Submit Feedback
Bookmark
-
Unit VIII Social Institutions
-
Instructor's Manual
-
IM for Visiting (or Simulating) a Public School Board Meeting
-
Theme
-
DescriptionThis exercise involves a field trip to a public school board meeting, following significant discussion of the social organization of schooling so that students will have sufficient background to analyze the sociological issues generated by the meeting. If such a field trip is not possible, a 45 minute class session could be devoted to setting up a simulated Board of Education meeting on some controversial topic, e.g., busing, student or teacher testing, tracking, the teaching of evolution, sex or drug education, or some other issue. Roles as school board members and members of the community can be randomly assigned to class members.
-
-
Learning GoalsThe complexity of the social organization of schooling and issues of power and politics in school governance can be difficult concepts for students to grasp. Having students attend a school board meeting and analyze the interaction they observe is one way to overcome this difficulty.Back to top
-
-
Materials NeededAccess to an actual school board meeting for the field visit. For the simulation in class, need 5 moveable chairs.Back to top
-
Estimated TimeField visit requires one evening. Class simulation takes one class period.Back to top
-
ProceduresBefore attending the meeting, students should do and discuss some reading on education as a social institution. They should also read the study questions in advance. For the simulation in class, the following roles should be assigned: School Board President who will moderate the discussion, members of the board who represent pre-assigned positions on the issue being discussed, community members who can work in small groups to prepare their positions on the issues. The class can be asked to discuss arguments to support your pre-assigned positions, drawing on readings on the topic and knowledge of related theory and research. The board president will act as moderator, the board members will make brief opening position statements, and the president will recognize members of the community for discussion. If the issue were competency testing of teachers (or student achievement tests) the positions might be a racially mixed group favoring testing, whites for and against testing, blacks for and against testing. Following the discussion at the "meeting," a post-mortem discussion is useful on why these positions are held firmly and create controversy. Students might be asked to do a follow-up paper or analysis in an essay question on an exam.
-
-
More InformationAssign students to groups randomly. Allow sufficient time for a post-mortem, focusing on purposes of the project, e.g., to learn about positions on an issue; to understand theoretical assumptions underlying arguments; to analyze group processes.Back to top
-
Creator/SourceAdapted from contributions from Jeanne Ballantine, Wright State University; David Karen, Bryn Mawr College; and Alisa Potter Mee, Concordia University, St. Paul, MN. Teaching Sociology of Education: Syllabi and Instructional Materials, 4th edition. 1996. Edited by Jeanne Ballantine, Floyd Morgan Hammack, Edith King, Caroline Hodges Persell, and Theodore C. Wagenaar. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association Teaching Resources Center.
-
Other Comments (Interpretation, possible pitfalls)A possible pitfall might be that debate runs down if students aren't prepared for their roles. Therefore, it is best to assign these ahead.Back to top