ARE HIGH SCHOOLS REALLY HETERONOMOUS?

The question whether schools have "effects" may be rephrased as the question of the degree to which schools reflect the pattern of their inputs, and the degree to which they disrupt that pattern by their autonomous activity. In this paper a coefficient is employed to quantify the autonomous effects of schools, and its complement (which represents heteronomy, or the degree to which schools simply transmit the pattern of their inputs) is broken down into universalistic and particularistic components. By these means it is possible to make a quantified macrosociological statement about pattern of stratification in a society. Values of the components are reported for two societies which harbor contrasting norms and myths concerning the proper operation of stratification. In a comparison between American and Scottish education it is shown that, so far from American high schools not having effects, they actually exert stronger effects than do their Scottish counterpanes. It is generally believed that, at the time when these data were collected, Scottish education was, at least for the more academically gifted child, more efficacious than American. The relation between the efficacy and the effects of a merit elective system is explained by reference by Meyer's (1970) concept of a charter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]