Chapter Outline

The purposes of public school

1. Goals of public schools
2. Problems of defining content
3. Tensions between parental rights, religious, cultural, political social and/or economic beliefs

The political purposes of schooling

1. Education of future citizens and political leaders
2. The roles of meritocracy in the preparation of citizens and leaders
3. Common schooling and problems with common education for all

The social purposes of schooling

1. The role of schools in internal social control
2. The relationship between schooling and poverty
3. Conflicts over whose goals and values should be represented

The economic purposes of schooling

1. The role of schools in socializing students for the workplace
2. The role of schools in sorting students for the workplace

The economic purposes of schooling in a global economy

1. The role of schools in a global economy
2. Economic benefits of education in a global economy
3. World-class standards and U.S. education

Human capital and the role of business in American education

1. Human capital in a global economy
2. The role of business in education
3. The conflicting interests of schools and business

Issues about human capital

1. Human capital and curriculum
2. Human capital and inequality of educational opportunity
3. The impact of educational inflation and economic opportunities