to invoke change. Not only that but to change education, something in the government needs to change as well.
Valerie B.
ReplyDeleteLabaree covered most of the basic purposes of education. My only critique to his list of purposes is they all seem inherently political. I understand that the education system as a whole is a political body; however, I find that detaching and talking about children as a “sound taxpayer investment” a bit uncomfortable. From my understanding of the reading we would want education to be private, if we could ensure that standards were maintained across the board. In order to have a functioning society, in my opinion, we need a school system that does not create tiny factory workers but truly tries to help children flourish in their talents.
Madison Williams: I found the reading to spell out the purposes of education well. I agree that education is seen as a private good, and there are definitely ways to alter the perception of that. One of the biggest problems of the American school system is the public seeing public schools as less than schools that have a cost of attendance. At the end of the day, a child in a public school and one in private schooling should have the same education and gain the same knowledge. The perpetuation that private school is better allows public schools to fall behind in what the students are learning from the experience as a whole. This is severely affecting children living in poverty and those living in low income areas. Raising the public school standards across the country would benefit many and also allow the population to understand that a good education is not something only attainable to those with wealth. If everyone in the country got the same K-12 education, it would not be possible to claim one’s education is more valuable or important than another’s, giving the notion that education benefits the greater good of the country, and not just oneself.
ReplyDeleteAnna Calabrese
ReplyDeleteLabaree's article seems to include the most important functions of education. Education has some other uses such as learning social/critical thinking skills, but those kinds of skills are included in the idea of preparing students to be responsible, successful, and competitive citizens. When thinking about the purpose of education before reading this article, the Jeffersonian perspective was the first thing that came to mind. Seeing the "social mobility" and "social efficiency" perspectives laid out was both helpful and interesting. As Labaree says in his conclusion, all of these perspectives need to be considered in order to provide a well-rounded and practical education. I can see how today we as a society tend to focus on education as a way to be competitive, and that only focusing on that perspective is harmful. The focus should shift back to preparing students to become responsible citizens and giving them the knowledge and the tools that they need to be successful. I am unsure of how to shift the perspective, but more practical classes may be a starting point. I also believe that schools put too much emphasis on college as the "end goal" of all students. Obviously, a college education is wonderful, but trade schools are another viable option that can lead students to success. Showing students more options may decrease the stress they feel to follow one path and it may motivate students beyond simply being competitive, which could allow for more emphasis on other aspects of education.
Brittney:
ReplyDeleteIn the article, "Public Goods, Private Goods: The American Struggle over Educational Goals" I personally thought that Labaree did a remarkable job in informing his audience on what the purpose of education is and what the future goals are in education because before this article I lacked knowledge in the topic and after reading the article I became somewhat familiar with the topics discussed. I think that in his conclusion Labaree is just trying to better the educational system by speaking up about the topics and goals that no one is discussing by providing information and goal solutions on how the idea of education should be taken more seriously. He is of course giving his opinion which everyone has the right to do, but he is also keeping an open mind to other’s opinions on how we should find the best solution to fit our educational system that is currently changing everyday. Labaree indicates in the article that the world we live in is still evolving in educational methods and procedures, thus giving readers the hope that education will escape the private good and concentrate more on the public good.
Rosie Hernandez:
ReplyDeleteI think Labaree’s article on the purposes of education in the United States was really informative. He explained each purpose thoroughly and he included examples from both history and our current education system. I think that he did a good job in terms of explaining the purposes of education that have the goal to provide individuals with knowledge to help them succeed both as a society and individually. I feel like people could discuss other purposes of education if they have different viewpoints, but I think the article summed up what I thought the purposes of education were. The view of education as a private good creates competition which can be a motivator for students to try hard in school so they can achieve a higher status. However, if all schools were to continue to push for education being a private good, the rich would be able to stay rich, but the probability for everyone else to succeed would be much lower. I think there is hope to push back this notion. This article really opened my eyes to how purposes of education have changed to adapt to society’s needs throughout history. It also helped me realize that we all have the equal opportunity to receive an education, but our different backgrounds and expectations that we have from receiving an education can differ and conflict with each other.
