Back to Basics: Fundamental Educational Questions Reexamined (Jossey Bass Education Series) [Hardcover]

Francis Schrag (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0787900605 | ISBN-13: 978-0787900601 | Edition: 1st

"One of the very few examples of educational writing that is both accessible to a general audience and philosophically sound. Schrag's discussion of the key issues facing public education is insightful and constructive. A most impressive work!"

--Walter Feinberg, professor of philosophy of education , University of Illinois, Chicago

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Education reform is pointless if it does not influence what students can learn, what they want to learn, and most important, what they care about. This is a lesson that John Dewey tried to teach us, but one we have either forgotten or willfully neglected.In Back to Basics, Francis Schrag builds on Dewey's fundamental principles and offers a probing and thoughtful exploration of the most basic questions in education today: What is the purpose of schooling and what should our educational aspirations be? What should be taught and how? Who is accountable and what are they accountable for? And how should educators respond to difficult societal issues, such as inequality of resources, or the conflicting demands of school reform?In grappling with each of these questions, Schrag examines our most basic beliefs about education and forces us to think in greater depth about what schools can and should do.

From the Back Cover

"In stunningly clear and vivid language, Francisc Schrag answers core questions about schooling in American in a way that any college student, parent, public official, or reformer would find useful. His answers to questions such as: Why have public schools? What should children know? have schools changed? are fair without sacrificing his point of view. His analogies and metaphors give a provocative sparkle to the book. This is an unusually thoughtful and concise examination of fundamental issues facing American schools that will get readers to think long after they finish the last page."--Larry Cuban, professor of education, Stanford University

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 187 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1st edition (February 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787900605
• ISBN-13: 978-0787900601
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,758,808 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking yet realistic educational philosophy, July 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Back to Basics: Fundamental Educational Questions Reexamined (Jossey Bass Education Series) (Hardcover)

Francis Schrag re-examines the important questions of education within a framework of three key aspirations of education. His basic premise is that education should teach students to value evidence and be open to convincing arguments as well as being able to argue convincingly, and that schools whould create people with the desire and tools to be lifelong learners. Schrag challenges many of the basic assumptions of the American educational system, and makes compelling suggestions of how his ideas might be implemented within our current system. Realistic and visionary. Schrag's work is very readable, although somewhat too indirect at times.

4.0 out of 5 stars Provokes in the Right Way, December 17, 2007

By 

S. Izadi - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Back to Basics: Fundamental Educational Questions Reexamined (Jossey Bass Education Series) (Hardcover)

This is a fine piece of philosophy of education accessible to the layman yet important for experts in the field. Although I often found myself wanting Schrag to more carefully stake out some of his claims, this would have deterred from the wider audience he seeks to reach as well as gotten in the way of his treatment of a variety of basic questions. Schrag asks the right questions and his positions are always thought provoking. It got me thinking about what I believe the aims of education should be and the reasons for thinking these are legitimate. If Schrag's view that one of the central aims of education is attending to the arguments and evidence for a view, then his book should be judged a success by its own standards. Highly recommended.