In this provocative volume, the authors argue that public education is a central part of American civil religion and, thus, gives us an unquestioning faith in the capacity of education to solve all of our social, economic, and political problems. The book traces the development of America’s faith in public education from before the Civil War up to the present, exploring recent educational developments such as the No Child Left Behind Act. The authors discuss how this faith in education often makes it difficult for Americans to think realistically about the capacities and limitations of public schooling. Bringing together history, politics, religion, sociology, and educational theory, this in-depth examination: <ul>
<li> Raises fundamental questions about what education can accomplish for the citizens of the United States.</li> <li> Points out that many supposedly opposing viewpoints on public education actually arise from the same root assumptions.</li> <li> Exposes the gaps between our pursuit of equity in schools and what we really accomplish with students.</li> <li> Looks at ways in which education can be organized to serve a diverse population.</li>
</ul>

Public Education―America's Civil Religion: A Social History

History

Bankston, Carl L.

Caldas, Stephen J.

Historical Study & Educational Resources

Teachers' College Press

A Troubled Dream: The Promise and Failure of School Desegregation in Louisiana

Fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, the United States still has a long way to go to attain true integration of our educational system. Using extensive interviews and a wealth of statistical information, Bankston and Caldas examine the failed desegregation efforts in Louisiana as a case study to show how desegregation has followed the same unsuccessful pattern across the United States. Strong supporters of the dream of integration, Bankston and Caldas show that the practical difficulty with desegregation is that academic environments are created by all the students in a school from the backgrounds that all the students bring with them.† Unfortunately, the disadvantages that minority children have to overcome affect schools more than schools can help remedy these disadvantages.

Americas

Vanderbilt University Press

Fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, the United States still has a long way to go to attain true integration of our educational system. 
Using extensive interviews and a wealth of statistical information, Bankston and Caldas examine the failed desegregation efforts in Louisiana as a case study to show how desegregation has followed the same unsuccessful pattern across the United States. Strong supporters of the dream of integration, Bankston and Caldas show that the practical difficulty with desegregation is that academic environments are created by all the students in a school from the backgrounds that all the students bring with them. Unfortunately, the disadvantages that minority children have to overcome affect schools more than schools can help remedy these disadvantages.

American Ideas of Equality: A Social History, 1750-2020

Equality is a fundamental American value. The nation's Declaration of Independence declared equality as a self-evident foundation for political life and the pursuit of equality has continued to dominate policy debates in the twenty-first century. However, equality is a complex idea and it has had different meanings in different eras. Using a variety of data sources, this book describes how the views we hold regarding this fundamental national value developed as products of our cultural history from the origins of the American republic to 2020. It traces how cultural transmission, political and economic structures, and communication technology have shaped this core American value. The book begins with the early days of the American republic and follows ideological changes through the era of the self-made man, the rise of corporate society, the New Deal, the post-World War II era, and the era of Civil Rights. It ends with a detailed discussion of how this history has resulted in some of the most divisive political and social controversies of the twenty-first century.\nMost studies of equality have taken this as having a single, clear meaning. Most often, this has been either how much equality of opportunity exists now or has existed in the past, or how much equality of condition exists now or has existed in the past. They rarely consider that people can be equal or unequal in different ways, and that what we mean when we talk about equality or engage in debates about it has been shaped by historical experience. This book is a work of historical sociology that examines the forces that have shaped and re-shaped this fundamental cultural value. The book leads readers through an exploration of how different stages of American history have led to thinking about equality in terms of independence from hierarchy, the opportunity for self-creation, access to services and resources, widespread upward mobility, and equality across social categories. It takes a unique multidisciplinary approach, combining intellectual and cultural history with political, economic, and sociological analysis. No other book offers this kind of analysis of the both the historical origins and contemporary consequences of a cultural concept at the core of American national life.\nAmerican Ideas of Equality will be a valuable resource for academic researchers, students, and general readers interested in American studies; cultural, economic, and political history; political science; and sociology.

Cambria Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bankston, Carl L.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Bankston, Carl L.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bankston, Carl L.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Public Education―America's Civil Religion: A Social History

Public Education―America's Civil Religion: A Social History

A Troubled Dream: The Promise and Failure of School Desegregation in Louisiana

A Troubled Dream: The Promise and Failure of School Desegregation in Louisiana

American Ideas of Equality: A Social History, 1750-2020