Guest editors Gail Boldt and William Ayers have asked 14 leading educators to address the politics of the teacher accountability movement in America. Who benefits and who is hurt? What is gained and what is lost? How can we move forward with a more hopeful and inclusive vision of our educational future? All of the contributors are motivated by an…

The author decries the tactics of one-issue pressure groups seeking to censor sex education and other educational activities. He sees these groups as an anti-intellectual force attacking the free exchange of ideas, which is the major purpose and function of schools in a democracy. (SJL)

Educators must abandon the notion that intellectual excellence is somehow undemocratic and runs counter to practicality, emotion, and character development. Respecting intellectual differences does not require classifying students in stultifying categories or demeaning them with inappropriate judgments. Educational progress varies from child to…

This paper discusses anti-intellectualism in the United States from a rural viewpoint, defines "ideology," and questions whether the psychology of gifted education is an ideology. Fear and loathing of intellectuals are identified with the working class, a view that distorts the role of intellectuals. A rural view of anti-intellectualism…

Critical thinking is not only the basis of philosophy, it is also the essence of education, the salient feature that distinguishes education from training. (CJ)

The great challenge for rural education scholars is explaining what relevance the rural circumstance might have to schooling, a task especially difficult in the case of mathematics education. This paper argues that the rural lifeworld makes math education rural and suggests implications for research based on that statement. The lifeworld is the…

The two biggest educational issues facing China are critical and related--how to provide for equality of educational opportunity and how to maintain an intellectual community that is both "red" and expert. (Author/IRT)

A historical review of antidemocratic social thinking since 1885 and its educational consequences: compulsory education managed by a central bureaucracy rather than by individuals in local communities, and a gradual "narrowing" of the definition of democracy through state-regulated mind control by schools. (SAS)

School reformers have not been too radical, but have been unable to sustain their reforming energy and innovative thinking. Reformers are not "tinkering toward Utopia," but are relapsing into habit, meandering back into mediocrity. A remarkably coherent tradition of rethinking schooling is yielding to the forces of inertia,…

Outlines developmental stages and pendulum pattern of educational policy in People's Republic of China, employing a political influence framework. Attributes pendulum pattern to ups and downs of the radical and the moderate group. Each has its own background, goals, resources, and strategies. The radicals are egalitarian but anti-intellectual; the…

This article reviews the history of impediments to excellence in the education of the intellectually gifted in the United States. It discusses literacy rate trends, but before and after the 19th century, and describes the Progressive education movement, with its legacy of child-centered pedagogy, ability grouping, vocational training, and emphasis…

An analysis of John Dewey's writing for liberal journals reveals Dewey's early and forceful efforts to refute anti-intellectual perversions of his theories. During the 1920's, the child-centered branch of the progressive education movement included some schools and individuals that expressed anti-intellectual positions. Richard Hofstadter in his…

This speech is about respect for small things and suggests that schooling could benefit from the care and attention enabled by a smaller scale. Among the points made are that, yes, all children can learn, but that is no big deal. Schooling should contribute to their education, but schooling is far from being identical with education. Learning…

Argues that the primary purpose of mass education in America--nation-building--is collapsing and that educational researchers must develop different commitments; among these are local purposes for education. Distinguishes rural (local) and cosmopolitan commitments; suggests readings and other means of preparation for rural educational research;…

In this era of social stress, there are signs of increased pressure against public education from organizations on the political right. We are well advised to consider anew the dimensions of right-wing anti-intellectualism in our society and the role of educators in defending democratic principles. (Author/SJL)