Social Justice in Education

Are American schools socially just institutions? Using the methods of political philosopher John Rawls, this book answers this question by arguing for four principles that express the basic purposes that Americans hold for their schools principles of Personal Liberty, Democracy, Equal Opportunity, and Economic Growth. These principles are then used to analyze current controversies in American education policy and practice about curriculum content, instructional methods, education standards, civic education, control of schools, and school finance. It concludes that in each arena prevailing practice falls to attain Americans' political ideals for their schools and suggests strategies for remedying that failure.

• democracy
• education
• freedom
• social justice
• Standards

"This volume is vintage Barry L. Bull. He advances the philosophical discussion of social justice in education in a clear and careful way while also providing illuminating analyses of pressing education policy problems of the day, such as standards based accountability, civic education, democratic control of curricula, and school funding." - Kenneth R. Howe, Professor of Education, University of Colorado, Boulder

"Taking its inspiration from the political philosophy of John Rawls, this book provides an extremely thoughtful exploration of how we might advance social justice in education. Philosophically sophisticated, highly accessible, and with an excellent grasp of the complexities of schooling in plural societies, this books makes an important contribution to the discussion about the future of public education." - Gert Biesta, University of Stirling, UK; Editor-in-Chief of Studies in Philosophy of Education

"This is first-rate scholarship. Bull demonstrates expertise in both the philosophical background and the controversies of policy, social justice, and education. While this book should be read slowly and with care, Bull presents original theory that's accessible to the educated reader. This book will be a major contribution to the field." - Kenneth A. Strike, Professor of Cultural Foundations of Education and Philosophy, Syracuse University; Professor Emeritus, Cornell University

BARRY L. BULL is a Professor of Philosophy of Education at Indiana University, in Bloomington, USA.

Policies and ethics