Liberty and Literacy

Perspectives of LiteracyConventionalFunctionalCulturalCritical

Hegemony

Literacy• Literacy rates are affected by differences in social

class, race, gender, region and social need• To be illiterate is to be significantly handicapped in

today’s society• Literacy depends on the social setting and

workplace needs. – What counts as adequate literacy for

management might not be adequate from the worker’s perspective.

– What is adequate literacy in once social setting may not be adequate in another

• Literacy can depend on the function we wish it to serve in a given context

• HOW DO YOU DEFINE LITERACY?

Conventional Literacy• Ability to read, write and comprehend• 1980 Census found that 99.5% of U.S. adults were literate by this definition

– Determined by self-reporting of grade levels completed and if they could read and write

– What about all of those that did not answer the Census questionnaire?– Can the respondents read and write in English?

Functional Literacy

•Using printed and written information to function in society to achieve one’s goals and to develop one’s knowledge and potential•US Army during World War II defined it as

•“the capability to understand written instructions necessary for conducting basic militant functions and tasks…a fifth grade reading level”

Many objected to the functional literacy perspective because it has as its goal “the competence to function at the lowest levels of mechanical performance,” instead of indicating a more ambitious conception of literacy.

• In the mid 70’s the University of Texas used an index called the Adult Performance Level (APL). Tested how well adults could function in sixty-five tasks requiring literacy skills in everyday life.– 20-60% of those tested failed to perform successfully at tasks

such as writing a check that a bank could process, addressing an envelope adequately, figuring the difference in price between a new and used appliance, etc.

16% of whites, 44% of blacks and 56% of Latinos were functionally illiterate

Functional Literacy cont…

Cultural Literacy

•Not just to read in the technical sense of the word, but to be culturally literate, knowing historical names, geographical places, authors; a basic foundation of knowledge to give meaning to words•E.D. Hirsch introduced the idea of cultural literacy in 1987. Believes that understanding words depends on a great deal of background knowledge of cultural institutions and values.

•See illustration on page 253ish•Cultural Literacy has been criticized as the “trivial pursuit” approach to education

Critical Literacy•Literacy is associated with power--Those with power are able to define knowledge•Goal for literacy should be to empower people to criticize and change political and economic oppression. •How knowledge and power are interrelated•It is the ability to understand and act against the social relations of oppression.

economic, political, racial, ethnic, gender and social class • Sometimes known as the emancipatory literacyHEGEMONY

Unequal power relationships between two or more cultures, ideologies, socioeconomic groups

A small minority of U.S. citizens control the political and economic institutions that shape the beliefs, values, and behavior of most of the population

Ideological hegemony argues that the social, political, and economic institutions of this society serve a relatively small group at the expense of the majority of citizens

Hegemony theory summarized…Institutional elites who share common economic and political interests control the dominant political and economic institutions of the U.S.Though they may disagree on particular policies or strategies, these institutional elites share a common world view, or ideology, which reflects and justifies the organization of dominant institutions.Through such institutions as the government, workplace, school, and mass media, the general populance is socialized into accepting these rulesAlthough ruling ideas do not reflect the experience of all social classes, they serve to limit discussion and debate, to prevent the formation of alternative social explanations, and to promote a general acceptance of the status quo.Mass Media and Cultural Hegemony Polls show that print and broadcast journalists receive the bulk of their information on domestic and foreign policy from other journalists in mainstream news media that represent the dominant corporate-government ideologyExample: Americans are told of a developing country turning to communists and that this is a threat to our national interest. What the public does not hear is what constitutes our national interest in these developing nations. History shows that we can tolerate deep differences in ideology with our business partners in the third world.

Schooling and Cultural Hegemony Ideological hegemony theory suggests that it is not consent, but compliance, that is fostered in the schools, and that both the organization and the curriculum of schools are responsible for this compliance.

While schools contribute to functional and cultural literacy of the citizenry, they also obstruct democratic tendencies by socializing students to be uncritical followers in a social order where major decisions are made by an elite few.

Hegemonic Processes in SchoolingHierarchical distribution of power

Unequal power relationshipsStudents must obey not only the authority of the teacher’s knowledge but institutionalized authority in the form of school rules as wellTeachers have authority over students, principals have authority over teachers, etc…Teachers often tell students that they themselves do not agree with a rule (I.e. grading) but must do so because of rules

The nature of student workWork and only work is compulsory—work because it is assigned, not because it is interestingNature of schooling is to compete for the scarce rewards for good workSuccesses and failures are due to our individual talents and achievements, not to faults in the schoolThis personalization of school failure eventually helps legitimize the unequal distribution of goods in contemporary society

Social stratification within the school structureStudents are grouped by skill level, by IQ score, age, classroom behaviorGrouping results in different kinds of education and opportunities for successDifferent income groups and different races occupy different tracks both in and out of schoolThat black, Hispanic and poor white females should occupy the bottom of the social order does not seem surprising to people who long ago came to accept this in their school experience

Teaching as a Profession

Characteristics of any profession– A. Professional autonomy– B. Highly developed, theoretical knowledge base– C. Control of training, certification, and licensing of new

entrants– D. Self-governing and self policing authority, especially with

regard to professional ethics

Factors/concerns in teaching as a quasi-professionA. Low payB. Teachers’ lack of control over workplaceC. Predominance of womenD. Many stakeholders in schoolsE. Multiplicity of teacher roles and responsibilitiesF. Teacher training/retrainingG. Teacher morale

How North Carolina is meeting the demand for higher standards• Teacher accountability through the ABC’s testing program• Student accountability through the Gateways in grades 3,5,8 and

12• Encouraging teachers to attain National Board Certification by

paying for their testing• Increasing Praxis scores for teachers• Statewide report card of schools of education

How are students affected by these changes?• “Lose Control, Lose Your License” law• Increased testing• Various graduation tracks

• Career Preparation• College Technical Preparation• College Preparation

• Increased technology requirements• Zero tolerance for weapons

How teachers are affected• Increased technology requirements for certification• Increased salaries• Increased accountability and incentives for students’ performances• Site based management in some schools• Increase in Lateral Entry teachers