THE INSTITUTION OF

SECONDARY EDUCATION:
HIGH SCHOOL
Brent Cano

HISTORY OF HIGH SCHOOL

Though secondary schools were around during the 1830s it

was not easily available until the 1890s
1954s Brown v. Board of Education required all schools to
desegregate though private schools allowed segregation
through their fee for schooling.
During the 1980s charter schools boomed because they were
not required to follow state laws or regulations.
2001s the No Child Left Behind Act required public schools to
give standardized testing

ROLES IN A HIGH SCHOOL

In a high school there are many members who attribute to the institution
whether they improve it or not

These members include:

Teachers

Students

Parents

Staf

Government

For a functionalist each member plays a key part in the system of the high
school. Ex. Teacher teaches the students. The government pays the teachers
and staf. Students become parents and have children that require teaching.

For a conflict theorist some of these roles are good and some are bad.
Government, staf and parents can be bad because they control the whole
system.(assuming the parent is wealthy

THE FUNCTIONALIST VIEW

Social Solidarity

Durkheim Believed that education transmitted beliefs, values,

and itself was a society. Schools had rules and require
cooperation within the system. Schools make us feel part of a
larger system.

Roles

Addressed in education by giving jobs to those who have talents

for it. The smartest person will have an more important job for
society

THE FUNCTIONALIST VIEW

Core Values

Created within education systems and allow them to be judged

based of a certain standards

Construction of Society

-education is key to society. Without it society could not function

correctly; education is a common ground for all people.

THE CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE

One big concept Conflict theorist believe is that education is a

social hierarchy and causes social inequality

Social inequality

Through standardized testing

hidden curriculum that support social hierarchy

Funding and learning conditions

Lessons in classes that attribute to social inequality outside the

classroom

THE CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE

The other key concept to conflict theory for high schools is

preservation of power

With a hierarchy it allows certain parts of the institution to hold

greater power.

Greater power in this case means more affluent.

More affluent schools have better funding and teachers which drive lower
class into disadvantaged schools.

As the affluent maintain their power in the institution it allows them

to control how the system works thus furthering social inequality

High schools and education in general benefit wealthy above poor

DROPPING OUT

One noticeable way we see that conflict theory is correct is dropping

out. The statistics show who it accommodates, how students see
the institution, and with the decline in the numbers show it change
over time.

Every year 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the US
alone

25% of high school freshman fail to graduate on time from high school

Within the US 75% of crimes are committed by high school dropouts

Minority students have the highest dropout rate among all racial
ethnic groups

In 2000, Black and Hispanics led the dropout rate with almost 12%
being dropouts

In 2007, they lowered the dropout rate to 7% between Blacks and

Hispanics

Hispanics currently have the highest dropout rate amongst all racial groups
with 14% in 2013.

DROPPING OUT

Dropping out of high school is a process or lack of, it simply does

not happen overnight

Parent Engagement

Is known to be as a necessary factor for a student to be successful,

financial and emotional support from a parent is key to keeping the
student in school

Academic Performance

A student must be shown from an early stage that academic performance

is key to keep them in school and help graduate.

Students must be taught to read above proficiency levels in order to

prepare for a successful future, and must be taught about transitions in
elementary and middle school so they can transition successfully to high
school.

Family Economic Needs

Students that come from lower socioeconomic status are likelier to drop
out of school than students who come from a higher socioeconomic
status.

REFLECTION OF HIGH SCHOOL

Secondary education is required. I believe that with a change

in power and less social inequality high schools will become
more functionalist and allow everyone to succeed. We see a
decline in dropouts which means that students are more
inclined to go to school or something in the system is pushing
them into the right direction. We also see special programs
that help the youth achieve their goals in high school to better
their chances in college. The best way to help the system is to
ensure all students get adequate social equality.

WORK CITED
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. <http://www.podology.org.uk/#/functionalism-education/4560344140>.
Smiley, Travis. "Fact Sheet: Is the Dropout Problem Real?." Travis Smiley Reports.
U.S. Department of Education. "Fast Facts: Dropout Rates." Institute of Education Sciences.
"Chapter 16 Section B Sociological Perspectives on Education." Peoi. Web. 5 Dec. 2015.
"11 Facts About High School Dropout Rates." Dosomething.org. Web. 4 Dec. 2015.
<https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-high-school-dropout-rates>.
"Theories of Education." Theories of Education. Web. 4 Dec. 2015.
<http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/sociology/education/theories-of-education>.
"Secondary Education in the United States." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_education_in_the_United_States>.