Typically, school curriculum has been viewed through the lens of preparation for the workplace or higher education--both worthy objectives. However, this is not the only lens, and perhaps not even the most powerful one to use, if the goal is to optimize the educational system. "Curriculum on the Edge of Survival" attempts to define basic aspects…

It is possible to approach, but not to achieve, the goal of perfection. To the three traditional philosophical values of truth, goodness, and beauty it is appropriate to append the important values of wisdom, humanness, and grace. Among the resources available toward the perfection of behavior are ethics, morality, and mores. The first chapter of…

Neoliberalism has become the most influential ideology of our times. It guides both Democratic and Republican policies and, increasingly, those of European and developing countries worldwide. Influential cultural critic Henry Giroux assesses the impact of neoliberalism and points in this book to better approaches to building real democracy.…

Educators, politicians and the media are using the concept of citizenship in new contexts and giving it new meanings. Citizenship can serve to unite a diverse population or to marginalise and exclude. The authors argue that, with the introduction of citizenship in school curricula, there is an urgent need for developing the concept of cosmopolitan…

This book is an exploration of the changing definitions of knowledge competence held to be valuable in universities. The central argument is that one ideology, that of academic competence, is being displaced with another ideology, that of operational competence. The book begins by considering the relationships among higher education, knowledge,…

This book focuses on understanding knowledge and learning in the contexts of economic development and social cohesion. A preliminary overview is presented of the knowledge processes at work in different sectors, and the book identifies a number of ways in which microlevel or sectoral understanding of the knowledge-based economy is important in…

This book shows how creating a new leadership practice--one with a moral dimension based on purpose, values, and beliefs--can transform a school from an organization to a community. Chapter 1 critiques traditional views of leadership and presents an alternative view of leadership that expands its values. Chapter 2 examines what motivates and…

"Caught in the Crossfire" reveals how the United States has been gradually changing from a society that celebrates childhood into one that is hostile to and afraid of its own children. Today kids are often seen as a threat to our social and moral values. In schools, some behavior is criminalized, and growing numbers of kids find…

This book analyzes attempts by governments and international development agencies to neutralize the school as an independent and democratizing institution. The volume contains four chapters and a conclusion. Chapter 1, "The Diminished School," highlights the trend away from the liberal and professionally led systems characteristic of the…

The book examines approaches to moral education, first attempting to understand each one sympathetically, then highlighting strengths and weaknesses, and finally formulating the problems and issues uncovered in the analysis. The work concludes with the author's own version of a postmodern "patchwork" pedagogy of moral conversation. The…

Contemporary societies use schools and schooling to socialize their young and only by deliberate attention to the aesthetic quality of the experiences of learning will learning actually occur. Following the introductory chapter, chapter 2 describes how aesthetic quality in learning experience is dependent on establishing democratic social…

Papers and responses from the 1978 annual meeting of the Philosophy of Education Society are reproduced in unabridged form. The keynote session centered on the character of a career in philosophy of education. Papers from general and concurrent sessions and invited papers are included. Three perspectives on the subject of the topical seminar, John…

This book presents the ideas of the president of Boston University on how America can change course and restore traditional democratic values. The primary threat to American freedom comes not from foreign nations but from societal and individual attitudes of self indulgence, extravagance, and a declinging educational system. A return to…

The essays in this book explore the balance between the communal and the individual aspects in the development of human beings and relates theories of education and learning to this development. In the introduction, Peter J. Sheehan offers a critical discussion of the ideas presented in the text. Part I contains two chapters on values and…

In addressing issues that are common to all educational jurisdictions in Canada, the author has designated as "national" those issues that are manifest concurrently within the provincial and local board arenas and as "federal" those issues that integrally involve relationships between the federal government and the provinces.…