What Do Schools Do? Education and Inequality

Education is an important institution in modern societies. Schools influence all of our lives from an early age. Schools are the largest employer in many communities and are widely considered the major force for social equality. What does this mean for society? What do schools do? Why do some students learn more than others? How do schools reduce or reproduce social inequality? How do schools influence society and how does society shape schools? We will consider these and other related questions in this course.