Seeking common ground : public schools in a diverse society / David Tyack.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Tyack, David B.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Public schools--Social aspects--United States.

Public schools.

Education and state--United States.

Education and state.

Public schools--Social aspects.

United States.

Multiculturalism--United States.

Multiculturalism.

Physical Description:

237 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2003.

Summary:

The American republic will survive only if its citizens are educated -- this was an article of faith of its founders. But seeking common civic ground in public schools has never been easy in a society where school-children followed different religions, adhered to different cultural traditions, spoke many languages, and were identified as members of different "races."

In this wise and enlightening book, filled with vivid characters and memorable incidents that make history but don't always make history books, David Tyack describes how each American generation grappled with the knotty task of creating political unity and social diversity. Seeking Common Ground illuminates puzzles about democracy in education and chronic conflicts that continue to make news. Americans mistrusted government, yet they entrusted the civic education of their children to public schools. American history textbooks were notoriously dull, but they were also highly controversial. Although the people liked local control of schools, educational experts called it "democracy gone to seed" and campaigned to "take the schools out of politics." Reformers argued about whether it was more democratic to teach all students the same subjects or to tailor curriculum to individuals. And what was the best way to "Americanize" immigrants, asked educators: by force-feeding assimilation or by honoring their ethnic heritages? With a broad perspective and an eye for telling detail, Tyack lets us see that debates about the civic purposes of schools are an essential part of a democratic culture, and integral to its future.

Contents:

Windows on the Past 1

I. Unity

1. Schools for Citizens: Preserving the Republic 9

2. Patriotic Literacy: History Textbooks 38

II. Diversity

3. Same or Different? School Policies and Social Diversity 67

4. Thoroughly Trained in Failure: Mismatch of Pupil and School 98

III. Democracy

5. Democracy in Education: Who Needs It? 129

6. Choices about Choice: No Simple Solution 158.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [187]-225) and index.

ISBN:

0674011988

OCLC:

52092069