Stupidity - Joel Best Spring 19 Introduction to Sociology PDF

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Joel Best Spring 19 Introduction to Sociology...

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G. W. Bracey, “The First Time Everything Changed"  Russia launched Sputnik and people said its because American schools are lagging behind  No student left behind was passed and things did get better  Very much related to poverty Notes from Class  Watch course capture up until  We were concerned about India and other countries that were going to take over  An even more influential report from 1983 "A Nation at Risk" o We would consider it an act of war if a foreign nation imposed our current education system on us o We were scared that the Japanese was going to take over the world  1957 Uncle Sam discovers American science isn't ahead in anything  We didn't understand how Russia could launch a rocket, we decided it was our schools  A report stated that we are less educated than 50 years ago  So Americans have always worried about a Stupidity Epidemic. What does the data show? o More people are getting more education  They're also taking tougher courses o Test scores ????????  Test scores are getting better  The tests are given only to students that are college bound, but in the US that’s everybody o General knowledge  Can you name the vice president  American's answers seem to reflect belief, not knowledge i.e. religion o IQ scores  IQ scores are recalibrated every year to make the average 100. Flynn effect  We are getting smarter  So why are we convinced there's a Stupidity Epidemic? o Stupidity isn't increasing, but ignorance is booming  KIP - Knowledge information paradox  The more knowledge somebody has, the greater everybody's ignorance  Information is no longer a scarce resource; attention is o What we need to know keeps changing o Expanding access changes the student population o We expect a lot from schools o Scaring people works o Scaring people about kids works especially well  Overview o We started worrying about schools o Are we getting dumber - the data o Explaining the hears...