GDEV 5710 - US Education System: Courts, Data, Law and Politics

(crosslisted) AMST 5710, EDUC 5710, SOC 5710

Spring. 3-4 credits, variable. Student option grading.

Enrollment limited to: Cornell Teacher Education Program or permission of instructor. Co-meets with AMST 2710/EDUC 2710/GDEV 2710/SOC 2710.

J. Sipple.

This course aims to explore and answer a single question about America’s promise-of success if you work hard and do well in school: Why do we have such substantial and long-standing inequality in the U.S.? In answering this central question, we will investigate the goals, roles, and outcomes of formal educational institutions in American society and the legal and policy environment in which they operate. Specifically, we will review historical state and federal policy, trace the $700 million spent, and interrogate the sociological functions of public and private K12 schools, including the successes, failures, and enigmas of school organization and policy at the local, state, and national level.

Outcome 1: Students will recognize and assess the sociological function(s) of American Schools (e.g., socializer, sorter, trainer, and caretaker) as well as its role as a change agent, an equalizer, and reproducer of society’s inequalities.

Outcome 2: Students will critique education as a major public policy issue in American society.

Outcome 3: Students will synthesize the legal framework and justification for local, state, and federal roles in public and private schooling.

Outcome 4: Students will explore and interpret social and fiscal data to clarify policy assumptions and critiques.

Outcome 5: Students will integrate and discuss their own schooling and what role they can play in the future of school improvement.