books about education pdf

School's out

A critical take on education and schooling

The 50 great books on education

Professor of Education, University of Derby

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I have often argued that I would not let any teacher into a school unless – as a minimum – they had read, carefully and well, the three great books on education: Plato’s Republic, Rousseau’s Émile and Dewey’s Democracy and Education. There would be no instrumental purpose in this, but the struggle to understand these books and the thinking involved in understanding them would change teachers and ultimately teaching.

These are the three great books because each is sociologically whole. They each present a description and arguments for an education for a particular and better society. You do not have to agree with these authors. Plato’s tripartite education for a just society ruled over by philosopher kings; Rousseau’s education through nature to establish the social contract and Dewey’s relevant, problem-solving democratic education for a democratic society can all be criticised. That is not the point. The point is to understand these great works. They constitute the intellectual background to any informed discussion of education.

What of more modern works? I used to recommend the “blistering indictment” of the flight from traditional liberal education that is Melanie Phillips’s All Must Have Prizes, to be read alongside Tom Bentley’s Learning Beyond the Classroom: Education for a Changing World, which is a defence of a wider view of learning for the “learning age”. These two books defined the debate in the 1990s between traditional education by authoritative teachers and its rejection in favour of a new learning in partnership with students.

Much time and money is spent on teacher training and continuing professional development and much of it is wasted. A cheaper and better way of giving student teachers and in-service teachers an understanding of education would be to get them to read the 50 great works on education.

The books I have identified, with the help of members of the Institute of Ideas’ Education Forum, teachers and colleagues at several universities, constitute an attempt at an education “canon”.

What are “out” of my list are textbooks and guides to classroom practice. What are also “out” are novels and plays. But there are some great literary works that should be read by every teacher: Charles Dicken’s Hard Times – for Gradgrind’s now much-needed celebration of facts; D. H. Lawrence’s The Rainbow – for Ursula Brangwen’s struggle against her early child-centred idealism in the reality of St Philips School; and Alan Bennett’s The History Boys – for Hector’s role as the subversive teacher committed to knowledge.

I hope I have produced a list of books, displayed here in alphabetical order, that are held to be important by today’s teachers. I make no apology for including the book I wrote with Kathryn Ecclestone, The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education because it is an influential critical work that has produced considerable controversy. If you disagree with this, or any other of my choices, please add your alternative “canonical” books on education.

Michael W. Apple – Official Knowledge: Democratic Education in a Conservative Age (1993)

Hannah Arendt – Between Past and Future (1961), for the essay “The Crisis in Education” (1958)

Matthew Arnold – Culture and Anarchy (1867-9)

Robin Barrow – Giving Teaching Back to the Teachers (1984)

Tom Bentley – Learning Beyond The Classroom: Education for a Changing World (1998)

Allan Bloom – The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today’s Students (1987)

Pierre Bourdieu and Jean-Claude Passeron – Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture (1977)

Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis – Schooling in Capitalist America: Educational Reform and the Contradictions of Economic Life (1976)

Jerome Bruner – The Process of Education (1960)

John Dewey – Democracy and Education (1916)

Margaret Donaldson – Children’s Minds (1978)

JWB Douglas – The Home and the School (1964)

Kathryn Ecclestone and Dennis Hayes – The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education (2008)

Harold Entwistle – Antonio Gramsci: Conservative Schooling for Radical Politics (1979).

