Moral Stake in Education, The: Contested Premises and Practices

Rating:
Summary: A Thoughtful Work
Review: Character education has received a good deal of national attention during the most recent presidential campaign. Two professors from the University of Pennsylvania - Joan Goodman, a professor of education, and Howard Lesnick, a law professor, have teamed up to write a useful, thought-provoking book about moral education which brings even more attention to this crucial issue.

Each chapter contains three parts: "at school," where several teachers, with different political beliefs and different experience levels discuss issues that arise within their classroom; "at the university," where theories related to that issue are discussed; and "at the library," which includes excerpts from other works on character education and resources.

Overall I think the book would be an excellent resource for teachers, social workers, and anyone who works with children at a professional level. It can be read individually or provide an excellent jumping-off point for discussions of these crucial issues within schools.

Rating:
Summary: Timely and important book!
Review: This is a well-written, important book that addresses an issue that is often discussed but rarely truly understood. While the scholarship is impressive, the authors work their way through case studies and examples so well that the reader is drawn in and engaged in their arguments on an almost experiential level. Their powerful insights on moral aspects of modern education stand in stark contrast to the platitudes we hear from politicians and policymakers. Now if only we could get our leaders to read the book...

Rating:
Summary: "Moral Stake" succeeds
Review: Within "Moral Stake," the important issues of moral education are discussed in an academic, captivating, and sincere manner. The most appealing asset of the book is that each chapter is divided into three separate sections: the first, an easy-to-read story section that weaves the chapter's topic into the ongoings of a fictional school, second, a section with the authors' perspectives and analysis of the topic, and finally, a section including relevant exerpts from primary researchers and thinkers in the field. These three levels of analysis allow the reader ample opportunity to evaluate and examine the underlying questions facing moral education in today's schools, making this book an invaluable resource for all educators. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and studying from this book, and highly recommend it.