Justice, Ideology, and Education: An Introduction to the Social Foundations of Education

Two questions have guided thinking about the educational issues presented in this book. The first is, Who makes decision about schools and about how children are treated when in school? The second question is, Are the processes and outcomes of these decisions fair or just? Each section in this book relates selected educational issues to the broader themes of individual and social justice. Thus issues having to do with equal opportunity, evaluation, student classification, curriculum, the politics of schooling, and democracy in schooling are all seen in the light of a broader concern with justice. Students are asked to critically examine the ideological foundations of American education to see how they converge with - and diverge from - democratic ideas.