The concept of mcdonaldization is used describe the processes by which different organizations and bureaucracies adopt one method of completing tasks to as to maximize efficiency, oftentimes at the risk of sacrificing creativity. Named for the infamously consistent string of fast food restaurants, mcdonaldization is a trait that can be applied to various aspects of society, ranging from the food industry to universities and everything in between. Four characteristics are typically used to describe mcdonaldization, including efficiency through standardization, calculability through an emphasis upon quantity over quality, predictability and control. Two of these characteristics, standardization and calculability can be used to analyze the mcdonaldization of the public school system.
While this process of mcdonaldization may prove somewhat beneficial as far as fast food businesses are concerned, it can be hugely detrimental when applied to education. It has long been argued that this country’s public school system leaves much to be desired and in poorer districts where students suffer most from educational inequalities, both standardization and calculability have been somewhat improperly used in vain attempts to solve the problem.
The controversial overuse of standardized exams is an excellent place to start this discussion. Standardized exams such as the ISAT taken in Illinois schools are intended to better evaluate the education that students receive. While this initial goal is an important, perhaps ideal one, the application has since proven to do more harm than good. In addition to being culturally biased against students of color and those living in urban areas, teachers often end up “teaching to the test” by focusing solely on the material covered by these exams. Because these exams typically only test math, reading and writing, other classes like science and social studies end up being pushed aside.
In addition to standardized testing, the efficiency characteristic of mcdonaldization also appears through attempts to standardize school curriculums around the country. While this, too, was devised with the best intentions and aimed to put an end to discrepancies in what children of different socio-economic backgrounds are taught, the implications appear much more negative than positive. Through attempts to standardize what all children in all areas of the country are taught, many lessons are missed. Children who are not up to par with their peers (such as students in many Chicago schools) are never given the chance to catch up on missed material. Students in districts with more advanced schools, conversely, will be delayed so that they are learning at the same level as their peers in other districts and not ahead, which may simply be counterintuitive. In standardizing curriculums around the country, education does not become more efficient, it instead glosses over the many differences in background, abilities and preparedness of students.
In addition to efficiency through standardization, the mcdonaldization of public schooling can also be seen through calculibity and an emphasis on quantity over quality. A higher emphasis has been placed upon how many students can be herded through the system, rather than the quality of education these students receive. Students are passed along through the system from elementary school on up to high school, without being held back to reteach what they initially missed. Basic concepts are never adequately learned and, eventually, large numbers of students graduate high school functionally illiterate and unable to perform basic math. An example of this can be seen in Detroit where the Detroit Regional Workforce Fund found that 47% of Detroit adults were functionally illiterate. Perhaps more shocking is the fact that roughly half of these adults (about 100,000 individuals) graduated high school unable to read. Rates like these are not unique to Detroit as high levels of illiteracy can be seen in high school graduates in low-income areas throughout the country. This is a symptom of calculibity and serves as an example of the detrimental effects of mcdonaldization of education.
Through analyzing the issues of standardized testing and curriculum and calculability as seen through focusing on quantity of students passed along rather than quality of education received, it can be said that the mcdonaldization of education has had severe, troubling effects on our society at large. Conscious efforts must be taken to reverse these effects before the intellect of our society is further sacrificed.
Works Cited
United States of America. The Detroit Regional Workforce Fund. Addressing Detroit's Basic Skills Crisis. Detroit: Detroit Regional Workforce Fund, 2011. Print.
While this process of mcdonaldization may prove somewhat beneficial as far as fast food businesses are concerned, it can be hugely detrimental when applied to education. It has long been argued that this country’s public school system leaves much to be desired and in poorer districts where students suffer most from educational inequalities, both standardization and calculability have been somewhat improperly used in vain attempts to solve the problem.
The controversial overuse of standardized exams is an excellent place to start this discussion. Standardized exams such as the ISAT taken in Illinois schools are intended to better evaluate the education that students receive. While this initial goal is an important, perhaps ideal one, the application has since proven to do more harm than good. In addition to being culturally biased against students of color and those living in urban areas, teachers often end up “teaching to the test” by focusing solely on the material covered by these exams. Because these exams typically only test math, reading and writing, other classes like science and social studies end up being pushed aside.
In addition to standardized testing, the efficiency characteristic of mcdonaldization also appears through attempts to standardize school curriculums around the country. While this, too, was devised with the best intentions and aimed to put an end to discrepancies in what children of different socio-economic backgrounds are taught, the implications appear much more negative than positive. Through attempts to standardize what all children in all areas of the country are taught, many lessons are missed. Children who are not up to par with their peers (such as students in many Chicago schools) are never given the chance to catch up on missed material. Students in districts with more advanced schools, conversely, will be delayed so that they are learning at the same level as their peers in other districts and not ahead, which may simply be counterintuitive. In standardizing curriculums around the country, education does not become more efficient, it instead glosses over the many differences in background, abilities and preparedness of students.
In addition to efficiency through standardization, the mcdonaldization of public schooling can also be seen through calculibity and an emphasis on quantity over quality. A higher emphasis has been placed upon how many students can be herded through the system, rather than the quality of education these students receive. Students are passed along through the system from elementary school on up to high school, without being held back to reteach what they initially missed. Basic concepts are never adequately learned and, eventually, large numbers of students graduate high school functionally illiterate and unable to perform basic math. An example of this can be seen in Detroit where the Detroit Regional Workforce Fund found that 47% of Detroit adults were functionally illiterate. Perhaps more shocking is the fact that roughly half of these adults (about 100,000 individuals) graduated high school unable to read. Rates like these are not unique to Detroit as high levels of illiteracy can be seen in high school graduates in low-income areas throughout the country. This is a symptom of calculibity and serves as an example of the detrimental effects of mcdonaldization of education.
Through analyzing the issues of standardized testing and curriculum and calculability as seen through focusing on quantity of students passed along rather than quality of education received, it can be said that the mcdonaldization of education has had severe, troubling effects on our society at large. Conscious efforts must be taken to reverse these effects before the intellect of our society is further sacrificed.
Works Cited
United States of America. The Detroit Regional Workforce Fund. Addressing Detroit's Basic Skills Crisis. Detroit: Detroit Regional Workforce Fund, 2011. Print.