Paulo Freire – Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1968/1970)

Frank Furedi – Wasted: Why Education Isn’t Educating (2009)

Helene Guldberg – Reclaiming Childhood (2009)

ED Hirsch Jnr. – The Schools We Need And Why We Don’t Have Them (1999)

Paul H Hirst – Knowledge and the Curriculum (1974) For the essay which appears as Chapter 3 ‘Liberal Education and the Nature of Knowledge’ (1965)

John Holt – How Children Fail (1964)

Eric Hoyle – The Role of the Teacher (1969)

James Davison Hunter – The Death of Character: Moral Education in an Age without Good or Evil (2000)

Ivan Illich – Deschooling Society (1971)

Nell Keddie (Ed.) – Tinker, Taylor: The Myth of Cultural Deprivation (1973)

John Locke – Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1692)

John Stuart Mill – Autobiography (1873)

Sybil Marshall – An Experiment in Education (1963)

Alexander Sutherland Neil – Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Child Rearing (1960)

John Henry Newman – The Idea of a University (1873)

Michael Oakeshott – The Voice of Liberal Learning (1989) In particular for the essay “Education: The Engagement and Its Frustration” (1972)

Anthony O’ Hear – Education, Society and Human Nature: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education (1981)

Richard Stanley Peters – Ethics and Education (1966)

Melanie Phillips – All Must Have Prizes (1996)

Plato – The Republic (366BC?)

Plato – Protagoras (390BC?) and Meno (387BC?)

Neil Postman – The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School (1995)

Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner – Teaching as a Subversive Activity (1969)

Herbert Read – Education Through Art (1943)

Carl Rogers – Freedom to Learn: A View of What Education Might Become (1969)

Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Émile or “on education” (1762)

Bertrand Russell – On Education (1926)

Israel Scheffler – The Language of Education (1960)

Brian Simon – Does Education Matter? (1985) Particularly for the paper “Why No Pedagogy in England?” (1981)

JW Tibble (Ed.) – The Study of Education (1966)

Lev Vygotsky – Thought and Language (1934/1962)

Alfred North Whitehead – The Aims of Education and other essays (1929)

Paul E. Willis – Learning to Labour: How Working Class Kids Get Working Class Jobs (1977)

Alison Wolf – Does Education Matter? Myths about Education and Economic Growth (2002)

Michael FD Young (Ed) – Knowledge and Control: New Directions for the Sociology of Education (1971)

Michael FD Young – Bringing Knowledge Back In: From Social Constructivism to Social Realism in the Sociology of Education (2007)

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Foundations of American Education: A Critical Lens

(3 reviews)

Melissa Wells 

Courtney Clayton

Copyright Year: 2021

Publisher: VIVA

Language: English

Formats Available

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Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Micah Walker, Non Tenure Track Instructor, Western Oregon University on 9/16/23

Book provides a throughout overview in distinct chapters with clear outlines for each chapter. The book is divided into two sections which are both outlined in the introduction of the book. The text has an organized glossary and additional... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Book provides a throughout overview in distinct chapters with clear outlines for each chapter. The book is divided into two sections which are both outlined in the introduction of the book. The text has an organized glossary and additional resources. There is no index present.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The book provides factual accounts, information, and definitions. Some information in the Special Education sections are generalized, in reality, some information discussed varies from state to state rather than generalized across the country. For example, disability categories for special education eligibility.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Very impressed with the updated information. References relevant information including laws, court cases, and societal trends up to 2021.

Clarity rating: 5

Utilizes academic language in a comprehensible way. Terms are quickly defined and paired with contextual examples.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistent with it's organization, formatting and prose style.

Modularity rating: 5

One of the biggest strengths of the text. Lots of embedded videos. I utilized the print version, so I am unsure if the sources are digitally linked. However, link addresses were present in the printed version. The outlines for each chapter would make assigning and locating sections manageable.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Text is very organized with consistent structure throughout.

Interface rating: 4

The print version had some images that were harder to read due to size.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Grammatical errors were not present.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text contains a "Critical Lens" component throughout each chapter. Cultural relevance is a theme throughout the text and is encouraged by embedded prompts.

I plan to utilize Section 1 of this text for an undergraduate course that is required for students prior to their entry into the EPP.

Reviewed by Mandy Olsen, Instructor, Western Oregon University on 3/2/22

This is a great starting point for problematizing American education systems. It gives a good overview of historical context and also discusses important concepts such as how deficit ideologies of educator's impact student's lived experiences in... read more

This is a great starting point for problematizing American education systems. It gives a good overview of historical context and also discusses important concepts such as how deficit ideologies of educator's impact student's lived experiences in schools. The text touches on broad and important concepts from classroom environment to racial justice in the classroom to curriculum and assessment. All topics are considered from a critical lens.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

All content appears accurate and current, the authors connect learning to seminal research as well as current historical contexts.

