In the
sociology of
education this term refers to the
cultural values transmitted through the
structure and
teaching methods of
schools.
The most often mentioned values are obedience to authority, punctuality, and delayed gratification. I tend to find these values interrelated since most are enforced at least to some degree by authority.
Psychologist Carol Gilligan has also pointed out (whether incorrectly or not) that school is also the impetus for sexism, racism, and other social isms because it it the first exposure that children have to people different from them. This stems from the idea that early childhood peer groups are often based on heterogenous groups to make new situations with diverse participants easier to navigate.