Answer to Question 1
Functionalists view education as one of the most important components of society. According to sociologist Emile Durkheim, education is crucial for promoting social solidarity and stability in society. Durkheim also asserted that moral education is very important because it conveys moral valuesthe foundation of a cohesive social order. Sociologists using a functionalist framework distinguish between manifest functions and latent functions. Manifest functions are open, stated, and intended goals or consequences of activities within an institution. All social institutions also have latent functions, which are hidden, unstated, and sometimes unintended consequences of activities within an institution. Education serves at least three latent functions.
(1) The restriction of some activitiesall states passed mandatory education laws that require children to attend school until they reach a specified age (usually age sixteen) or complete a minimum level of formal education (generally the eighth grade). Out of these laws grew one latent function of education, which is to keep students off the streets and out of the full-time job market for a number of years.
(2) Matchmaking and production of social networksschools bring together people of similar ages, social class, and race/ethnicity; young people often meet future marriage partners and develop social networks that may last for many years.
(3) The creation of a generation gapstudents may learn information in school that contradicts beliefs held by their parents or their religion.
Answer to Question 2
False
Worldwide Enrollment in Tertiary Education
Historian James Merrell notes several errors in Benjamin West’s famous 1771 painting, William Penn’s
Who Ends Up Poor? Poverty by Education and Race-Ethnicity
Race-Ethnicity and Education
The Importance of Social Connection
Average real hourly wages (2010 dollars) by education level, full-time workers aged 17 to 34 in 2011