1. EFD-408: Foundations of American Education
Course Introduction

2. What education is, and how children ought to be instructed, is what should be well known; for there are doubts concerning the business of it, as all people do not agree in those things they would have a child taught, both with respect to their improvement in virtue and a happy life: nor is it clear whether the object of it should be to improve the reason or rectify the morals. From the present mode of education we cannot determine with certainty to which men incline, whether to instruct a child in what will be useful to him in life; or what tends to virtue, and what is excellent: for all these things have their separate defenders. (Aristotle, Politics, Book VIII, Chapter II)
May-19
Intro

3. Overview FOCUS OF THE COURSE COURSE IMPORTANCE
29/5/2019
Overview
FOCUS OF THE COURSE
COURSE IMPORTANCE
MAJOR GOALS OF THE COURSE
METHODOLOGY (HOW THE COURSE WILL ACHIEVE THE STATED GOALS)
SIX IMPORTANT ANALYTIC CONCEPTS
May-19
Intro
Intro

4. COURSE FOCUS
The historical origins of contemporary educational ideas and processes: how and why they first arose and then developed into their present forms.
The institutional complexities of schools.
The varied and intricate relationships that exist between schools and the surrounding communities.
The justification for requiring schools to teach certain knowledge and values.
May-19
Intro

5. IMPORTANCE Explanations of why
children from some social and economic groups tend to perform better than others do in schools
certain knowledge and values should be taught in schools
schools should be publicly funded and controlled
are not a part of commonsense knowledge.
Schools are complex institutions with varied and intricate relationships to their surrounding communities.
Schools are an important expression of the surrounding society (they express its political and economic systems as well as its ideological commitments).
The better teachers understand the larger society in which schools are embedded, the better they will understand the particular school problems they face.
May-19
Intro

6. MAJOR GOALS
Educational issues are multidimensional. To study such issues requires historical perspective (H), philosophical insights (P), sociological knowledge (S) and understanding of the legal framework in which schools operate (L). Our major goals are:
to understand educational policy and the methods of philosophers, historians, and sociologists
to be able to use such methods for the analysis of our own experiences
to understand the theoretical & legal standards on the basis of which recommendations about education can be made and evaluated
May-19
Intro

7. METHODOLOGY
By providing the basic conceptual tools needed for analytical inquiry and demonstrate their use
By provide students with opportunities to practice such analysis as they bring new understanding and past experiences to bear on primary source reading
May-19
Intro

8. SIX ANALYTIC CONCEPTS social theory political economy schooling
training
education
ideology
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Intro

9. Social Theory (S)
An attempt to make sense of and explain social phenomena
An attempt to explain reality and practice
Should be internally consistent, account for the data, and agree with other relevant theory
Neither “the absolute truth” nor “just another interpretation”
May-19
Intro

10. Political Economy (H)
Social, cultural, economic, political, and demographic dimensions of a society
HOW a society is organized in order to function
May-19
Intro

11. Schooling
The totality of experiences occurring within the institution of “school”
Formal curriculum, extracurricular activities, “hidden curriculum”
Reflects the influence of government
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Intro

12. Training Preparation for specific roles or to improve one’s skills
Goals generated by the trainer
Potential for indoctrination?
Necessary in some situations (driving)
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Intro

13. Education (P) Promotes the skills and understandings to:
Develop a wide range of human capacities
Prepare for a wide range of roles
Nourish reason, intellect, intuition, and creativity
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Intro

14. Ideology (H-S-P-L)
Society’s justification for its political, social, and economic arrangements
The beliefs, value systems, and understandings of social groups
Almost always created and articulated by the dominant group (the “dominant ideology”)
Embedded in ALL societies
May-19
Intro

15. Concluding Remarks
Good theory is useful in identifying and explaining phenomena—including practice.
The interaction of political economy, ideology, and schooling (the analytic framework) are an important focus of the foundations of education.
Meaning depends on context, and understanding meaning requires inquiry. Teachers must be active participants in this inquiry.
May-19
Intro