Teachers College Press Public Education: Defending a Cornerstone of American Democracy

In this important collection, eminent education scholars and practitioners remind us that our nation's system of free universal public education is under attack, putting our very democracy in jeopardy. Over and above preparing students for employability, American schools must prepare our youth to be informed citizens and active, constructive participants in the democratic process. These essayists, criticizing as well as lauding our educational system, believe that such a goal is best accomplished through a high-quality, public, free system of schooling designed to serve all our nations' children without regard to race, religion, gender, LGBTQ+ identity, (dis)ability, social class, citizenship status, or language. In the 100th anniversary year of Horace Mann, these thought leaders in education take stock of enduring principles, current dilemmas, and important forward directions. With privateers growing in numbers and seeking to take advantage of systemic breakdowns, this book will serve as a rousing defense of our public schools for our nation's educators, parents, school board members, and politicians.Book Features:Reminds all Americans of the essential roles that schools serve in contemporary society, beyond simply learning the prescribed school curriculum.Presents a counterpoint to those who promote private or charter schooling at the expense of genuine public schools.Paints a complex and multi-faceted portrait of our public education system and provides a set of diverse and provocative remedies for many pressing contemporary problems of public schooling. Review " Public Education: Defending a Cornerstone of American Democracy is a clarion call for protections and reforms to insure a sound and free public school system that will cease being a political catspaw for ambitious politicians, racist elements, and those who seek to replace history with disinformation, and the suppression of age appropriate gender issues as part of school curriculums--all in support of the prejudices and cultural biases of minorities seeking to overrule and subvert a bulwark of American democracy."--Midwest Book Review About the Author David C. Berliner is Regents Professor Emeritus and, and Carl Hermanns is a clinical associate professor, both at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University.