Given the importance and recent emphasis on social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion- this text is a timely and useful resource.

Material is written in an easy to understand, clear way. Authors use applicable examples and scenarios to frame new learning.

Terminology is consistent throughout the text. Glossary is provided at the end of the text and matches terminology throughout chapters.

Easy to navigate individual chapters and topics allowing for small portions of the text to be assigned to students. There is always a chapter outline and quick links to sections of each chapter.

Very logical structure- the authors opted to organize first by situating what we know about the teaching profession and teachers both historically and currently, then moving on to the needs of students, and finishing by considering how teachers can support students in a variety of ways.

Interface rating: 5

All links works appropriately, images and charts were easy to read.

No noticeable grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

I appreciate that this text emphasizes the need for teachers to evaluate and examine their own ideologies and that the authors problematize the education system. Images and pictures show a range of diverse students and teachers. Seminal research described is still very white centered (Piaget, Vygotsky, etc.) and perhaps inclusion of BIPOC researchers would have been helpful but overall, this is a great resource!

Reviewed by Demetrice Smith-Mutegi, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech on 12/30/21

The text is very comprehensive, covering the profession of teaching in general, the history of education, as well as the future of teaching. Each chapter contained "myths" associated with the profession, as well as an opportunity to observe... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text is very comprehensive, covering the profession of teaching in general, the history of education, as well as the future of teaching. Each chapter contained "myths" associated with the profession, as well as an opportunity to observe critical ideas within the text.

Based on my review of the text, the author was well-sourced and supported arguments with key studies. Major errors were not observed in the text.

The author did a great job of incorporating many relevant ideas into the text. Within, there are links to surveys, standards, videos, as well as prompts asking readers to research their own schools. Updates to videos could be easily integrated into this text.

The author presents keywords or terms within the text by providing links to additional resources for more information. This allows the reader to explore further in order to gain more clarity or depth.

Consistency rating: 4

The text is pretty consistent in its presentation. The author uses text boxes to highlight specific sections such as starting each chapter with "unlearning". The chapters also feature "critical lens" sections. There are a few "critical lens" boxes that are presented as the author's ideas without sources to support them. It would be great to see sources consistently integrated into this section, in particular.

The modularity is sufficient. The text can be broken down into chapters and even sections that are hyperlinked in a green box at the beginning of each chapter.

The topics are very organized, overall. The text is broken down into two main parts: Foundations and Education in Action. From there, the text is broken down into chapters and sections.

All images, links, etc. were in working order.

I did not notice any grammatical errors in this text.

Throughout the text, the author references the impact of education on various cultural groups. Diversity and inclusion seem to be a central focus of the text. For example, the political ramifications of education can not exclude the impact made on different cultural groups. The author includes a thoughtful section addressing this and also poses several "pause and ponder" boxes for readers to pursue.

Overall, I thought this was a well-resourced, well-written text. I would definitely like to think through using this in my course. The critical lens sections were included as boxes but I see the text as providing a "critical" eye without limiting it to the call-out boxes.

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1: The Teaching Profession
• Chapter 2: Influences on Learning: Student Differences and Similarities
• Chapter 3: Philosophical and Historical Foundations of Education in the United States
• Chapter 4: Schools in the United States
• Chapter 5: Ethical & Legal Issues in Education
• Chapter 6: Curriculum: Planning, Assessment, & Instruction
• Chapter 7: Classroom Environment
• Chapter 8: And Now What? The Path Forward

Ancillary Material

About the book.

In this survey text, readers will explore the foundations of American education through a critical lens. Topics include the teaching profession, influences on student learning, philosophical and historical foundations, structures of schools, ethical and legal issues, curriculum, classroom environment, and the path forward.

