American Education

This work introduces students to the historical, political, social and legal foundations of education and to the profession of teaching. The text is designed to challenge students to analyze and to ask questions about the role of schooling in American society. It can be used either as a core text or as part of a larger teaching package. This edition features several new chapters. "Multicultural Education" contrasts the educational problems facing immigrants against those of dominated cultures such as Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans. Possible solutions are discussed, including ethnocentric education, issues of language, bicultural education and multicultural education. A new Chapter Five examines issues involving segregation and second-generation segregation and now includes, in addition to African Americans, a discussion of Native Americans, Mexican Americans and students with special needs. A new Chapter Four includes information on the interconnection between education, the new labour market and the global economy. Chapter Two now contains a discussion of teachers as researchers, the working conditions of teachers and teacher burnout. Also, Chapter Ten contains new sections on national standards for teachers and on critical pedagogy. Many new sections dealing with current restructuring efforts have been added to this edition, such as: charter schools, the educational bureaucracy, the politics of state education and the nationalization of state policies.