Labaree mentions democratic equality, social efficiency, and social mobility within the article, which adequately cover the purposes of public education.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Social mobility has eclipsed the purposes of democratic equality and social efficiency. China and other countries seem to have less individualistic societies, thus have less emphasis on social mobility and more focus on equality. The belief that America is a meritocracy seems to largely contribute to the societal emphasis on education’s purpose of social mobility over the past several decades. Immigration waves during the 20th century may have also contributed to the emphasis on the social mobility aspect of education. Families across the globe in both develop and developing nations dream of moving to the States because the American dream appeals to those who have little or nothing; this age-old ideal gives individuals the hope that they too have the possibility create something out of almost nothing.
In terms of economics, many see that privatization is the solution for public goods when a government appears to mismanage a good. The appeal comes from the ability of private organizations to avoid more of the dreaded barriers of bureaucracy. This thought of a more efficient system is one of the many tempting aspects of privatization.
The US healthcare system immediately comes to mind regarding the failed privatization of a public good. Publicly provided healthcare systems are essential to most modern nations’ economies, as a healthy population can produce more output. The US’s privatized version blocks proper access to much of the lower income population. For those who can afford to pay the premium there are no complaints.
Melodee Hanson
ReplyDeleteI believe that Labaree did a great job summarizing the purpose of education. Before reading this article, I had no idea or prior knowledge to anything regarding this topic. Now, I can agree and support Labaree on his thoughts about the education system, because he's bringing light to issues that many are trying to sweep under the rug. I am excited to know about other people's thoughts and feelings on this topic, because it shows who really supports the idea of education being a private good over a public good. All students regardless of income or SES should have equal education that is equivalent to those who are in private schools. The fact alone that private schools are deemed better than public should be changed, then we might see some differences in the perception of the purpose of education.
Leslie:
ReplyDeleteI think Labaree discussed three main purposes of schooling - democratic equality, social efficiency, and social mobility - but, I believe, he missed a few. For example, he did not discuss the importance of socialization. It is imperative that children have the opportunity to interact with others of the same age. One could argue that home schooling ignores this; however, in many instances, when homeschooled, students make do sports or take a class with other homeschooled children. Additionally, regarding socialization, schools allow children to become more independent. Pre-K or Kindergarten are typically the first opportunity to leave their parents' sides. When in school, children are able to develop and mature separate from their parents. Ultimately, schools not only teach technical, work-like skills but also soft skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and information processing skills.
In regards to the conclusion, Labaree at some points seems rather pessimistic about the future of schooling as a public good. In my opinion, and as Labaree stated, it, like many other issues, is political in nature. Unfortunately, opinions regarding what is "best" in education is dictated by who is in power. For example, as Secretary of Education, Betsy Devos believes in charter schools; therefore, there is a larger emphasis on charter schools and "school choice." Schools/education should be a public good. I believe all children have the right to an equal education; however, if there is no funding for public education, public education faces the consequences.
Nathan:
ReplyDeleteLabaree gave great insight into the goals of education. He was able to describe to the general public of ideas and concepts that they may not have been aware of when regarding higher education. His points continually advocate for the accessibility of higher education and the importance of centralizing on actual education rather than preparation for the workforce. He concludes that education is important but some aspects of education can be negative. For example, competition, which is frequently used in higher education. Competition is apparent within education and is used to help students strive harder but can also be an extreme stress factor. It was eye-opening to get a deeper dive into the reasons why education is so crucial in the advancement of society. This being my first education class, this was a good start on my path ahead and read something interesting from a knowledgeable source.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGaren:
ReplyDeleteI believe Labaree covered the purposes and educational goals very well. I like that in the end he gave the audience something to question about some educational ideas but also how important school is. It also gave a way for people to become more informed about these topics. It talks a lot about how the people who have financial benefits will be able to prosper and pursue as far of an education as they want while others who are less fortunate cant afford to do higher education even if they want to its often unobtainable. I believe that the students who want to pursue education and have high enough grades to prove that they want to continue their education should be given the ability to continue on. I also agree with the concept that school should provide actual work force teaching so they are more prepared for life. If college became cheaper it would allow schooling to become more of a public good rather than private, due to the amount of money college costs it restricts who can go and who can’t so either if college became cheaper it would allow more people who want to go to be able to go or if it became more along the lines of whoever was determined and dedicated to continue their education it would allow more educated individuals.
