Social Foundations of Education (SFE) courses play a critical role in preparing professional, effective PK-12 teachers, yet, for reasons argued in this article and elsewhere, such courses remain under attack. In this article, by arguing what SFE "stands for" as opposed to what it "stands against," the authors intend to…

The history of normal school education remains an area of study that has attracted relatively little attention from educational historians in recent years, although a growing body of literature is emerging. Nonetheless, early normal schools in New England and the Midwest have received greater attention than those established in the Southwest.…

Examines humanism and unbelief in God through analysis of the various views held about religion. The paper first examines the intellectual objections to religion, followed by discussions on deterministic, pragmatic, and existential humanism. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the growth of humanism over the past 100 years. (GLR)

Comments on Tozer's position paper on the social foundations of education, offering further historical background that provides a relevant context for Tozer's statement, current realities that make such ongoing dialog important, and future possibilities, alternatives, and cautions for effective action on behalf of the social foundations of…

This response to Tozer's position paper on the social foundations of education endorses the spirit of Tozer's proposals but not their formulation or rationale. The paper argues for the pursuit of multiple educational strategies grounded in cultural and social foundations of education and directed toward various levels of the policy environment.…

Reviews Tozer's position paper on the social foundations of education (SFE), examining how accepting the qualifier "social" could affect the discipline. The paper discusses SFE's journey toward self-definition, clarification of SFE's multiple meanings, SFE's distinctive contribution to teacher education, and proposed content and process…

Supports Tozer's general themes in defining the social foundations of education (SFE) but raises questions about limitations in his analysis. After presenting a historical and contemporary basis for a definition of SFE, the article offers a revised definition of SFE and presents three purposes of the study of SFE. (SM)

This response to Tozer's position paper on the social foundations of education (SFE) suggests that, to realize SFE's distinctive contribution to effective teaching, social foundations educators need a common discourse. SFE is a distinctive field of study within education that utilizes a distinctive methodology and emphasizes a distinctive content.…

Suggests that Tozer's draft position paper on the social foundations of education could be improved by asserting more directly the substantive values that professional organizations wish to forward. The article recommends forwarding standards informed by educators' own scholarship that are theoretically tenable. (SM)

Discusses John Goodlad's 19 postulates for improving teacher preparation programs, particularly those features having special significance for foundations of education, educational studies, and educational policy studies. The article focuses on where Goodlad's recommendations offer support for, and encouragement of, a wider role for foundational…

The article examines the educational implications of people's inclinations to blame social victims for their plight, looking at the situation of immigrants and issues of apathy. The article suggests that genuine encounters with suffering may offer the best hope for educational and social progress. (SM)

Discusses Tozer's position paper on the social foundations of education (SFE), relating SFE more strongly to teachers' public rather than their private problems, suggesting a different approach to the relation of liberal arts theory and educational practice that is less driven by vocational concerns, and examining social relationships and social…

Study examined faculty social foundations by surveying social foundations teachers regarding their educational training. Students completed questionnaires about teacher role. Instructors' professional training related to ideas about teaching. Those trained in social foundations took a more critical approach, though students of such instructors did…

This position paper generates consensus regarding the contribution of the social foundations of education (SFE) to effective teaching. The paper distinguishes the meanings of SFE from those of foundations of education, states the contributions of SFE instruction in teacher education programs, and proposes relevant content and processes of study.…

Outlines efforts to initiate educational studies as a liberal field of study in liberal arts at Knox College (Illinois), explaining the difficulties experienced, particularly those emanating from the faculty, and exploring the nature of the institutional/hierarchical, bureaucratic, and cultural constraints that worked against these efforts. (GLR)