Greater Expectations: Overcoming the Culture of Indulgence in America's Homes and Schools [Hardcover]

William Damon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 1995

Damon argues that as a culture we have come to accept some very dangerous beliefs about child development--beliefs that have given us a generation of poorly educated, apathetic, and amoral children. He urges the reintroduction of intellectual rigor into education and the capitalization of children's native moral virtues to eliminate the shoddy practices that now dominate our schools.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The moral development of children presented in Damon's The Moral Child is further examined in this insightful study of misconceptions about children and the damaging child-rearing practices that result. Characterizing the crisis of today's youth as a "failure of spirit," Damon attacks many of the theories of a child-centered culture that disregards the value of classical curricula and provides easy rewards that delay the maturing process. Instead, he says, research shows that children are eager to be of service to others, crave intellectual challenge and respond to the discipline of religious and moral principles. Countering much of the contemporary conventional wisdom, the author shows how "age-old" standards meld with present-day knowledge in this constructive approach to child-rearing. Damon directs the Center for the Study of Human Development at Brown University.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In this exceedingly readable study, Damon (The Moral Child, Free Pr., 1988) challenges prevailing views on education and parenting. He views the child-centered approach to education as having produced a generation of undisciplined, idle minds unable to face intellectual challenges. In the same fashion, he dismisses the self-esteem doctrine as unscientific and warns that without the development of an active concern for others our society will fall into irrevocable decline. Damon is a staunch defender of the innately competent child capable of serious thought but lacking the appropriate guidance to grow and develop. He sees the public school as worthy of defense but in need of grass-roots revolution. With an abundance of anecdotal data, Damon sustains his passionate eloquence even when dealing with the most unpopular and potentially volatile subjects. Highly recommended.
Arla Lindgren, St. John's Univ., Jamaica, N. Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 286 pages
• Publisher: The Free Press; 1st edition (January 3, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0029069351
• ISBN-13: 978-0029069356
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,781,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)