New York, NY 10023
USA
“Back to School: An Examination of Public Education”
October 16, 11:00 am
Dr. Anne Klaeysen, Leader
As part of the October Sunday Platforms at the New York Society For Ethical Culture
2 West 64th Street
This year is the centennial of the publication of John Dewey’s classic, “Democracy & Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education.” Similar in many ways to Ethical Culture founder Felix Adler’s pedagogy, this pragmatic humanist’s work called for the complete renewal of public education and inspired teachers to create their own “learning-by-doing” curricula. Many of us remember taking field trips, performing in school plays, and being encouraged to pursue our own interests. However, since the 1980’s, traditional-values conservatives and the business community, funded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Charles Koch conservative think tank the Heartland Institute, have steered national education policy toward Common Core standards and job training. Many students and their parent are taking up the cause for progressive education, and it is time to revisit Dewey’s groundbreaking work…
