SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
EDUCATION 240-3 ?
SOCIAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION
Regular Summer Semester, 1991 ? Instructor: Murray Ross
(May 6 - August 2)
?
Phone: ?
228-2529
Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.
plus tutorials
Location: K 8507
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is concerned with the role and function of schools in society. Some of
the major theories for explaining the place of schools in society will be examined
and applied to a variety of controversies in education. For the most part the issues to
be considered are aspects of the more general problem of "ineffective teachers" and
"ineffective schools". A central aim of the course will be to examine the very idea
of problems in education and the role educational research has had in uncovering
and solving social problems affecting schools. An additional aim will be to trace
out the influence politics and ideology have had on the research community which
identifies and attempts to solve educational problems.
OBJECTIVES
The central goal of this course is to engage students in an informed critical
discussion of the purposes, processes and outcomes of public schooling, especially
as these have been discussed in educational research and policy debates over the
last 25 years.
OUTLINE OF TOPICS
1.
Education and the 'War on Poverty'.
2.
School effectiveness and teacher effectiveness research.
3.
U.S. school reform in the 1980s.
4. School reform in British Columbia, 1975-1990.
5.
The Legacy of A Leacv for Learners - the Year 2000.
Evaluation will be based on a term paper, a final exam and very short tutorial
assignments. Details regarding these will be made available during the first
week of classes.
REQUIRED TEXT
Jane Gaskell, Arlene McLaren, & Myra Novogrodsky. (1989). Claiming an
Education: Feminism and Canadian Schools. Our Schools/Ourselves
Education Foundation.
Available
in class:
Jerrold R. Coombs. (1984). "Let's Think Seriously About the Goals of Education
and Schooling," Policy Explorations. Vol. 1.4.
Harold S. Drysdale. (1985). "The B.C. Independent Schools Debate: Cultural
Diversity, Family Choice and Privatization," Policy Explorations. Vol. 2.5.
Theresa Richardson. (Ed.). (1988). "Changing Policy Contexts in Education:
Background Papers to the B.C. Royal Commission on Education," Policy
Exjl p r p ti p ns. Vol. 3.3.
Theresa Richardson. (Ed.). (1989). "The Role of Social Science Research in
Policy Making: The Case of the British Columbia Royal Commission on
Education," Policy Explorations. Vol. 4.2/3.
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (1989). Year 2000: A Curriculum and
Assessment Framework for the Future.