This paper discusses various philosophies of education, which conclude that the schools themselves are the very foundation of the American democracy.
This paper explains that, after the family, schools are the most dominant social institutions in the life of most young Americans today; through formal and informal education, children learn both academic and life skills. The author points out that philosopher John Dewey (1916) stated that the end goal of education lies beyond teaching young people job skills; instead, education should prepare a young person to participate in “a common life” that constitutes this country’s democracy. The author believes that her own philosophy of education is heavily influenced by Dewey, Addams, and Schon. Education is an influential agent for social change.
Hutchinson (2003) further discusses the efforts of Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman to address the racial and socio-economic inequity in public. While educators have been working to bridge this divide, the factors that perpetuate this gap also occur outside the school’s jurisdiction. These would include issues such as poverty and drug addiction. The solution is thus not hiring more teachers, but helping other community groups youth groups, church leaders to develop strategies such as after-school programs to keep children on track.