Wilfred Carr

This concise, digestible book shows how the cultivation of reason became the defining aim of western education, and critiques how this aim has been eclipsed in recent decades by the neoliberal system of mass schooling imposed by the state. Chapters outline succinctly the history of western education and its origins in Ancient Greece, demonstrating how the idea of education as intrinsically related to the development of reason became embedded in the Western educational tradition, and how this tradition subsequently developed and evolved. Introducing key philosophical ideas about the nature of education, the book shows how the development of mass schooling in the 19th century led to our current educational landscape, where neoliberal demands for schools to be more responsive to market forces have obscured the development of reason as a distinctive educational aim. By inviting educators to think reflectively and critically about the state of education today, the book raises the little-discussed educational question of what comes after neoliberalism. Calling for the re-establishment of western education’s core values and aims, this book will be of interest to educators, researchers and students involved with pre- and in-service teacher education courses, as well as those interested in the history of education and the philosophy of education more broadly.

During the past decade there has been a series of radical changes to the educational system of England and Wales. This book argues that any serious study of these changes has to engage with complex questions about the role of education in a modern liberal democracy. Were these educational changes informed by the needs and aspirations of a democratic society? To what extent will they promote democratic values and ideals? These questions can only be adequately addressed by making explicit the political ideas and the underlying philosophical principles that have together shaped the English educational system. To this end, the book provides a selective history of English education which exposes the connections between decisive periods of educational change and the intellectual and political climate in which it occurred. It also connects the educational policies of the 1980s and 90s to the political ideas of the New Right in order to show how they are part of a broader political strategy aimed at reversing the democratic advances achieved through the intellectual and political struggles of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The book proposes that a democratic educational vision can only effectively be advanced by renewing the 'struggle for democracy' - the historical struggle to create forms of education which will empower all citizens to participate in an open, pluralistic and democratic society.

First published in 1986. There is now a growing movement to extend the professionalism of teachers by providing them with greater opportunities to engage in curriculum theorizing and educational research. The purpose of this book is to offer a rationale by outlining a philosophical justification for the view that teachers have a special role as researchers and that the most plausible way to construe educational research is as a form of critical social science.

First published in 1986. There is now a growing movement to extend the professionalism of teachers by providing them with greater opportunities to engage in curriculum theorizing and educational research. The purpose of this book is to offer a rationale by outlining a philosophical justification for the view that teachers have a special role as researchers and that the most plausible way to construe educational research is as a form of critical social science.