Education in societies throughout the world and throughout history has been the mechanism for the transmission of culture . That is the case in the American educational system today. However, educators must carefully scrutinize whose culture we are valuing and transmitting. This is imperative because those cultural concepts are but two of the many cultures that are thriving in our society. In a school system which is compulsory for all, we must find methods of transmitting all of those cultures as accepted and valued choices.
Education is a tool for empowerment .
Our society and our world are far from perfect. Human rights our country holds up as exemplary and civil rights we say our system legally insures are ideals still unachieved. Education should empower people in the struggle to overcome systems that oppress them. Our educational system is often a tool to replicate the stratification of society as it is today. Children of the laboring class are trained to be hard working and obedient employees for someone who like his father before him has a position of power and control.