Does a society determine its education or does education determine how a society functions?

I think this is an awesome question. In my opinion, a lot of society influences education, but education also influences our society. Essentially, who we are as people and what we learn is determined by generations before us. They create the information that is taught to the younger generations, and eventually we will be in the same position as teachers. However, ideas and products such as technology also effects our society and we create those. So, I would say that education and society go hand in hand.

The current society tries to direct the present education policies for the upcomming generations, while the future generations, influenced by the current education policies, will influence the upcomming societies.

I think they both reflect upon each other. I feel that in the classroom we are often reactive to issues that society presents us. However, I also feel that if we work to create active citizens out of our students, they can also help to shape our society positively. Or vice versa...if we fail our students, and they slip through the cracks, they will affect our society in a negative way. Bascially I think your question can be answered in so many ways which is what makes it interesting.

Clearly the society determines education. As said in the article "Three Currents of American Curriculum Thought," Albion Small interpreted a report of the Conference on HIstory, Civil Government, and Political Economy as assuming that the purpose of education was, first of all, "completion of the individual," and secondly, "adaption of the individual to such cooperation with teh society in which his lot is cast that he works as his best with teh society in perfecting his own type. I have to totally agree with this statement. When I think about the drive behind education, it is not to better the minds of these young children but to encourage them to do better so that they may get a rewarding job and be something in the society. We talked about an article in my CI3850 class where a group of students ended up doing really well on their EOG tests and instead of congratulating them on their accomplishment, since the scores had been down in recent years, they were told that the test really should be changed because it must have been to easy. If the focus was not on society and what we can teach these kids based on it then I believe that circumstances as that one would not occur. Like child study advocates said according to the article, "educators shall not rate themselves leaders of children, but as makers of society."