Introduction

Sociologists concerned with education have paid too much attention to the demands of their audience or public, the teachers or potential teachers who, it was thought, needed some sociology of education to complete their already fragmented course. It is high time that sociologists interested in education began talking to their fellow sociologists. The interrelationship between educational ideas and educational structures needs to be understood. Formal education, like tradition, generally tends to be dependent upon particular forms of social organization. The social need of the times determines what will be included in the curriculum. Theological knowledge is required in preparation for the ministry; training in the skills of using language, for a humanistic education. For the education of the Greek gentleman knowledge of myth and legend was required. Educational ideals are analyzed by examining a number of key concepts in the education process such as intelligence, equal opportunity, knowledge and selection.