All educational thinking springs from three ancient theories: education should provide skills to succeed in society; education should stimulate the search for truth through academic excellence; and education should give students opportunities to develop their potential. But these ideas are incompatible, and mixing them together has created a…

This book sets out to prove that the progressivist tenets that have become the foundation of American education are mistaken. The author does not argue against progressivism on the basis of the usual alternatives of liberal or traditional theories of education because it is not adequately attuned to preparing students for jobs. The author sets out…

In this article, Kieran Egan contests the scientific foundations of Piaget's developmental theories and the scientific basis of much educational research. In so doing, he pushes researchers and practitioners alike to rethink the centrality of Piaget's tenets to teaching and learning. Egan traces the history of the developmental literature that…

Education, as a rational business, has largely ignored children's fantasies. Rather than dismissing fantasy, as both traditional and progressive educators have, the educational task is to begin the process of linking to the real world those basic concepts which make fantasy so engaging and meaningful to children. (IS)