At a moment when brawls are breaking out at school board meetings and state officials are increasingly issuing curricular mandates, it's possible that this text's central question is more important than ever: How is it that given good intentions and hard work among education professionals, things in schools can go so very wrong? As in the first…

This book examines dominant discourses in values education globally. It critiques dominant discourses and debates pertaining to values education and cultural identity, set against the current backdrop of growing social stratification and unequal access to quality education. It addresses discourses concerning globalisation, ideologies and the…

"The Oxford Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Education" provides a comprehensive, global, invitational, and accessible overview of contemporary issues in the field of philosophy of education. It includes a wide range of topics, ideas, and diverse perspectives from around the world, and features an editorial board composed entirely of women.…

Students deserve a safe, welcoming, and tolerant learning environment in which high expectations for academic and social/emotional learning will flourish. To achieve this, schools must implement consistent behavior initiatives that are rooted in equity and clear in outcome and purpose. Which plan is best for your students' needs? In "Building…

The leading experts in system change and learning, with their school-based partners around the world, have created this essential companion to their runaway best-seller, "Deep Learning: Engage the World Change the World". This hands-on guide provides a roadmap for building capacity in teachers, schools, districts, and systems to design…

While arguments for and against teaching abstinence, the use of contraceptives, and sexual identity are becoming more and more polarized, most people agree that students must learn to navigate an increasingly sexual world. "Sex Ed for Caring Schools" presents a curriculum that goes beyond the typical health education most students receive today.…

In "Character Compass," Scott Seider offers portraits of three high-performing urban schools in Boston, Massachusetts that have made character development central to their mission of supporting student success, yet define character in three very different ways. One school focuses on students' moral character development, another…

The field of social studies is unique and complex. It is challenged by the differing perspectives related to the definition, goals, content, and purpose of social studies. Contemporary Social Studies: An Essential Reader discusses the contemporary issues surrounding social studies education today. Contemporary Social Studies: An Essential Reader…

Against a formidable national discourse that emphasizes academic standardization, accountability, and high-stakes testing in educational policy, "Character and Moral Education: A Reader" seeks to re-introduce and revive the moral mission of education in public conversation and practices in America's schools. With contributions from a…

This chapter outlines and provides evidence for the effects of the "Positive Action Program" as a way of inculcating values, driving student wellbeing, and improving academic performance and interpersonal behavior. The program centers on addressing behavioral, emotional, and academic problems by developing in individuals positive beliefs…

This book examines the concept of civility and the conditions of civil disagreement in politics and education. Although many assume that civility is merely polite behavior, it functions to aid rational discourse. Building on this basic assumption, the book offers multiple accounts of civility and its contribution to citizenship, deliberative…

In a time of unprecedented social and economic crisis, this book represents a challenge to the orthodoxy that shapes the vision of educational purpose. It argues that now, more than ever, there is a moral imperative for educators to assume responsibility for helping to bring about a culture of peace and non-violence in both the nation and…

Kids of any age can learn the basics of good character and figure out what they stand for. This leader's guide is a companion to the children's book, "What Do You Stand For? For Kids". The 11 lessons on the CD-ROM provide a complete course for kids on caring, citizenship, cooperation, fairness, forgiveness, honesty, relationships, respect,…

This book presents current thinking on the topic of community service programs for youth. Combining theory and research with descriptions of innovative programs and specific recommendations for program design, the volume outlines an approach to service learning that engages youth not only in helping others but also in critical reflection and the…

This volume features 16 essays about educating young people for the amorphous state called democracy. The collections addresses the central questions: (1) How and what might children be taught so that they respond well and creatively to the demands of an increasingly diverse society that is organized under and struggling to realize the democratic…