American Education Building a Common Foundation

by Kaplan, Leslie; Owings, William

• ISBN13: 9780495599395
• ISBN10: 0495599395
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-01-06
• Publisher: Cengage Learning

Summary

With a focus on the future of American education--and the goals and nature of teaching in a global economy--this forward-thinking text provides you with a comprehensive overview of the foundations of modern American schooling. The book's premise is that education in the 21st century must facilitate more complex, deeper, and more varied learning that will enable all citizens to survive and thrive in an ever-changing world. In presenting traditional topics and important educational issues--including diversity and equity, the accountability movement, effective schools, instructional best practices, and alternatives to public schools--the authors cultivate the very skills and knowledge base that they believe are critical for success in a "flat" world. With the overarching goal of furthering higher-order thinking, they model the principles of evidence-based practice and the critical-thinking process by examining issues and controversies in depth and presenting supporting research to validate their conclusions. Activities support the critical-thinking focus and promote your self-understanding, challenging you to weigh "common knowledge" against real evidence and form your own conclusions. Written in an appealing, conversational style, and using examples that immediately resonate with prospective student teachers, this thought-provoking new text provides a timely and insightful perspective of American education.

Table of Contents

Understanding The Teaching Profession

So You Want to Be a Teacher?

Teaching as a Profession

Misconceptions about Education and Teaching

Historical And Philosophical Foundations

The History of American Public Education, Part 1

History of American Public Education, Part 2

Philosophy of Education

Purposes and Promises of Public Education

Political, Legal, And Economic Foundations

Teachers, Ethics, and the Law

School Governance and Structure

School Finance

Social Foundations

Equality of Educational Opportunity: Societal and School Practices

Equality of Educational Opportunity: Diverse Students' Perspectives

Curriculum

Instruction

Achievement and Accountability

Effective Schools

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.