education

marxist:

• belive that the education system only benifits the privledged and over time it reinforces inequality between social groups

feminist:

• reinforces gender role allocations as girls are expected to do textiles and sewing while boys do woodwork

functionalists:

• plays an important functuion in society because it is a good form of secondary sociolisation 
• and also good for social coheshion, 
• teaches students norms and values of society

working class: working class students do worse at school than middle class students because

• they are materialy deprived, cannot afford laptops or private tutors
• Because they have lower parental expectations, their parents did not go to university and don't expect their children to
• because of the self - fulfilling prophesy and labelling,m e.g. a working class child may encounter labelling from media and their community that will make them conform to other peoples views of the  

critics:

• EMA aims to stop material deprivation getting in the way of achievement
• aim higher aims to convey to working class students the opportunities they can have if they carry on higher education, and tells them about university 
• there is also a self denying prophecy, working class children may choose to rebel against labels instead of conforming to them

sex discrimination act: 

stops schools from being institutionally sexist and allows them to give boys and girls equal opportunities, girls can now do subjects they wish and also be given more of a hope that they are equally as likely to go to university as boys

feminism:

has allowed people to think that women do not belong in the kitchen and they are just as capable as achieving as boys

boys are under achieving:

because of media labelling boys are not shown to be as clever as girls and the media promotes a lazy outlook on life for boys, resulting in the self fulfilling prophesy, also peer pressure may fore boys to turn to "urban" or  "street" pupil culture

some ethnic minorities achieve better than others:

• because of their norms and values, they are taught to listen and respect teachers
• because they have high parental expectations
• because they have a strong work ethic in their culture

some ethnic minorities may not achive because..

• institutional racism,a school may not be well suited to accommodate students from ethnic backgrounds and result in institutional racism
• because of the self fulfilling prophecy, pupils may conform to the labels and perceptions of other people of them e.g. Caribbean and african minorities may be labeled as 'gangsters" or as being involved in gun and knife crime