Functionally important role

Functionalists emphasise education's contribution to society and the allocation of people to roles, including functionally important roles needed for society to operate. Parsons viewed school as a bridge between family and wider society, operating on meritocratic principles: achievement should reflect ability and effort rather than family background. He contrasted the family's particularistic standards, which are specific to that family and its relationships, with school's universal standards—also called universalistic standards—which apply to all pupils regardless of family ties.