VOLUME 35 DECEMBER 2007 NUMBER 9 High School Candidates for the 2008 ASA Election Sociology on The American Sociological Association Non-Academic Institutions: The elected members of the is pleased to announce the slate of can- Chloe Bird, RAND Committee on Nominations prepared the Endangered didates for ASA Officers, Committee on Leora Lawton, TechSociety Research most of the slates of candidates for the Committees, Committee on Nominations, 2008 election; the slate of candidates for Species List in Committee on Nominations and Committee on Publications. The the Committee on Nominations was candidates for Council Members-at-large Prudence Carter, Stanford University prepared by Members-at-Large of the Michigan will be announced at a later date. Ballots Mounira Maya Charrad, University of ASA Council. ASA Bylaws provide the for the 2008 ASA election will be mailed in Texas-Austin option for members of the Association Could sociology in your state’s early May 2008. The candidates are: Shelly Correll, Cornell University to nominate additional candidates. secondary schools be threatened Bill Danaher, College of Charleston Petitions supporting additional with extinction? President-Elect Jim Jasper, Graduate Center, City candidates for the offices of President- by Denise Reiling, Eastern Michigan Evelyn Nakano Glenn, University of University of New York Elect and Vice President-Elect must University, and David A. Kinney, Central California-Berkeley Ann Morning, New York University be signed by at least 100 supporting Michigan University Bernice Pescosolido, Indiana University Robert Newby, Central Michigan voting members of the Association; University petition candidates for other positions Vice President-Elect Raka Ray, University of California-Berkeley must receive the supporting signatures In the 1957 landmark United States Linda Burton, Duke University Denise Segura, University of California- of at least 50 voting members. All Supreme Court, Sweezy v. New Hampshire, John Logan, Brown University Santa Barbara petitions must arrive in the Executive academic freedom for university profes- Kim Voss, University of California- Office by January 31, 2008, and be sors was established. Sweezy, a visit- Committee on Committees Berkeley addressed to the attention of the ASA ing scholar at the University of New At Large: Susan Webb, Coastal Carolina University Governance Office. Mail petitions to: Hampshire, was accused of engaging in Kate Slevin, College of William & Mary Kathrin Zippel, Northeastern University American Sociological Association, subversive activities by teaching Marxism, Wendy Ng, San Jose State University Attn: Association Governance, 1307 Committee on Publications a leading sociological theoretical perspec- Francesca Polletta, University of New York Avenue, NW, Suite 700, tive. The Supreme Court ruled in favor California-Irvine Susan Farrell, Kingsboro Community Washington, DC 20005. If you have any of Sweezy. Chief Justice Earl Warren Melissa Milkie, University of Maryland- College questions about the slate of candidates declared: “…the essentiality of freedom in College Park Neil Fligstein, University of California- or the petition process, please e-mail the community of American universities PhD-granting Institutions: Berkeley [email protected] or call (202) is almost self-evident…teachers and stu- Irene Padavic, Florida State University Cecelia Ridgeway, Stanford University 383-9005. dents must always remain free to inquire, Michael Hechter, Arizona State University Martin Ruef, Princeton University to study and to evaluate, to gain new maturity and understanding; otherwise our civilization will stagnate and die.” Comparisons can now be made between Fifty years later, no such freedom has Plans and Outcomes: Data from those respondents who had this perspec- been granted to high school teachers. tive and those whose outcomes did not Failing this protection, the Michigan State Phase II of the BA-and-Beyond Survey match their plans. In addition, we will Board of Education can move, and is be able to match satisfaction levels with moving, to eliminate the sociology teacher by Roberta Spalter-Roth and and not attending graduate school when skills learned and networks established certification, which would bring about Nicole Van Vooren, ASA Research they graduated. By 2007, nearly 60 percent as undergraduates and whether those the extinction of high school sociology as and Development Program reported exclusively working. While 20 skills and networks were relevant in a viable curriculum. It is ironic that at a percent of seniors planned on attending obtaining jobs or entering graduate time when this state could use sociologi- In their senior year in 2005, the major- graduate school only (primarily in educa- school. Data