Describe two manifest functions and two latent functions of education.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. The manifest functions are as follows:1. Schools are socialization agencies that teach children how to get along with others and prepare them for adult economic roles (Durkheim, 1898/1956; Parsons, 1959).2. Education transmits knowledge and culture. Schools teach skills like reading, writing, and counting; they also instill cultural values that encourage competition, achievement, and democracy.3. Similar values increase cultural integration, the social bonds that people have with each other and with the community at large, and societal cohesion.4. Education promotes social innovation. Faculty at research universities receive billions of dollars every year to develop computer technology, treatments for diseases, and programs to address social problems.5. Education benefits taxpayers because more highly educated people tend to pay higher taxes, are less likely to rely on public assistance programs, and lead healthier lifestyles, reducing state and federal health care costs (Baum et al., 2013).The latent functions are as follows:1. Schools provide childcare, particularly after-school programs, for the growing number of single-parent and two-income families.2. High schools and colleges are matchmaking institutions that bring together unmarried people.3. Education decreases job competition; the more time that young adults spend in school, the longer the jobs of older workers are safe.4. Educational institutions create social networks that can lead to jobs or business opportunities.5. Education is good for business. Thousands of companies offer services that tutor and test students and produce textbooks and related materials.