There are several theories on the primary purposes and expectations of schooling. Three of these theories are the functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective and the interactionist perspective. These different perspectives theorize the purpose and expectations of education in the school system. Their ideas range from one end of the spectrum to the other and none of them can really be said to be any more correct than the others.
The first of these perspectives is the functionalist perspective. Functionalists focus on the benefits of education to the social and economic order of society (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010). One of the main points of the functionalist perspective is to pass skills from one generation to the next (Kong, 2007). The main function of the school is to provide the necessary knowledge and skills to become responsible and productive citizens in the community. Another would be to give students the ability to compete in the global economy (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010). Functionalists hold that education contributes to the economic growth and development of the community by “upgrading the skills of the labor force” (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010), p. 193). They claim that more educated workers are less likely to lose time, more likely to innovate, produce better goods and more goods in a given amount of time (Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010).
The next perspective is the conflict perspective. Conflict theorists examine the same functions of education as functionalists. Functionalists see education as a beneficial contribution to an ordered society; however, conflict theorists see the educational system as perpetuating the status quo by dulling the lower classes into being obedient workers (cliffnotes.com, 2010). Believers in the conflict perspective hold that school is the “instrument of domination used by those in power to reproduce and perpetuate socioeconomic inequities”(Webb, Metha, & Jordan, 2010, p.193). They believe that schools serve...