About the Contributors

Dr. Melissa Wells  

I spent the first eight years of my career teaching in the South Carolina public schools as a third grade teacher, a kindergarten teacher, and an elementary literacy coach. All of my positions served Title 1 schools, which we will talk more about later in this book, but these are schools typically situated in less-affluent communities. When I was in fifth grade, I helped a kindergarten class at lunch, and this experience helped me decide that I wanted to become a teacher one day. While opening milk and mustard packets (trust me, they are so much worse than ketchup packets) were some of my early responsibilities as a lunchroom volunteer, I also got to visit the class during other parts of the day, such as instruction and recess. I met one little girl in the class named Aubrey. Aubrey stood out to me early on because she was one of the only students who could tell me apart from my twin sister (who also helped with the kindergarten class), her love of giving the tightest hugs, and her unique communication techniques (I figured out one day that she stuck out her tongue just a little to request that her hot dog be cut into tiny pieces, and she stuck out her tongue more if she wanted her hot dog in larger, but still anti-choking-sized, pieces). Aubrey also happened to have Down Syndrome. While this meant that Aubrey had some special learning needs, I was able to work with her teachers to see so many of the things Aubrey was capable of instead of just what she  wasn’t . I knew then I wanted to be a teacher who saw possibilities, who focused on what students  do  bring with them instead of what they  don’t .

Dr. Courtney Clayton Being an educator was not my goal when I graduated from college. I majored in French Literature in college. I studied what I was passionate about, but when it came time to graduate, I realized I was in the minority of students at my school: most of them wanted careers in business, law, or medicine. I knew med school was out–too much blood; went to one interview in a suit for a large business firm–nope. When I really started to consider applying to law school, I realized that wasn’t for me either. I decided to go a different direction and ended up in something that piqued my interest: video, film and commercial production. I worked in this industry for many years, becoming increasingly disillusioned, until one day I remember distinctly that I was on a commercial shoot for eyeglasses. The director was yelling at the producer, my boss, saying that she couldn’t get anything right, and I stood there thinking, “Seriously, this is what I am doing with my life?” I went home that night and considered what else I might want to do for a living.

I thought back to when I was in elementary school and how much I loved my teachers; how school was a safe haven for me from my own family’s struggles; how much I loved reading and learning new things. That was it–I wanted to try teaching. Before I jumped head-first into a teaching licensure program, I wanted to see about getting my feet wet first. I applied and was hired for a position as an assistant teacher at a school for boys that serviced a residential treatment facility. All of the students in the facility had been removed from their families due to significant emotional and physical trauma. The work was tough, but I loved it. I loved working with young people. Even in this very traumatic setting, the students needed their teachers and looked to them for instruction and guidance.

I went on to get my teaching license in K-6 education with a CLAD (Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development) certificate and Master’s degree in Education. The CLAD certificate was something that California had started requiring in the mid to late 1990s (when I was doing my certification) to be qualified to teach the linguistically and culturally diverse student population we were to encounter in schools, including English Learners. Though nothing can completely prepare a White, suburban-raised woman for the rich diversity of schools, I did study topics like applied linguistics, second language acquisition, and multicultural education at a time when most colleges of education had not begun to consider the importance of these issues and topics.

After teaching in California for several years, I moved to Boston. I taught at an independent school first since my teaching license did not transfer (we will discuss license reciprocity more in Chapter 1), and then got hired at the International School of Boston, which ran a dual language program in French and English. I was trained as an ESL specialist and taught 2nd grade. As a teacher there, combined with my experience in California schools, I became more and more interested in students whose first language was not English, and more importantly, the best ways to instruct them. I decided to pursue my PhD, and my dissertation focused on what made an effective teacher of English Learners in full classroom settings, not as ESL teachers. Since that time, I have worked in supporting preservice teachers to learn about how best to work with our English Learners in schools, particularly in the area of using culturally and linguistically responsive teaching.

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