This book takes a sharply critical view of contemporary society with a searing indictment of our morally and intellectually bankrupt educational system. Uniquely, the book contains both the original version of David Purpel's highly influential Moral and Spiritual Crisis in Education, first published in 1989, as well as an updated critique of that work - reflections from our current times of growing despair about the directions of education and the nation. Reflections on the Moral and Spiritual Crisis in Education focuses on the possibility - and necessity - of generating hope through the redemptive and energizing power of the human spirit.

Purpel . . . ably complements the economic and political focus of critical pedagogy by shedding new light on spiritual and moral dimensions of public discourse. His book is a welcome addition to the literature in that it articulately scrutinizes the interface of culture and education and attendant trivialization of school reform. . . . While his marvelous book offers only several examples of just schools, it enormously enriches a still unfinished dialectic. Choice Purpel's research is exhaustive, his writing elegant, and his suggestions for students and teachers impressive. The Book Reader

Viewing formal education and social justice as an odd couple, Purpel (educational leadership and cultural studies, U. of North Carolina-Greensboro) tenders--besides moral outrage-- alternative approaches to education; education in a spiritual voice; and an autobiographical essay on being a Jewish Boston Braves fan. No index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

In this book Svi Shapiro explores the ideological and attitudinal functions of schools, looking especially at what is called the 'hidden curriculum.' He offers both an analysis of the role of education in producing and maintaining attitudes and values that contribute to our competitive, socially unequal, instrumental, consumerist, and self-oriented culture and a radically different vision for what our schools should be about--a vision that focuses on education's role in supporting a more critically reflective, socially responsible, and compassionate culture. Federal and state legislation have propelled schools today in the direction of an increasingly test-driven, instrumental, and individually competitive regime. Under these legislative mandates, schools are increasingly alienating and stressful places for both students and teachers. Most disturbing is that this form of education is not conducive to providing young people with the capacity to cope with the moral, cultural, spiritual, and political challenges of the world they inhabit. More than only offering a critique of schools, Shapiro proposes a counter-vision that can lead to a different kind of culture and society, and he discusses strategies for advocating and implementing it. Written in a style that is very accessible to a wide range of readers, Losing Heart: The Moral and Spiritual Miseducation of America's Children is also carefully researched and draws on relevant theory to make a strong case. This book speaks to a wide range of readers, including academics and students in education, sociology, anthropology, political science, and cultural studies; public school professionals; and the general public interested in education. It will appeal to faculty in schools of education who are looking for a text that offers both a critical language and one that speaks to possibility and change.

This book deals with the multiple problem of education in the public schools as it relates to moral and spiritual values. The author cuts a wide swath through the tangled underbrush of church and state, religion and education, sacred and secular, spiritual and materialistic, "body and soul," and lets in a lot of light. To these problems the author brings a lifetime of courageous reflection and experience. To them he also brings, as case studies, the actual experiences of actual children and teachers in actual classrooms in Kentucky, where an experimental program of education in moral and spiritual values has been in process for the past several years.

First published in 2006. This is a special edition of Educational Studies, a journal of the American Educational Studies Association on Jonathan Kozol's ‘Savage Inequalities’, which includes a number of articles and book reviews that give a fifteen year reconsideration to the this text.

This expanded and thoroughly updated edition of the popular anthology assembles the best book excerpts, articles, and reports that define and drive the field of educational leadership today. Filled with critical insights from respected authors, education researchers, and expert practitioners, this comprehensive volume features twenty-six chapters in six primary areas of interest: Principles of Leadership, Moral Leadership, Culture and Change, Standards and Systems, Diversity and Leadership, and the Future of Leadership.

The issues that these authors address in this book are some of the most salient in American society. It is imperative that Americans today address these issues and establish an appropriate world view. There is little question that how people resolve these issues will have a long-lasting impact on the future of civilization.

Raymond R. Roberts makes a liberal's case for teaching religion and morality in public schools by first examining the intersection of religion and public education. He shows how proposals for moral education in public schools are shaped by definitions of religion. He argues that the public education's critics overstate the failures of public education because they examine public schools in isolation from negative trends in the family, the economy, the media, etc. From there he describes how a theory of spheres of influence gives us a better perspective from which to understand public education, including its relationship with religion.

The fifth edition of the best-selling text, Ethical Leadership and Decision Making in Education, continues to address the increasing interest in ethics and assists educational leaders with complex dilemmas in today’s challenging, divided, and diverse societies. Through discussion and analysis, Shapiro and Stefkovich demonstrate the application of four ethical paradigms – the ethics of justice, critique, care, and the profession. After illustrating how the Multiple Ethical Paradigms may be applied to authentic dilemmas, the authors present cases written by graduate students, practitioners, and academics representing dilemmas faced by educational leaders in urban, suburban, and rural public and private schools and universities, in the U.S. and abroad. Following each case are questions that call for thoughtful, complex thinking and help readers apply the Multiple Ethical Paradigms to practical situations. New in the Fifth Edition are more than ten new cases that cover issues of food insufficiency, the pandemic’s effects on diverse school populations, a student’s sexual orientation, transgender students in the university, lock-down drills for young children, refugees in a Swedish school, boundaries in high school sports, generational differences in an adult diploma school, acceptance of animals on campus, and hate speech in the academy. This edition also includes teaching notes for the instructor stressing the importance of self-reflection, use of new technologies, and global appeal of ethical paradigms and dilemmas. This book is a critical resource for aspiring and practicing administrators, teacher leaders, and educational policy makers.