John Dewey and the Decline of American Education: How the Patron Saint of Schools Has Corrupted Teaching and Learning

by Henry T. Edmondson III

The influence of John Dewey's undeniably pervasive ideas on the course of American education during the last half-century has been celebrated in some quarters and decried in others. But Dewey's writings themselves have not often been analyzed in a sustained way. In John Dewey and the Decline of American Education, Hank Edmondson takes up that task. He begins with an account of the startling authority with which Dewey's fundamental principles have been-and continue to be-received within the U.S. educational establishment. Edmondson then shows how revolutionary these principles are in light of the classical and Christian traditions. Finally, he persuasively demonstrates that Dewey has had an insidious effect on American democracy through the baneful impact his core ideas have had in our nation's classrooms. Few people are pleased with the performance of our public schools. Eschewing polemic in favor of understanding, Edmondson's study of the "patron saint" of those schools sheds much-needed light on both the ideas that bear much responsibility for their decline and the alternative principles that could spur their recovery.

Genres: Education

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Watermarked Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was certainly an eye-opening and sobering read. Dewey was a socialist, an anti-authoritarian, and an extreme naturalist/humanist. He believed objective truth and the concepts of good and evil are harmful, and therefore rejected authority from God, parents, teachers, and tradition. (Yet he did not seem to see the irony in presenting himself and his ideas as an authority on education.) He believed morality is a social construct, and rejected “any traditional notion of individual character.” He taught that naturalism, the material world, experiences, and the scientific method are the only things that matter, and rejected any transcendence or spirituality. He was passionate about rejecting all forms of “traditionalism” in education and politics, though what he wanted to replace it with is less clear.

Dewey was a socialist who wanted “the individual” to be replaced with “the public.” In the classroom, this meant that students with superior potential may not advance without the less capable student, as this would create “inequality.” Thus, the superior student should be confined to a lower level of accomplishment. Dewey also believed that “community” must replace the family. He taught that “American democracy must be transformed by a revolution in education, followed by a social and economic revolution. One cannot occur without the other, but education must first be revolutionized because it is the process through which the needed transformation may be accomplished.” p. 6

He criticized religion as a “dying myth,” and said that Christianity is merely a “slave morality” that produces self-centeredness by focusing individuals on their own character instead of wider social concerns. He failed to realize that society is made up of individuals, and you cannot improve society without individuals taking responsibility for their own character and actions.

Dewey advocated that all education should be utilitarian, preparing the student for a job and usefulness to society. As such, art, music, history, and the classics have no intrinsic worth. Children’s impulses should rule the school day, because directing them would crush them under authority. He believed that to suppress one’s impulses was to suppress one’s selfhood, and that focusing on character development was imposing authority on helpless victims. When a child “goes wrong,” society and the environment are held responsible, not the individual. “Dewey’s new ethics introduce a serious accountability problem. To whom, or to what, is a student responsible for one’s own behavior? And how is educational progress to be measured?” (p. 25).

The purpose of this book is to summarize and critique John Dewey’s writing and speaking on educational and political philosophy. As such, it doesn’t give as many practical examples of how that philosophy is implemented in schools as I was hoping for, or many suggestions on how to get the derailed train of American educational philosophy back on track. But I can certainly see the results of his philosophy in our current culture that rejects absolute truth, blames an abstract concept of “society” for the world’s problems, and expects programs and government to fix the world instead of expecting individuals to take personal responsibility. I’ve often been surprised by Christians who are dismayed at these views and ask “how did we get here?” I don’t know how we could get anywhere else if our children spend 7 hours a day hearing these ideas (with maybe an hour on Sunday or a conversation at dinner to combat them). Dewey was right that revolution begins with education. If Christians want to stem this tide, Christian parents have to take back the primary responsibility for our children’s education. Not just by telling kids what to think, but by teaching them how to think.

Here are some thought-provoking quotes from the book (not Dewey) about what education should be:

“A child-led curriculum does not allow sufficient room for the development of the will.” p. 26

“The information of the people at large can alone make them the safe, as they are the sole, depositor of our political and religious freedom.” Thomas Jefferson, p. 62

Education should equip the individual to “maintain a revolutionary’s watchfulness, to guard his rights, and to recognize any attempts to undermine republican government. Yet for the sake of the stability of the regime, the citizen must also have a patriotic attachment to his country.” p. 64

“A merely utilitarian education is largely ineffectual precisely because it does not seek to make a student good, or at least to teach him what is good, or even to provide him with those principles that guide good behavior—all of which qualities are essential aspects of true utility.” p. 80

“Education is to inspire the love of truth as the supreme good, and to clarify the vision of the intellect to discern it. We want a generation above deciding great and eternal principles upon narrow and selfish grounds.” Horace Mann, p. 81

Education “should aim to provide the life-giving sustenance necessary to choose goals wisely, to endure hardship tenaciously, and to direct the passions appropriately.” p. 83

[Michael Connolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Dewey was one of the fathers of the progressive education movement in the early twentieth century in the United States. John Dewey objected to the idea of objective truth and to moral absolutes of good and evil. He was an opponent of organized religion, in particular, Christianity. Dewey objected to Christianity's focus on the individual improving his own moral character, which he saw as being selfish. Dewey thought that instead people should concentrate on promoting social justice. Dewey attempted to shift the blame for crime from the criminal to society as a whole, who had made the criminal what he was. John Dewey saw American education as as opportunity to indoctrinate children with his socialistic political beliefs. He was not interested in improving their reading, writing and arithmetic. Dewey also attempted to mold children into being more social and cooperative, and less competitive. With the Left pushing socialism, and the Right pushing religion, it appears that the only way children will learn about science and capitalism will be self study.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to this book by way of doing research on classical education models. John Dewey is often presented as the "villain" or foil to classical education but rarely is it explained what Dewey believed or argued. This book was very helpful in filling out this story.

In brief, Edmondson's book is short introduction to the philosophy and influence of John Dewey upon modern education, as well as critique that offers help for education today. Though the book starts off rather fluffy and overblown, with various unverified characterizations of Dewey, the rest of the book is a carefully documented exploration (from primary sources) of Dewey's thought and influence on modern education. The later criticisms thus are much richer and better argued given the provided research. The author makes various connections to modern education along with helpful advice for how education should be done. Though still brief (the book is only about 100 pages), it does what a good introduction should do and gives plenty of footnotes for further exploring and critiquing the claims made. Recommend!

[Jeremias · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most powerful books on educational philosophy I have ever read. This is a must read for anyone in education who truly wishes to improve the current education system in the United States of America.

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always a fan of Dewey
This presents a different perspective
Can't agree with the opinion
Prefer inquiry and education

[Conor Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hmm...poorly researched, often flatly misreads Dewey's arguments, and generally tries to bend both facts and argument into logically flawed conclusions. Worth reading only insofar as it provides a foil for more careful critiques of pragmatism (See The Promise of Pragmatism, by John Patrick Diggins for a much better challenge to pragmatic thought).