The skills of reading and writing have no inherent disposition to produce independent thinking…li... more The skills of reading and writing have no inherent disposition to produce independent thinking…literacy is usually intended to make men harmless, obedient, and productive" -Robert Pattison 1 Literacy remains a puzzling phenomenon for philosophers. Why is it that we champion literacy so heartily, yet also hold it at a distance, as dimly suspect? This question, essentially, will be the concern of this paper. Critical scholarship frequently depicts literacy education as an "initiation into passivity." 2 Disconnected from the lives of students and reduced to strategies for scoring points on tests, literacy becomes an exercise in the reproduction of a moral economy of discipline, compliance, and productivity. Yet we also recognize that the modern world compels us to be literate as never before. Seeking to escape literacy's hegemonic-emancipatory dualism, many turn to criticism of recent political efforts such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 or the Why Johnny Can't Write report of 1975. In this essay I argue that such criticisms are limiting and that better, more philosophical answers remain to be found.
Uno oye a menudo la frase “logro escolar” repetirse como un mantra en la retórica educativa actua... more Uno oye a menudo la frase “logro escolar” repetirse como un mantra en la retórica educativa actual. Sin embargo, QUÉ es lo que precisamente hay que lograr raramente se aclara. El “logro” se ha convertido en un fin en sí mismo. Desde los inicios del siglo XIX, los críticos de la cultura occidental han identificado esta búsqueda irracional del éxito como uno de los principales ingredientes del malestar moderno. Este ensayo examina la manera en la que esta búsqueda irracional infunde la institución escolar y ciega nuestra cultura frente a la urgente tarea de formular buenos fines educativos. Aunque el criticismo del ensayo emana principalmente desde el sistema educativo de los Estados Unidos, críticas similares pueden aplicarse a occidente y al mundo moderno.
Teacher use of social networking sites such as Facebook has presented some ethical dilemmas for p... more Teacher use of social networking sites such as Facebook has presented some ethical dilemmas for policy makers. In this article, we argue that schools are justified in taking action against teachers when evidence emerges from social networking sites that teachers are (a) doing something that is illegal, (b) doing something that reflects badly on their strictly professional judgments and attitudes, or (c) pursuing or contacting students in a way that makes the students uncomfortable. Policies that ban teacher use of social networking are not justified, however, if teachers are simply engaged in highly controversial activities. As long as teachers take reasonable precautions to ensure that their online activities are not easily connected to students, schools, or their professional identities, they should be permitted a realm of privacy to express their individuality as human beings. If teachers are not engaged in harmful activities, open teacher involvement with social networking may p...
The paper considers modern notions of educational opportunity through the ethical and historical ... more The paper considers modern notions of educational opportunity through the ethical and historical lenses of democracy and capitalism in the United States. The culture's contemporary horizons of opportunity grew out of the massive, early-19 th century shift from peasant to proletarian economies and lifestyles. Later on, during the Progressive Era, opportunity became wedded to the ethic of consumerism, as well as the meritocratic hierarchies of the corporation, by then the pre-eminent institution of the land. However, another brand of opportunity, deep within our cultural history, entailed the democratization of intelligence and the achievement of a classless society. This alternative vision suggests forms of resistance and reconstruction, perhaps already going on amongst us, that might strengthen the democratic character of our schools and larger modes of associated living.
The paper considers modern notions of "educational opportunity" through the ethical and... more The paper considers modern notions of "educational opportunity" through the ethical and historical lenses of democracy and capitalism in the United States. Such notions grew out of the massive, early-19th century shift from peasant to proletarian economies and lifestyles, meanwhile assuming distinctly bourgeois-whiggish horizons under the guidance of reformers such as Horace Mann. During the Progressive Era, "opportunity" became wedded to the "meritocratic" hierarchies of the corporation, by then the pre-eminent institution of the land. The paper next looks at the sorts of character and performance criteria rewarded and cultivated by our institutions, and ends by suggesting forms of resistance and reconstruction that might strengthen the democratic character of our schools and larger modes of associated living.
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