JUDGING PAROCHIAL FEDERALISM, XXIII

 

An advocate of parochial federalism continues his/her presentation[1] …

          To date, this blog has been sharing a positive judgment of the parochial/traditional federalist construct’s utility in the development of a civics curriculum.  For that purpose, this blog has used William Schubert’s commonplaces of curriculum which are teacher, learner, subject matter, and milieu.[2]  That review is now considering “school’s socio-economic base” as an element of milieu.

School’s Socio-Economic Base

On an ongoing basis, research has indicated that there is a strong relationship between socio-economic-status (SES) and educational attainment and distribution of educational resources.  Of late, here is what the American Psychological Association had to say,

 

Research indicates that children from low-SES households and communities develop academic skills slower than children from higher SES groups. For instance, low SES in childhood is related to poor cognitive development, language, memory, socioemotional processing, and consequently poor income and health in adulthood. The school systems in low-SES communities are often underresourced, negatively affecting students’ academic progress and outcomes.[3]

 

Back in 1988, the late Jean Anyon found that the prevalent social economic class associated with a particular school influenced the type of instruction the students at that school received.[4]  According to more current research, things have not changed that much. 

          The tendency for students who attend what was identified as “working-class schools” relied on instruction based on rote memory work with little or no explanatory lessons without which, in turn, led to mechanistic learning.  This approach characterized instruction for students from lower income families across various subject areas (language arts, social studies, and math).  On the other hand, students who attend either “affluent professional schools” or “executive elite schools” are much more likely to be exposed to instruction that has them engaged in creative activities and independent work.

          This latter approach has students develop analytical skills useful in adult life.  In short, schools tend, through their hidden curriculum, to reinforce the social and economic inequalities that already exist.  Workers’ children are taught the disciplinary dispositions expected of them in the workplace and managers’ and problem-solvers’ offspring are taught skills they need to replace their parents in the management level or consulting positions.

          Success and advancement can be readily related to the skills and knowledge one would find with the more engaged approaches.  The US Department of Labor publication summarizes what is called for at the worksite of today:

 

In the workplace, there two kinds of skills:  technical skill and soft skills.  Knowing how to accomplish tasks like cooking, computer programming, or teaching, are called technical skills.  They relate to a particular occupation.  You may have learned technical skills from past work experience, school, or training.  These skills are often included in job listings to describe the tasks of a position.  Examples are:

·      Build a cabinet

·      Read an image

·      Operate equipment

·      Paint a portrait

·      Write computer code

·      Teach a lesson

·      Investigate a scientific question

·      Sell products to customers

Employers also want employees who fit in and get along well in the workplace.  That requires soft skills.  These are so valuable that soft skills are often the reason employers decide whether to keep or promote an employee.  Some soft skills can be taught in school.  But most you learn in everyday life and can improve at any time.  For example:

·      Good communication skills

·      Critical thinking

·      Working well in a team

·      Self-motivation

·      Being flexible

·      Determination and persistence

·      Being a quick learner

·      Good time management[5]

 

When comparing a perennialism-based curriculum, a la Mortimer Adler (reviewed in earlier postings), to curricula currently offered in working-class schools – along with their innate inequality – one can consider it wise to adopt Adler’s curricular proposal.  Specifically, that would be a single-track curriculum.[6]

          Adler pointed out that even workers in the transformed economy of the current economic landscape must develop analytical and problem-solving skills.  Students, to be successful in the post-industrial economy, whether they become workers on assembly lines, providers of services, or professional/managers, are more in need of skills that allow workers to analyze and make decisions from technically complex matters to making on-time deliveries.

          According to how a leading job-placement service puts it,

 

Creative problem-solving involves thinking of unconventional solutions to complex issues. Demonstrating creative problem-solving skills can make you an asset in any situation. Having a creative approach to problems is a skill that can make you an essential part of almost any workplace. Both highly technical careers in fields such as medicine and more service-oriented jobs such as administrative support need people who can creatively solve problems in order to overcome obstacles in the workplace.[7]

           

The cited service, “Indeed,” lists creative problem-solving third in its list of 14 essential skills.  These skills should be developed throughout the curriculum, and social studies is no exception.

          The last element of this commonplace, milieu, will be the topic of the next posting.  That would be “student culture.”  With that completed, this blog will revert to what this blogger has to say, i.e., his critique of the parochial/traditional federalist construct before he presents the advocacy for the natural rights construct.

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[1] This presentation begins with the posting, “A Parochial Subject Matter” (March 11, 2022).  The reader is reminded that the claims made in this posting do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or knowledge of this blogger.  Instead, the posting is a representation of what an advocate of parochial federalism might present.  This is done to present a dialectic position of that construct.

[2] William H. Schubert, Curriculum:  Perspective, Paradigm, and Possibility (New York, NY:  MacMillan Publishing Company, 1986).

[3] “Education and Socioeconomic Status,” American Psychological Association (n.d., but with references as recent as 2016), accessed June 26, 2022, https://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/factsheet-education.pdf .  Note:  apparently, in social science literature, the spelling underresource is acceptable.

[4] Jean Anyon, “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum Work,” in Curriculum:  An Introduction to the Field, 2^nd Edition, ed. James R. Gress (Berkeley, CA:  McCutchan, 1988), 366-389.  This article also appears in the following sits, https://www1.udel.edu/educ/whitson/897s05/files/hiddencurriculum.htm .

[5] This blogger cannot identify the site from which this quote was taken, but related sites are “Soft Skills to Pay the Bills,” U. S. Department of Labor (n.d.), accessed June 28, 2022, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/program-areas/individuals/youth/transition/soft-skills AND “Soft Skills:  The Competitive Edge,” U. S. Department of Labor (n.d.) accessed June 28, 2022, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/publications/fact-sheets/soft-skills-the-competitive-edge .

[6] Mortimer J. Adler, The Paideia Proposal:  An Educational Manifesto (New York, NY:  Collier Books, 1982).

[7] Indeed Editorial Team, “Top 12 Job Skills Employers Look for in Job Candidates,” Indeed (May 6, 2020/June 10, 2022), accessed June 26, 2022, https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/top-job-skills .