Full Description
Reimagining American Education to Serve All Our Children: Why Should We Educate in a Democracy? examines and reevaluates the history and purpose of public education in the United States, in order to provide students of current and future generations with a robust and fulfilling learning experience. The authors approach knowledge from a critical perspective, with the intention of broadening the definition of knowledge and critical thinking, positioning education as a gateway to life's endless possibilities and participation in a democratic society. In asking "why should we educate in a democracy rather than why do we educate in a democracy," the authors suggest directions that need to be taken to enhance democracy, social justice, and the positive effects of education for all.
Divided into ten concise chapters, this volume provides activities and strategies for developing meaning for often contentious concepts, illustrates concepts, and brings together new ideas as well as assessment ideas. Greenblatt and Michelli and their coauthors cover a diverse range of important topics allowing us to understand education in a democracy, including:
Sociopolitical barriers to knowledge
The importance of all subjects, including the arts, health and physical education
Methods of fostering imaginative thinking
The political nature of the effects of policies on education
Reimagining American Education to Serve All Our Children aims to provide practicing teachers, teacher educators, graduate education students—and all those interested in enhancing education, a discussion on the relationship between education and policy. A topical conversation, this book aids readers to develop a better understanding of the effects of social justice on American learners and the effects of education on social justice and democracy in order to take a position on these critical issues.
Contents
List of Figures and Tables; Foreword; Acknowledgments; 1: Why Should We Educate in a Democracy? The Moral Imperative; 2: What are the Different Meanings of Democracy and Social Justice?; 3: What is Knowledge and How Does it Lead to Power and Success?; 4: Critical Thinking as a Lifelong Tool; 5: The Role of Imagination and Confronting Life's Chances; 6: Critical Democratic Education as a Way to Prepare for Civic Participation in a Social and Political Democracy; 7: Working in Educational Settings; 8: Accountability and Assessment; 9: Mobilizing for Change; 10: Conclusions and Some Hopeful Signs; Index
