Teaching and teachers are inextricably embedded in society. Our work reflects the expectations, social practices and assumptions of our cultures. As we teach, we shape children’s lives and contribute to our collective futures. In a sense, we thus take ‘what is’ and build towards ‘what might be’. Education thus contributes to social change as well as personal fulfilment. Additionally, at the same time as it enhances the nation’s human resource, it also builds and distributes life-chances for individuals. It is not surprising then that issues concerning values, opportunities and priorities are often raised or that education is a frequent topic for political discussion.
On the structural relationships between education and society, with fascinating comparative and historical analysis of how education systems develop and change over time, see:
Archer, M. (1979) The Social Origins of Educational Systems, London: Sage. (Reading 17.1)
A wide range of issues concerning teaching and society can be accessed by consulting textbooks from the sociology of education and a number of older text-books still have relevance:
Meighan, R. and Siraj-Blatchford, I. (1997) A Sociology of Educating, London: Cassell
Burgess, R. G. (1986) Sociology, Education and Schools, London: Batsford
Reid, I. (1986) The Sociology of School and Education, London: Fontana
Another excellent general source is:
Halsey, A. H., Lawlor, H., Brown, P. and Stuart Wells, A. (1997) Education: Culture, Economy and Society, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
