Critical Issues in Education : Dialogues and Dialectics

by Nelson, Jack L.; Palonsky, Stuart B.; McCarthy, Mary Rose; Noddings, Nel

• ISBN13: 9780073131368
• ISBN10: 0073131369
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-08-04
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages

Summary

Critical Issues in Educationis designed to be used in courses that examine current, relevant pro and con disputes about schools and schooling. By exploring the major opposing viewpoints on these issues, the text encourages education students to think critically and develop their own viewpoints. The clear writing and dramatic dialectic approach are conducive to dynamic classroom discussions that help students grasp the many sides of these complex issues. Three integrating themes provide a solid framework for examining the eighteen topics covered. Each part begins with a chapter-length introduction that provides background material and organizing themes for the issues that follow. Each issue is then presented from two divergent viewpoints, each one written in advocate language to be as compelling as possible. The book's objective, in addition to informing the reader about the issues, is to develop critical thinking skills within the context of education.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Critical Issues and Critical Thinking

What Interests Should Schools Serve?

School Choice: For Family Choice or Against Vouchers

School Finance: Equity or Disparity

School Integration: Compulsory or Voluntary

Gender: Easing Discrimination or Making Legitimate Distinctions

Affirmative Action: Progressive or Restrictive

What Should Be Taught?

Basic Education: Traditional Disciplines or Critical Thinking

Reading: Phonics or Whole Language

Multicultural Education: Representative or Divisive

Curriculum Control: National or Local

Values and Character: Traditional or Liberational

Business Influence: Positive or Negative

Standardized Testing: Restrict or Expand

How Should Schools Be Organized and Operated?

School Leadership: Teacher-Directed or Administrator-Controlled?

Academic Freedom: Teacher Rights or Responsibility

Teacher Unions: Detrimental or Beneficial

Inclusion and Mainstreaming: Special or Common Education

School Violence: School or Social Responsibility

Privatization of Schools: Boon or Bane

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.