Making Good Citizens: Education and Civil Society

by Diane Ravitch, Joseph P. Viteritti (Editor)

Americans have reason to be concerned about the condition of American democracy at the start of the twenty-first century. Surveys show that civic participation has declined, cynicism about government has increased, and young people have a weak grasp of the principles that underlie our constitutional system. Crucial questions must be answered: How serious is the situation? What role do schools play in shaping civic behavior? Are current education reform initiatives—such as multiculturalism and school choice—counterproductive? How can schools contribute toward reversing the trend?

This volume brings together leading thinkers from a variety of disciplines to probe the relation between a healthy democracy and education. Their original and provocative discussions cut across a range of important topics: the cultivation of democratic values, the formation of social capital in schools and communities, political conflict in a pluralist society, the place of religion in public life, the enduring problems of racial inequality. Gathering together the most current research and thinking on education and civil society, this is a book that deserves the attention of everyone who cares about the quality and future of American democracy.

Genres: Education

367 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Diane Ravitch is a Research Professor of Education at New York University, a historian of education, and a research professor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. She is the Founder and President of the Network for Public Education.
She was U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education from 1991-93.
She was married to Richard Ravitch from 1960 until they divorced in 1986.
She married Mary Butz in 2012.
Aside from her many books on education history and policy, Ravitch writes for The New York Review of Books and maintains an influential blog on education.

Reviews

[Lisajean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first third of the book, which consisted of essays about civil society and education. I found Putnam’s chapter, “Community-Based Social Capital and Educational Performance” to be especially interesting, and I look forward to reading more by him. However, the book shifted to focusing on religious education and parochial schools, which is a topic I’m less interested in. Overall, the book was a bit of a let-down, as the focus is on issues of social and educational policy and it lacks suggestions for what individual teachers can do to support civic education.

[Liesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for a class and I found it insightful and thought provoking as well as other academic adjectives.