Background and Context: The context for this study is the American legislative landscape covering the past 35 years, which witnessed a shift in political philosophies concerning the role of government in ensuring the social welfare of its citizens--from a focus on a "safety net" to a focus on "individual responsibility." We frame these contrasting…

Background/Context: Most people who study the history and philosophy of education have heard of essentialism, but few people know the story behind how, when, and why the movement came to exist. This paper tells this story for the first time. Purpose/Conclusions: This essay has three purposes. First, it provides an introduction to the life and…

Alexander James Inglis's transformation from an academic traditionalist devoted to Latin pedagogy to an influential progressive-experimentalist and advocate of the comprehensive high school during the early twentieth century has received insufficient attention from educational and curriculum historians. A reconstruction of Inglis's career leads to…

Background: Between 1910 and 1930, IQ tests were introduced to and institutionalized in American schools. IQ testing represents an important component of the first wave of test-driven educational reform in American history, but surprisingly, there is relatively little research focusing on public educators' perception of these tests at the time,…

Background/Context: As a case study in minority language restriction, the German example provides a useful historical counterpoint to more recent debates regarding the place of non-English languages in American schools. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study and Research Design: This historical analysis examines the role of education…

A review is presented of the differences between Matthew Arnold's and Thomas Huxley's views on liberal education. (CB)

The life and philosophy of William James is discussed. (MM)

Context: Networks are seen as important vehicles for educators' professional development because they provide opportunities for educators to develop their teaching and leadership capacities and establish forums for educator resistance. Networks that also function as intermediary organizations provide spaces in which educators and network leaders…

Background/Context: Conservative jurists and scholars have reached the conclusion that the traditional separation of public funding from religious organizations in K-12 education was "born of bigotry," and inherently anti-Catholic. This claim rests on the misuse of revisionist historical interpretations that emphasize ethno-cultural…

In the midst of unprecedented knowledge generation in the field of education, the definition of learning disabilities and the methods used for its identification have essentially remained the same for nearly 30 years. Working from a sociohistorical perspective, the authors' distinct professional positions within education (university academic,…

Background/Context: The educational fate of the children of low-wage immigrants is a salient issue in all the economically developed societies that have received major immigration flows since the 1950s. The article considers the way in which educational systems in the two countries structure the educational experiences and shape the opportunities…

The paramount educational need of America is to complete the dream of the public schools by focusing attention on their public purpose as the highest priority. The public schools can assist the disparate, dispirited, and dse. (HMD)

Developments in educational philosophy since 1945 are summarized. Five expectations which educators have a right to see fulfilled by educational philosophy are given. (JMF)