This third edition, now published by Pine Forge Press, features original readings and article excerpts by leaders in the area of Sociology of Education. With a wide array of theoretical perspectives, a broad range of respected sources, and inclusion of both classic and contemporary studies, this comprehensive, integrated text addresses key issues in the field with a balanced presentation. Edited by Jeanne H. Ballantine and Joan Z. Spade, both of whom actively teach Sociology of Education courses, this text continues to offer theory, methods, and classical and current issues organized around the theme of the open systems approach to make both the pedagogy and presentation of material coherent for students. Thus, the book is not just a collection of articles, but a presentation of a holistic view of educational systems. The book is divided into 10 parts. Part I, What Is Sociology of Education? Theory and Methods, contains the following chapters: (1) Getting Started: Understanding Education Through Sociological Theory (Jeanne H. Ballantine and Joan Z. Spade); (2) Contemporary Perspectives in the Sociology of Education (Alan R. Sadovnik); (3) Moral Education (Emile Durkheim); (4) Conflict Theory of Educational Stratification (Randall Collins); (5) Schooling in Capitalist Societies (Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis); (6) Bridges to the Future: Contributions of Qualitative Research to the Sociology of Education (Carolyn Riehl); and (7) How to Avoid Statistical Traps (Gerald W. Bracey). Part II, School Organization and Roles, contains the following chapters: (8) How Schools Work (Rebecca Barr and Robert Dreeben; (9) The School Class as a Social System (Talcott Parsons); (10) Small Class Size and Its Effects (Bruce J. Biddle and David C. Berlinger); (11) Forms of Capital and the Construction of Leadership: Instructional Leadership in Urban Elementary Schools (James P. Spillane, Tim Hallett, and John B. Diamond); (12) The Status of Teaching as a Profession (Richard M. Ingersoll and David Perda); and (13) School Reform and Teacher Burnout (Anthony Gary Dworkin). Part III, Students and the Informal System, contains the following chapters: (14) Learning the Student Role: Kindergarten as Academic Boot Camp (Harry L. Gracey); (15) Real School: A Universal Drama Among Disparate Experience (Mary Haywood Metz); (16) Straddling Boundaries: Identity, Culture, and School (Prudence L. Carter); (17) Low-Level Violence: A Neglected Aspect of School Culture (David R. Dupper and Nancy Meyer-Adams); and (18) The Dropout Problem: Losing Ground (Paul E. Barton). Part IV, Social Construction of Knowledge, contains the following chapters: (19) The New Sociology of Knowledge (Ann Swidler and Jorge Arditi); (20) Romeo and Juliet Were Just Good Friends (Joan DelFattore); (21) America in World War II: An Analysis of History Textbooks from England, Japan, Sweden, and the United States (Stuart Foster and Jason Nicholls); and (22) Facts or Critical Thinking Skills? What the NAEP Results Say (Harold Wenglinsky). Part V, Schooling in Social Context: Educational Environments, contains the following chapters: (23) The Structure of Educational Organizations (John W. Meyer and Brian Rowan); (24) Marital Transitions, Parenting, and Schooling: Exploring the Link Between Family-Structure History and Adolescents' Academic Status (Shannon E. Cavanagh, Kathryn S. Schiller, and Catherine Riegle-Crumb); (25) Adolescents' Extracurricular Participation in Context: The Mediating Effects of Schools, Communities, and Identity (Andrew Guest and Barbara Schneider); (26) No Child Left Behind: The Federal Government Gets Serious About Accountability (Kathryn M. Borman and Bridget A. Cotner); and (27) Disparities Within: Unequal Spending and Achievement in an Urban School District (Dennis J. Condron and Vincent J. Roscigno). Part VI, Social Stratification and Schools, contains the following chapters: (28) Schools: The Great Equalizer and the Key to the American Dream (Heather Beth Johnson); (29) Tracking in Mathematics and Science: Courses and Course Selection Procedures (Joan Z. Spade, Lynn Columba, and Beth E. Vanfossen); (30) How Race and Education are Related (Caroline Hodges Persell); (31) Moments of Social Inclusion and Exclusion: Race, Class, and Cultural Capital in Family-School Relationships (Annette Lareau and Erin McNamara Horvat); (32) "Tuck in that shirt!" Race, Class, Gender, and Discipline in an Urban School (Edward W. Morris); and (33) Gender and Education (Roslyn Arlin Mickelson). Part VII, Efforts Toward Equality and Equity in Education, contains the following chapters: (34) The Segregation and Resegregation of American Public Education: The Courts' Role (Erwin Chemerinsky); (35) Learning Through Experience: What Graduates Gained by Attending Desegregated High Schools (Jennifer Jellison Holme, Amy Stuart Wells, and Anita Tijerina Revilla); (36) Charter Schools and the Public Good (Linda A. Renzulli and Vincent J. Roscigno); (37) The Achievement Gap: A Broader Picture (Richard Rothstein); and (38) Early Childhood Education and Care in Advanced Industrialized Countries: Current Policy and Program Trends (Sheila B. Kamerman). Part VIII, Higher Education, contains the following chapters: (39) The Stratification of the Academy (Zelda F. Gamson); (40) The Battle Over Merit (Jerome Karabel); (41) The Community College: The Impact, Origin, and Future of a Contradictory Institution (Kevin J. Dougherty); (42) Blacks in College: Past and Present (Sarah Susannah Willie); (43) Changes in the Status and Functions of Women's Colleges Over Time (Leslie Miller-Bernal); and (44) Reshaping the University in an Era of Globalization (Alan Ruby). Part IX, Education in an International Context, contains the following chapters: (45) The Global Environment of National School Systems (David P. Baker and Gerald K. LeTendre); (46) The Content of the Curriculum: An Institutional Perspective (Elizabeth H. McEneaney and John W. Meyer); (47) Education and Social Stratification Processes in Comparative Perspective (Alan C. Kerckhoff); (48) The Case for Universal Basic Education for the World's Poorest Boys and Girls (Gene B. Sperling); and (49) What Does Globalization Mean for Educational Change? A Comparative Approach (Martin Carnoy and Diana Rhoten). Part X, Educational Reform and Change, contains the following chapters: (50) Tinkering Toward Utopia: A Century of Public School Reform (David Tyack and Larry Cuban); (51) Wider Contexts and Future Issues: National Standards and School Reform in Japan and the United States (Thomas P. Rohlen); (52) Radical Possibilities: Putting Education at the Center (Jean Anyon); and (53) Deschooling Society (Ivan Illich). Includes appendix: Web Resources for Continued Exploration of the Topics in This Book.