In Praise of Education.

Overview & Synopsis

This book about the relation of education to society has as its thesis that the proper context for education is a politically and socially democratic one. The first chapter considers what education is and is followed by chapters discussing the relationship of education to democracy, community, schooling, its conditions, and the self. Throughout these chapters eight concepts are stressed in various contexts. These are: (1) education as an individual experience development of the self; (2) the role of culture in development of the self; (3) education is environmentally ubiquitous; (4) the mutual instrumentality of education and democracy as they nourish each other; (5) education as an inalienable right; (6) the necessity for the entire community to be educative; (7) the need for schools to serve a common public purpose; and (8) the importance of national ends not dictating the educational journey of self-transcendence. The book addresses conditions necessary to the advancement of these interrelated concepts especially the necessity for a curriculum for development of an ecocentric environmental ethic. Also addressed is the comprehensive educational improvement initiative conducted through the National Network for Educational Renewal. (Contains 250 references). (DB)