Chapter 9 discusses much of the issues we see today in our capitalistic society where people are viewed as human capital. This ideology refers to the stock of competences, knowledge
and personality attributes embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value. These are the attributes gained by a worker or student through education and experience.
The chapter, furthermore, discusses how many high school students and parents felt a sudden pressure to be in school to get the credentials necessary to attain a job. The emphasis on
education to serve economic goals and widen the social development of youth shaped the advancements of modern schools. Suddenly, schools went from being an institution that
“theoretically” served as a means of bringing unity between the wealthy and poor into becoming a socially stratifying institution that separated the successful from the incompetent.
One of the major questions presented was if different courses of study should be offered to students ending their education at the secondary level and those planning on attending college (pg
238). In other words, should preparation for life differ from preparation for college? This is still a problem that many people still debate today. Many parents argue that high schools are not
properly educating their children and getting them ready for their transition into college. They also argue that since many schools, especially in the United States, teach to the test many students
graduate having memorized a lot of information and enter the collegial level remembering little of what was taught. How does this kind of learning properly educate students for either the college
level or real life? Are vocational schools currently replacing traditional colleges?
