Educating Oneself in Public is a sophisticated, detailed and original examination of the main ideas that have dominated Anglo-American legal philosophy since 1945.

This "provocative and personally searching"memoir follows one mother's story of enrolling her daughter in a local public school (San Francisco Chronicle), and the surprising, necessary lessons she learned with her neighbors. From the time Courtney E. Martin strapped her daughter, Maya, to her chest for long walks, she was curious about Emerson Elementary, a public school down the street from her Oakland home. She learned that White families in their gentrifying neighborhood largely avoided the majority-Black, poorly-rated school. As she began asking why, a journey of a thousand moral miles began. Learning in Public is the story, not just Courtney’s journey, but a whole country’s. Many of us are newly awakened to the continuing racial injustice all around us, but unsure of how to go beyond hashtags and yard signs to be a part of transforming the country. Courtney discovers that her public school, the foundation of our fragile democracy, is a powerful place to dig deeper. Courtney E. Martin examines her own fears, assumptions, and conversations with other moms and dads as they navigate school choice. A vivid portrait of integration’s virtues and complexities, and yes, the palpable joy of trying to live differently in a country re-making itself. Learning in Public might also set your family’s life on a different course forever.

Tracing the views on moral life of such past philosophers as Plato, Aristotle and Kant, as well as of such theorists as Durkheim, Freud, Piaget and Kohlberg, the author sets forth a full discussion of the nature and educational implications of the idea of moral virtue.

In this important collection, eminent education scholars and practitioners remind us that our nation’s system of free universal public education is under attack, putting our very democracy in jeopardy. Over and above preparing students for employability, American schools must prepare our youth to be informed citizens and active, constructive participants in the democratic process. These essayists, criticizing as well as lauding our educational system, believe that such a goal is best accomplished through a high-quality, public, free system of schooling designed to serve all our nations’ children without regard to race, religion, gender, LGBTQ+ identity, (dis)ability, social class, citizenship status, or language. In the 100th anniversary year of Horace Mann, these thought leaders in education take stock of enduring principles, current dilemmas, and important forward directions. With privateers growing in numbers and seeking to take advantage of systemic breakdowns, this book will serve as a rousing defense of our public schools for our nation’s educators, parents, school board members, and politicians. Book Features: Reminds all Americans of the essential roles that schools serve in contemporary society, beyond simply learning the prescribed school curriculum. Presents a counterpoint to those who promote private or charter schooling at the expense of genuine public schools. Paints a complex and multi-faceted portrait of our public education system and provides a set of diverse and provocative remedies for many pressing contemporary problems of public schooling. Contributors: Michael W. Apple, William Ayers, David C. Berliner, Martin Brooks, Jacqueline Grennon Brooks, Carol Corbett Burris, Prudence Carter, Edward B. Fiske, Peter Greene, James Harvey, Julian Vazquez Heilig, Jack Jennings, David F. Labaree, Helen F. Ladd, Gloria Ladson-Billings, Carol D. Lee, Martin Lipton, William J. Mathis, Deborah Meier, H. Richard Milner IV, Sonia Nieto, Jeannie Oakes, Jeanne M. Powers, D. C. Phillips, Diane Ravitch, Mike Rose, Peter Smagorinsky, Joshua P. Starr, Mark Weber, Kevin Welner, Ken Zeichner

Offering the first developed account of political liberal education, this book combines a thorough analysis of the theoretical groundwork of political liberal education with application-oriented approaches to contemporary educational challenges. Following in depth engagement with the shortcomings of Rawls’ theory and addressing some key objections to neutrality-based restrictions in education, the volume moves on to provide an insightful discussion of topics such as same-sex relations in sex-education, the position of migrant children and the rights of religious parents to determine the education of their children. This book outlines a political liberal account of education which provides a useful contribution to the current debates about liberalism and education in a way unprecedented in the literature on political liberalism so far. It is of interest to anyone working at the intersection of political philosophy and philosophy of education as well as for scholars with a broader interest in how liberalism can respond to the challenges of value pluralism.

At a time when faculty roles are under great scrutiny and faculty work itself has an uncertain future, this book offers a new approach to examining academic professionalism. This collection of essays applies a philanthropic lens to contemporary debates and considers academic work completed out of a moral responsibility to the public good. It provides a counterpoint to narrow conceptions of appropriate faculty work as limited to the production of credit hours and research dollars and offers evidence that faculty can have a wider role both within and beyond the “ivory tower.” By examining faculty members’ many contributions, not only to students but to society-at-large, Faculty Work and the Public Good provides an alternate perspective on America’s colleges and universities that will help preserve and expand professorial contributions to the public good. Although not all faculty are philanthropically inclined, highlighting those who are will help preserve valuable aspects of faculty work and encourage more such contributions to society. This volume is an essential read for higher education policymakers, trustees, and administrators; students and scholars of higher education and philanthropy; and individual faculty concerned about their profession. Contributors: Ann E. Austin, J. Herman Blake, Dwight F. Burlingame, Denise Mott DeZolt, Sean Gehrke, Audrey J. Jaeger, Adrianna Kezar, Jia G. Liang, Elizabeth Lynn, Michael Moody, Emily L. Moore, Thomas F. Nelson-Laird, Jason F. Perkins, William M. Plater, Gary Rhoades, R. Eugene Rice, John Saltmarsh, Lorilee R. Sandmann, Paul Shaker, Marty Sulek, William G. Tierney, Richard C. Turner “The contributors to this volume provide unique insights into this under-appreciated but significant dimension of academic work and culture.” —Jack H. Schuster, professor emeritus, education and public policy, senior research fellow, Claremont Graduate University “Provides a powerful rationale for broadening the definition of what are the valued contributions faculty members can make to their institutions, disciplines, and the public at large” —Judith M. Gappa, professor emerita, Purdue University

With over 70,000 copies of the first edition in print, this radical treatise on public education has been a New Society Publishers’ bestseller for 10 years! Thirty years in New York City’s public schools led John Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory schooling does little but teach young people to follow orders like cogs in an industrial machine. This second edition describes the wide-spread impact of the book and Gatto’s "guerrilla teaching." John Gatto has been a teacher for 30 years and is a recipient of the New York State Teacher of the Year award. His other titles include A Different Kind of Teacher (Berkeley Hills Books, 2001) and The Underground History of American Education (Oxford Village Press, 2000).