Naomi Debebe:
ReplyDeleteLabaree and the way this was summarized was very well and how education is. Everything
Labaree did say was very interesting and I do agree with. Labaree covered a lot of materials and
his point and what he believed about education went along with the whole education process,
but some he did not agree with all the way. I also do agree with the fact that there are
somethings that is good about the education system and other things that I do not agree with
like the whole testing system and how it is set up.
Morgan H:
ReplyDeleteA purpose of public education Labaree never talked about was diversification. Now diversification can be in many forms. Public schools often have a more diverse population of students from all races and cultures. Having students be in a diverse setting allows them to learn about other cultures and gain a more respectful outlook towards cultures they may be less familiar with. Diversification also comes with participating in new activities. The student body of public schools tends to be larger and allows for more clubs, activities, and teams to be able to run. This gives students the choice to try new activities and feel as though they have a place on campus. Labaree talked alot about preparing students to be an assest to society. However, I think diversification has more to do with becoming an open minded thinker in society. This in turn will help students work better for thier future employers and prevent potential conflict.
In order for something to be a public good it needs to be non-excludable and non-rivalrous. Schooling is neither of these. However, schooling can be seen as a public good because society benefits more with a larger population of its members being educated. In order to give more people the resources to attend secondary schooling, Universities and different organizations offer scholarships or grants to help be less exclusive. This evens out the playing field and give all students the chance to subsidize their tuition. Further, Universities are constantly expanding and making room for more students. This cuts back the factor of rivalry. So college institutions are providing students with resources to make education less exclusive and less of a rivalry. Institutions are making the effort to make education more public. People need to stop looking at higher education with blinders on. At first glance it may seem private and exclusive, but if you take a look at the resources they offer students, it starts to look much more public and accessible. I think society needs to change thier mindset about education and look deeper into what institutions offer
This is sierra taylor, while I believe that education is important for the good of society so that we may grow and flourish with our knowledge is a great ideal, I believe that education is even more important introspectively. In a world where we have no hobbies, social skills, or extracurriculars to push us, we lose our individuality which drains a person of many positives as a whole. A person who has the joy of individuality brings more to society with their creativity and new ideas, I wish education was built more on the ideals of brewing creativity instead of straight facts, but I understand that we all need a baseline of facts to function.
ReplyDeleteI believe Labaree covered the purposes of the educational system thoroughly and didn’t leave any out. I agreed with his conclusion since I started to read the article that all 3 goals of democratic equality, social efficiency, and social mobility cannot all exist equally. They overlap. I do believe there is hope to push back against the predominant notion of education as a private good. Out of the three goals, I believe social mobility is the least beneficial. Although it is an important aspect I don’t think that one of the main goals of an educational system should be the promotion of an individual’s social position. It just seems a rather selfish goal compared to the others. I thought this article was very interesting and in a way eye opening. The question of “what we want our students to get out of education” is really the foundation to setting up the perfect educational system but since there could be a million different answers there will never be an agreement amongst everyone on one certain way to go about it.
ReplyDeleteLabaree thoroughly covered the purposes of education (in his view) in a thought-provoking way. He describes the notion of education as a private good versus a public good - a point of view I had never considered but certainly a timely one in today’s environment. The goal of education for social mobility is alive and well locally. Richmond City schools have just recently been grappling with the issue of redistricting and the possible pairing of schools to balance ethnic and resource disparities. While only “baby-steps” were accomplished this year, it opened up the discussion about the many positives of integration and providing access to resources for all students. Yes, Brown v Board of Education was in 1954 (segregation is a violation of the 14th Amendment) - yet in 2020, 60% of the white elementary-age students are congregated in two of the city’s schools! There is still much work to be done to achieve diversity here. This speaks to the issue of education as “social mobility” and why parents in those districts (mainly) did not want to see the pairing options adopted. As long as the attitude persists that we “pay” for the zip code with the schools we want – parity will never be achieved among all the schools; the playing field will never be leveled for minority students. Only 10% of the enrolled RPS elementary students are white - another 25% attend elsewhere. Thus, there continues to be “white flight” to the suburbs and private schools, perpetuating the dilemma.
ReplyDeleteRebecca Mendoza Vasquez
ReplyDeleteI think Labaree covered the purpose of education well. I think there is hope to change the way we view education. This reading provided an informative and interesting perspective on education that I didn’t give much thought to previously.