Public education, America's civil religion : a social history / Carl L. Bankston III, Stephen J. Caldas.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bankston, Carl L. (Carl Leon), 1952-

Contributor:

Caldas, Stephen J., 1957-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Public schools--United States--History.

Public schools.

Education--Social aspects--United States--History.

Education.

Education--Social aspects.

Civil religion.

History.

United States.

Civil religion--United States--History.

Physical Description:

ix, 205 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Teachers College Press, [2009]

Summary:

In this provocative volume, the authors argue that public education is a central part of American civil religion and, thus, gives us an unquestioning faith in the capacity of education to solve all of our social, economic, and political problems. The book traces the development of America's faith in public education from before the Civil War up to the present, exploring recent educational developments such as the No Child Left Behind Act. The authors discuss how this faith in education often makes it difficult for Americans to think realistically about the capacities and limitations of public schooling.

Bringing together history, politics, religion, sociology, and educational theory, this in-depth examination:

Raises fundamental questions about what education can accomplish for the citizens of the United States.

Points out that many supposedly opposing viewpoints on public education actually arise from the same root assumptions.

Exposes the gaps between our pursuit of equity in schools and what we really accomplish with students.

Looks at ways in which education can be organized to serve a diverse population.

Contents:

Religions, political and civil

Before progressivism : belief in education in a divided nation

Public education in the progressive era

Public schooling between world wars : management, design, and varieties of the faith

After World War II : the education boom, Cold War, and growing calls for equality

Education for equality and education as redistribution in the 1960s and 1970s

Anxiety and standards : A nation at risk and the equity-excellence dilemma in the 1980s and 1990s

Where all the children are above average : entering the 21st century

Conclusion: American civil religion and the schools.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 179-189) and index.

ISBN:

9780807749470

0807749478

9780807749487

0807749486

OCLC:

297529903