Exploring Education: An Introduction to the Foundations of Education

by Alan R. Sadovnik, Peter W. Cookson Jr. (Editor), Susan F. Semel (Editor)

This much-anticipated fourth edition of Exploring Education offers an alternative to traditional foundations texts by combining a point-of-view analysis with primary source readings. Pre- and in-service teachers will find a solid introduction to the foundations disciplines -- history, philosophy, politics, and sociology of education -- and their application to educational issues, including school organization and teaching, curriculum and pedagogic practices, education and inequality, and school reform and improvement. This edition features substantive updates, including the addition of discussion on the neo-liberal educational policy and recent debates about teacher evaluation, updated data and research, and new readings by leading researchers, such as Diane Ravitch, Robert Dreeben, and Helen F. Ladd. At a time when foundations of education are marginalized in many teacher education programs and teacher education reform pushes scripted approaches to curriculum and instruction, Exploring Education helps teachers to think critically about the "what" and "why" behind the most pressing issues in contemporary education.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

656 pages, Hardcover

First published January 31, 1994

Reviews

[Anna]

read ch 3 getting rest soon. very informative and long. but well done

[Thomas Consultants]

processes of language development

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly, I knew very little about educational reform in America's history before reading this text. I was vaguely familiar with recent movements, but their political, social, philosophical, and historical implications were beyond me. This book helped me sort out the complexities of educational reform and provided a nice summary of the foundations of education. However, I did feel its extreme liberal bent just a bit too much and was turned off to some of the commentary as a result.