in Phase I of this project cal thinking (based upon virtually every ity of sociology majors either dove into tion, criminology, and sociology), just showed that significant differences social indicator), this body of knowledge filling out graduate school applications, over 10 percent were actually in a gradu- existed in satisfaction levels and future is being considered for elimination. began planning the job search process, ate program in 2007 (very few reported plans by gender, race and ethnic groups, On October 9, 2007, the Superintendent or both. During this period the ASA having completed a graduate program). and type of degree-granting institutions. of Public Instruction recommended that Research and Development Department These numbers exclude those respondents These differences will also be examined the teaching certification for sociology be began collecting the first phase of survey who planned to work and attend graduate in this new round of data analyses to among those eliminated from high school data on the experiences and future plans school, simultaneously. The percentage of see if and how they carry over into the curriculum in Michigan public schools. of these undergraduates. respondents doing both in 2007 remained workforce and graduate school. In ana- Anthropology, psychology, cultural stud- “What Can I Do with a Bachelor’s fairly consistent with their 2005 plans. lyzing these relationships, we can draw ies, and behavioral studies were targeted Degree in Sociology?” is a longitudinal These findings suggest that fewer gradu- conclusions about how well students for proposed elimination, as well. study of the 2005 cohort of graduating ating sociology majors were accepted into are prepared for their post-graduation Further investigation into this pro- sociology majors. The purpose of this the graduate programs or schools of their endeavors, so that better assessment and posal has uncovered an even uglier truth: two-phase survey is to learn how well choice, that they were unable to afford curriculum planning can occur. We hope the state of Michigan’s Department of undergraduate courses and other activi- the cost of attending school, or that they that this and future analyses will help Education does not even consider sociol- ties prepare students for careers in the decided to postpone this activity. faculty members. ogy to be sufficiently relevant to include social science workforce or for gradu- in its “social studies” curriculum; instead, ate school. This brief article contains Future Plans social studies content is comprised of only some preliminary findings from the The ASA Research Figure 1. More Sociology Bachelor’s Recipients Are the following: history, economics, geog- second phase of the survey (down- and Development Working—Plans for Future at Time 1 Versus Status at Time 2 raphy, and civics. However, some of the load the findings for the first phase at Department contin- areas of “general social studies knowl- <www.asanet.org/galleries/Research/ ues to explore the edge, processes, and skills” to be obtained ASAChartBook_0117w1.pdf>). These factors relating to the 60% 2005 in a social studies course are: “Understand findings detail the plans the 2005 cohort disparity between 50% 2007 the diversity of human beings and human made when they were seniors and plans and out- cultures; analyze events and circum- whether they had attained the goals that comes. For example, 40% stances from the vantage point of oth- they had set for themselves. in Phase I of this ers; understand social problems, social In the first phase of the survey, longitudinal study, 30% structures, institutions, class, groups, respondents were asked whether their seniors reported high and interaction” (see www.michigan. post-graduation plans included acquir- levels of satisfaction 20% gov/documents/mde/SS_HSCE_210739_ ing a job, attending graduate school, with the concepts 7.pdf and “Vantage Point” on p. 2 of this or both. Figure 1, “More Sociology and skills that they 10% Footnotes). Bachelor’s Recipients Are Working— had learned but less Clearly, sociological content is being 0% Plans for the Future at Time 1 Versus satisfaction with Job Only Grad School Both Neither taught, but if the state does eliminate Status at Time 2,” shows that 40 percent job and graduate Only See Michigan, page 6 of respondents planned on only working school counseling. PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2 DECEMBER 2007 FOOTNOTES The Executive Officer’s Column In This Issue . To Leave No Child Behind Requires Social Science Discipline 7 ASA Housekeeping The 2002 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the nation’s Items blueprint for federal support of K-12 public education. The provisions of this 670-page law are administered