The Public Purpose of Education and Schooling - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0787909343 ISBN 13: 9780787909345

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 1997

Synopsis

"I have been waiting for this book for a decade. In an age in which the national debate on school reform is concerned principally with tactics and process, this volume focuses on the most important of all questions. What is the purpose of school? How do we know if a school is working? The authors are the most highly regarded names in education. This is an important book for anyone interested in schooling in America today."
-- Arthur Levine, president, Teachers College, Columbia University

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

As the rhetoric of school reform continues to focus on the private purposes of schooling, the critical public role of schools in promoting the ideals of our American democracy has all but been forgotten. In this exceptional work, prominent educators and scholars explore the vital links between education and a civil society. The book is a collection of eloquent and impassioned essays about the meaning and value of this larger social purpose of education. The Public Purpose of Education and Schooling also contains a transcript of the contributors participating in a spirited and informative panel discussion on the same topic. They debate the fundamental ideals that govern schooling and make a compelling case for a renewed commitment to public education that will foster and ensure our society's rights and freedoms. They propose an expanded mission for education that both identifies schooling as a moral and civic Andeavor and offers a framework for leading the charge for meaningful school reforms.Recognizing that the perpetuation of our democratic society depAnds on an educated populace, the contributors argue that our schools must guarantee that everyone receives a high-quality education. The authors reveal that current proposals for school reform do little to address the gross inequities of our system. Our goal should be to create public schools that are so ?commonly good? that it would make no difference which school one attAnded. The book also makes a persuasive argument that the current property tax system of school finance in inequitable and not in the best interest of the public.The Public Purpose of Education in Schooling is written for teacher educators, policymakers, school board members, school administrators, parents, and anyone who is concerned about educating the citizens of tomorrow so that our democratic freedoms will continue to flourish outside (and inside) the classroom.

From the Back Cover:

Eloquent and passionate essays about the meaning and value of education.In this exceptional work, prominent educators/scholars explore the vital links between education and a civil society. They debate the fundamental values and ideals that govern schooling and make a impassioned plea for a renewed commitment to public education that will ensure our democratic rights and freedoms. The scholarly contributors propose an expanded mission for education that recognizes schooling as a moral and civic Andeavor and would serve as a framework for guiding the charge for meaningful school reforms.

About this edition

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0787909343
• ISBN 13: 9780787909345
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208
• Editor: Goodlad John I., McMannon Timothy J.