Reflecting on the meaning and purpose of an education at the mercy of political changes and innovation, this book considers the social, historical, religious and cultural contexts that define education systems. With a particular focus on how historical contexts shape the nature of education and its relevance to wider society, it explores the history of education in relation to social reform, economic relevance and raising standards.The first part of the book describes the developin...

Examines the ideals which lay behind the development of comprehensive schools. Written by 14 British educationalists, this text considers the evidence and suggests how further progress might be made within the moral framework of secondary education for all, irrespective of background or ability. The text includes an afterword by the Rt Hon John Prescott, MP, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

In the World Library of Educationalists series, international experts themselves compile career-long collections of what they judge to be their finest pieces – extracts from books, key articles, salient research findings, major theoretical and practical contributions – so the world can read them in a single manageable volume. Readers will be able to follow the themes and strands and see how their work contributes to the development of the field.Thinking Philosophic...

Major social changes, especially as a result the more multicultural nature of society, have raised important issues about the teaching of religion and the rational basis of different religious faiths. Challenges for Religious Education addresses and critically examines these changes and asks where religious education and Faith Schools fit within secular society and indeed whether there is still a place for them at all.Analysing what religious education could look like if i...

Bertrand Russell's History of Philosophy refers to Dewey as 'generally admitted to be the leading living philosopher of America'. This honourable mention lay partly in his pragmatic theory of meaning, through which so many baffling philosophical problems were claimed to have been solved – as well as educational ones. It is in connection with his educational ideas, however, that Dewey became either famous or infamous. In the United States he had been seen both as saviour of America...

Is there life after death for secondary education?This book focuses upon the quality of learning. ‘Reform’, so called, too often begins with qualifications, examinations, institutional provision, paths of progression. All those are very important, but their value lies in the support they give to learners and their learning in its different forms. One needs to start with the aims of education and then with what it means to learn (practically, theoretically, morally) and with the ver...

This classic text in educational research literature has been thoroughly updated to take into account new philosophical theories and the current political context for educational research. Remaining, however, are the three, key central themes: the nature of social science in general; the nature of educational enquiry in particular; and the links between the language and concepts of research, on the one hand, and those of practice and policy on the other. In analyzing and interrelating thes...

The Future of Publicly Funded Faith Schools addresses and critically examines the arguments both for and against the continued maintenance of faith-based schools within a publicly funded state system. Addressing the issue systemically, first grounding the discussion in the practical world of education before raising the central philosophical issues stemming from faith-based education, it provides a balanced synthesis of the different arguments surrounding faith schools.The book exp...

How much have teachers and their pupils benefitted from the top-down Westminster-led control of policy held in place by a powerful national inspection regime?A Generation of Radical Educational Change: Stories from the Field is an exploration of the revolutionary impact of the greater and continuing involvement of central government in education policy-making which began in 1976 and was accelerated by the 1988 Education Act and subsequent legislation.In the book, a dozen di...

There are two key questions at the heart of the ongoing debate about education and training for all young people, irrespective of background, ability or attainment:What counts as an educated 19 year old today?Are the models of education we have inherited from the past sufficient to meet the needs of all young people, as well as the social and economic needs of the wider community?Education for All addresses these questions...

Education Matters draws together a selection of the most influential papers published in the British Journal of Educational Studies by many of the leading scholars in the field over the past sixty years. This unique collection of seminal articles published since the first issue of the Journal provides students and researchers in education with an informed insight and understanding of the nature the development of the field of Educational Studies in the United Kingdom sinc...

Social Work: The Basics is an insightful introduction to the often misrepresented world of social work. This accessible book presents a broad view of contemporary social work, exploring its roots and its possible future. It dispels myths surrounding social work, addresses media debates, and offers a balanced account of what social workers do. The book argues for a social work that is partisan in support of social justice. Questions covered include:How did social work...