The influence of John Dewey's undeniably pervasive ideas on the course of American education during the last half-century has been celebrated in some quarters and decried in others. But Dewey's writings themselves have not often been analyzed in a sustained way. In John Dewey and the Decline of American Education, Hank Edmondson takes up that task. He begins with an account of the startling authority with which Dewey's fundamental principles have been-and continue to be-received within the U.S. educational establishment. Edmondson then shows how revolutionary these principles are in light of the classical and Christian traditions. Finally, he persuasively demonstrates that Dewey has had an insidious effect on American democracy through the baneful impact his core ideas have had in our nation's classrooms. Few people are pleased with the performance of our public schools. Eschewing polemic in favor of understanding, Edmondson's study of the "patron saint" of those schools sheds much-needed light on both the ideas that bear much responsibility for their decline and the alternative principles that could spur their recovery.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Henry T. Edmondson III is Professor of Public Administration and Political Science at the Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Georgia. Besides Dewey, he has written a number of articles and books on Jefferson, Shakespeare, and Flannery O?Connor, including the recently published Return to Good and Evil: Flannery O?Connor?s Response to Nihilism.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Persuasive, but misleading,
By
This review is from: John Dewey & Decline Of American Education: How Patron Saint Of Schools Has Corrupted Teaching & Learning (Hardcover)
I was teaching first-grade in Brooklyn when I read this book, and found a lot of Edmondson's arguments persuasive, given my classroom experience. Deweyan pedagogy is challenging, if not in some ways damaging, to implement even in the smallest ways in an actual classroom. That said, Edmondson's book isn't really about Dewey or his thought. It's a political work, which repeats a number of points made by educational traditionalists, but doesn't really represent Dewey's thought accurately, or engage with him critically in a serious way. Edmondson takes the portrait of Dewey presented by Russell Kirk in "The Conservative Mind" and imputes it to Dewey. Again, let me stress, I often agreed with Edmondson's assessment of American education, but his book is NOT an accurate or effective account of Dewey's thought and what's wrong with it. John Patrick Diggins' "The Promise of Pragmatism" remains the best account of Dewey's flaws, though it is primarily political, rather than pedagogical.
7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Utilizes Clear and Articulate Rhetoric,
This review is from: John Dewey & Decline Of American Education: How Patron Saint Of Schools Has Corrupted Teaching & Learning (Hardcover)
For contemporary educators, this work will prove to be an invaluable resource. Even if, when finished, you find that you disagree with the arguments crafted, you will still be forced to think deeply about the many issues and dichotomies surrounding the various directions of educational philosophy.
21 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Answer to a Puzzle.,
This review is from: John Dewey & Decline Of American Education: How Patron Saint Of Schools Has Corrupted Teaching & Learning (Hardcover)
Dr. Edmondsons' book on Dewey was a great read. It was an revealing expose' on the root cause of what is wrong with the present school system. As such, it answered many puzzling questions i. e.: Why do so many public school teachers send their children to private schools? Why do so many parents opt for homeschooling? Why do so many parents desire school vouchers? Is it all an unconscious flight from the insidious influence of "Deweyism"? Dr. Edmondson adroitly answers these queries with insight and clarity.
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