In contemporary societies, there is a strong push toward seeing education as an instrument for the delivery of particular societal agendas. On such a view, the only questions that remain are how effective education is at delivering such agendas and how its effectiveness can be increased. While this might be a desirable way forward for those who…

Secondary schools are well placed to avert radicalization processes toward extremism because such trajectories often begin in adolescence. Adolescents are in the process of forming their identities, and most adolescents are idealistic, which makes them susceptible to groups that passionately pursue utopian visions. To avert the path toward…

Schools are increasingly being asked to identify and monitor youth who may be susceptible to recruitment toward radical groups. Rather than asking teachers to identify at-risk behaviors, Dianne Gereluk argues here that a whole-school approach may help to foster belonging and connection among youth that is not additive, but a central component of…

In this article, Adam Greteman considers the murder of Lawrence/Latisha King by Brandon McInerney in February 2008. Greteman turns to this case, a decade after it occurred, because it raises a number of issues regarding our evolving understandings of genders, sexualities, and the risks of encountering such differences in the space of school in the…

Among the most important questions critical educators can ask today are the following: Can schools play a role in making a more just society possible? If not, why not? If so, what can they do? These questions provide the basis for this article by Michael Apple, as well as for the books under discussion here. The books by David Blacker, John Marsh,…

Scholars from multiple disciplines have commented on the divided nature of childhood as a historical construction: a period of life to be valued in itself as well as a means to adulthood. In this essay, James Stillwaggon considers George Orwell's "Such, Such Were the Joys," an autobiographical account of his childhood education, as a site of…

The author uses T. Parsons' and G. Platt's social theory to analyze the secularization of American higher education, then evaluates the necessity and desirability of that secularity. (GW)

The author examines the philosophical bases for the differing opinions of Russell and Bode as to the relative values of education geared toward individual development as opposed to those which concentrate on developing a sense of citizenship or social responsibility. (MJB)

This reply to Reese's article takes exception to his view of the "common good," since no agreement on common values exists. The reply also rejects Reese's notion that public schools are the only way to promote the common good. (IAH)

Examines what values and virtues schools should cultivate in students as part of a program of moral or citizenship education, noting how these values and virtues differ based on historical and political contexts. The article focuses on four recent volumes on moral and citizenship education. (SM)

In this paper, I first examine the three justifications most often provided for differentiating, discounting, or even disclaiming the present generation's moral responsibility to future generations. I then discuss ideological critiques of, and educational solutions to, the complicity of formal educational institutions in propagating these…

School curricula are not politically neutral grounds of knowledge. Rather, each takes certain social forms and embodies certain interests. The article discusses how the power of class, race, and gender dynamics determines curriculum structure. It also discusses the role of the school in capitalist countries. (JL)

The role of schools in promoting social reproduction is the focus of unproductive debate among proponents and between adherents and others. This essay is concerned with how this body of theory may become a force for progressive, practical transformation. (MT)

This essay focuses on an analysis of the relationships among the educational institution, the mode of economic production, and the labor force. Class is considered an important factor in the dominant mode of production. Social classes are produced in a capitalist society by their position in the division of labor. The educational system reproduces…

Three questions are examined: (1) Why have contemporary American educators generally ignored Durkheim's sociology of education? (2) What were Durkheim's contributions to the sociology of education as his analysis related to social change through education? and (3) What is the relationship between Durkheim's sociology of education, social change,…