The aim of the Handbook of Sociology of Education is to present the most theoretically grounded and empirically rigorous sociological analyses of schools to date. The authors are distinguished researchers in the field. Their contributions to the Handbook offer major theoretical perspec tives on the schooling process and describe significant empirical studies of schools and their effects on individuals and society. The research presented in the Handbook is built on three fundamental tenets of sociol ogy. First, the authors adopt the perspective that schools are a central institution in society. An understanding of the function of schooling in social life is enhanced by viewing schools as interrelated with other societal institutions. The study of how the context of schooling influ ences education processes is critical to an understanding of school outcomes. Rather than being determined solely by ascribed and achieved characteristics, an individual's cognitive and social development are influenced heavily by the structures and networks in which the individual is embedded. Communities, families, schools, and social groups are critical ele ments in the educative process. By viewing the school as a societal institution and highlighting the interaction between context and individual behavior, the Handbook chapters provide a broader and deeper understanding of the determinants of learning in contemporary society. The second sociological insight that guides the research in the Handbook is that the school is a social system.

Provides a comprehensive overview of the field of education as viewed from a sociological perspective Experts in the area present theoretical and empirical research on major educational issues Includes an analysis of the social processes that govern schooling Presents the role of schools in and their impact on contemporary society Shows the macro and micro level processes that make up the educational environment Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Zusammenfassung
This wide-ranging handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the field of education as viewed from a sociological perspective. Experts in the area present theoretical and empirical research on major educational issues and analyze the social processes that govern schooling, and the role of schools in and their impact on contemporary society.

Inhalt
Theoretical and Methodological Orientations.- School as Context and Construction.- The Organizational Context of Teaching and Learning.- On the Linkages between Sociology of Race and Ethnicity and Sociology of Education.- Research and Theory on Equality and Education.- Structural Effects in Education.- School Effects.- Development and Expansion of Education.- Development and Education.- The Content of the Curriculum.- Comparative and Historical Patterns of Education.- The Limits of Growth.- The Study of Access to Schooling.- Equitable Classrooms in a Changing Society.- Connecting Home, School, and Community.- The Variable Construction of Educational Risk.- The Study of School Organization.- School Size and the Organization of Secondary Schools.- Comparative Sociology of Classroom Processes, School Organization, and Achievement.- Social Systems and Norms.- Values, Control, and Outcomes in Public and Private Schools.- The Study of School Outcomes.- Interactions between High Schools and Labor Markets.- Vocational Secondary Education, Tracking, and Social Stratification.- Transition from School to Work in Comparative Perspective.- Pathways from School to Work in Germany and the United States.- The Effects of Schooling on Individual Lives.- Policy Implications of Research in the Sociology of Education.- Accountability in Education.- Tribute to David Lee Stevenson.- The Fit and Misfit of Sociological Research and Educational Policy.