Despite education-oriented studies, various recovery efforts, and targeted steps implemented by policymakers, sociologists, psychologists, and experts in pedagogy, failing schools are still one of the most pressing issues in the United States today. High rates of students’ low academic achievements are recorded nationwide, entailing social and economic losses. Currently, approximately 14.3% of public schools are identified as underperforming, totaling 12,445 settings (Reyes & Garcia, 2014, p. 352). Multiple theoretical concepts, including functionalist, conflict, interactionist, and feminist perspectives, have not devised an effective and universally applicable method of turning around failing schools so far. Thus, today’s trends in academic underperformance require approaches and theoretical models that are flexible in their utilization and relevant to the issue.
In accordance with the functionalist perspective, education systems should aim to absorb prevailing societal values and develop unified national consciousness in learners. Proponents of functionalism, such as Durkheim, Parsons, and others, paid considerable attention to the analysis of functions of education and its role in society. In the functionalist context and according to the construct of solidarity, the development of shared meanings, values, norms, attitudes, and practices are the primary purposes of institutional settings, in general, and schools, in particular (Ahmed, 2018, p.179). Functionalists tend to view education and socialization processes as manifestations of universal values that unite society. Students acquire knowledge of their national heritage, core cultural values, and standards and rules established in the society. This aspect of functionalism is of paramount importance for the United States, where minority students comprise approximately 43% of public school enrollments (Reyes & Garcia, 2014, p. 352). Thus, in line with the functionalist perspective, young people from different ethnic, religious, and racial groups can effectively socialize and become prepared for responsible citizenship, being immersed in the common culture.
However, in terms of turning around failing schools, functionalism is not free from shortcomings. This concept does not consider interpersonal interactions at teacher-student or student-student levels in the classroom environment. Moreover, the theory of functionalism does not deal with the content of curricula and teaching methods. Therefore, the functionalist concept cannot be applied to improve current trends in underperforming schools.
Theorists of the conflict perspective, such as Marx and Weber, view education as the embodiment of intergroup conflicts that arise when it comes to the content of education. This approach is grounded on the assumptions that socially, economically, or geographically stratified groups have fundamentally diverging interests, and some learners will obtain greater benefits from education than others (Ahmed, 2018, p.178). Conflicting interests of individuals from different social groups affect the education system; the interests and goals of the privileged class influence the development of curriculum and instruction. Indeed, social stratification, disparities, and high poverty rates are still prevalent in American society. Specifically, referring to the US Census Data, Reyes and Garcia (2014) state that “22% of all US children live in poverty” (p. 353). However, in accordance with the conflict perspective, significant improvements in failing schools can be only achieved through the initiation of nationwide socioeconomic transformations and eradication of social issues.
The interactionist perspective on education emphasizes social and psychological learning-related aspects. This theoretical approach is based on the following postulates:
- individuals influence situations and events, depending on the meaning and value they attach to them;
- meanings and values are products of social interactions;
- meanings and values vary due to different social environments (Arif & Albulene, 2016; Ahmed, 2018).
Interactionists focus on communication between teachers and learners, relations between students, attitudes, values, and achievements of individuals, as well as their development and social determinants (Arif & Albulene, 2016). Regarding improvements in low-performing schools, the interactionist concept can be applied to modify instructions for different groups of learners and enhance collaboration between everyone in the school environment. Nevertheless, while this perspective can be effective in eliminating some specific issues in low-performing educational settings, it does not propose a generalized solution to all failing schools.
Feminism originates from gender-focused research and family studies. Feminist values and principles involve mutuality, cooperation, gender equality, and shared power (Mansfield, Welton, & Grogan, 2014). Although gender-associated inequalities have significantly narrowed over the last decades, the feminist perspective is targeted at eliminating such issues as stereotyping, oppression, discrimination, patriarchy, and economic exploitation related to “class, ethnicity, race, age, gender, and sexual orientation” (Mansfield et al., 2014, p. 1157). In addition to standardized tests and redevelopment of state and federal policies, feminists suggest turning around low-performing schools by erasing disparities, increasing girls’ STEM participation, promoting favorable school environment, and improving educational access regardless of gender status. However, given the United States’ orientation towards equality, this approach is more applicable to patriarchal countries.
Summing up, all of the aforementioned theoretical perspectives include both strengths and limitations. The phenomenon of failing schools is associated with multiple factors, involving economic, social, ethnic, racial, geographical, and gender. Therefore, the one-size-fits-all approach to turning around low-performing educational settings appears to be inconsistent with this issue’s scope. Furthermore, emerging socioeconomic trends require the adjustment of previously developed theoretical concepts to new realities. Thus, the turnaround in education can be achieved through the combination of various effective methods and their implementation when addressing specific problems.
References
Ahmed, Z. (2018). Explaining the unpredictability: A social capital perspective on ICT intervention. International Journal of Information Management, 38(1), 175-186.
Arif, S., & Albulene, G. (2016). The relation between socio-economic status (SES) and early development: Empirical findings and theoretical perspectives. The Scientific Journal for Theory and Practice of Socioeconomic Development, 5(10), 309-329
Mansfield, K. C., Welton, A. D., & Grogan, M. (2014). “Truth or consequences”: A feminist critical policy analysis of the STEM crisis. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 27(9), 1155-1182.
Reyes, A., & Garcia, A. (2014). Turnaround policy and practice: A case study of turning around a failing school with English-language-learners. The Urban Review, 46(3), 349-371.