Description
Book SynopsisThis book focuses on what learning our young people need if they are to become capable, responsible adults who are able to respond effectively to the crises we face today, and those that will arrive in the future.
Trade Review“I wish that we didn't need this book, that the schools were working well for all children and preparing them for a healthy future. But they're not, and we need to make real changes in how we educate our young people. We need this book. The essays and interviews compiled in
At the Center of All Possibilities: Transforming Education for Our Children’s Future provide a very thoughtful look at how our current educational system could potentially change to better meet the needs of the children, families, and communities it is meant to serve, as well as numerous examples of educators and activists who have already begun that process. There is much useful information and inspiration to be had here, and it left me feeling encouraged about the future.” —Steve Goldenberg, teacher (now retired) of 37 years at The Little School, Redmond, Washington
“Doug Selwyn has situated children at the center of future educational possibilities, by bringing together an exemplary diversity of authors to help us reflect and transform human lives before it is too late. This array of scholars, educators, and activists will move you to consider the depths of educational possibility in children, youths, subject matters, contexts, and movements. I urge educators at all levels, policy makers, parents, community members, and students themselves to read, ponder, and act on ideas and events compellingly portrayed in
At the Center of All Possibilities.” —William H. Schubert, Professor Emeritus of Curriculum and Instruction and University Scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago; Fellow of the International Academy of Education; Lifetime Achievement Award recipient in Curriculum Studies from the American Educational Research Association; and Author of
Love, Justice, and Education: John Dewey and the Utopians“
At the Center of All Possibilities: Transforming Education for Our Children’s Future engages a diverse and powerful collection of voices to consider, from intersecting and multidimensional perspectives, the ultimate purpose of education. Core beliefs on this issue drive policy and practice—thus influencing every relationship and interaction in teaching and learning. The messages of contributors should be required reading for anyone who wishes to ensure that education supports the cultivation of humans who can construct a just, equitable world.” —Julie Gorlewski, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Learning and Instruction, State University of New York at Buffalo
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments – Introduction – Richard Wilkinson: (De)- Graded by Inequality – Stephen Bezruchka: Teaching Knowledge and Action to Promote Health Improvement – Doug Selwyn: The Purpose of Education: A Brief History – Sandra Mathison/E. Wayne Ross: Beyond Education as Usual: Public Education in a Post- Covid World – Jo Cripps: Love in the Time of Covid – Peter Suruda: The Remote Suburbs – Don Fels: Risk, Inquiry, and Learning – Social Studies, Intersectionality, and the Re Humanizing of Education: A Conversation with Jerry Price – Alberto "Beto" Gutierrez: Contextualizing Student Needs Post Pandemic – Jean Mendoza/Debbie Reese: Dear Educators: An Open Letter about How You Teach about Native Peoples – Black Lives Matter at School: A Conversation with Jesse Hagopian – Yves Salomon- Fernández: Evolving Higher Education for a New Consciousness – Jan Maher: Disposed to Democracy – Alyssa Arnell/Leo Hwang/Linda McCarthy: Finding Our Paths to Social Justice Education – Transforming the Teacher Corps: A Conversation with Wayne Au – Caroline Whitcomb: Freedom Schools – Assessing What Matters: A Conversation with Jack Schneider – Assessing What Matters: A Conversation with Jack Schneider – Greta Thunberg: School Strike for Climate: Save the World by Changing the Rules – We Are Suing the U.S. Government: A Conversation with Aji Piper – Aji Piper’s Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on the Climate Crisis (Excerpts) (April 4, 2019) – Final Thoughts (for Now) – Contributors.
