The Promise and Failure of Progressive Education / Edition 1

by Norman Dale Norris

Overview

The progressive ideology and methods are clearly the prominent choice in our schools today. They are often linked to the name of John Dewey. Over the years many educational leaders have misunderstood and therefore grossly exaggerated Dewey's ideas into nothing he would have intended. In generic, layman's terms, Norman Dale Norris discusses how the progressive movement came about and how the ideas are practiced today, some of which are less than desirable. Norris is sympathetic and supportive of the progressive ideology and offers suggestions for success.

The Promise and Failure of Progressive Education will interest teachers, teacher trainers, central office and building administrators, university faculty, educational leaders, and policy makers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781578861156
Publisher:	R&L Education
Publication date:	09/12/2004
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.74(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.48(d)

About the Author

Norman Dale Norris is an assistant professor of education at Nicholls State University (Thibodeaux, Louisiana) where he teaches graduate courses in research, foundations, and school administration. Additionally, he continues to advocate for the arts by teaching undergraduate courses in music education.

Norris has worked in public education for more than twenty years as a choral director at all levels, classroom teacher, teacher trainer, and university professor. As an passionate advocate for the performing arts he prepared many award winning choral ensembles over the years.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	vii
	Preface	ix
	Introduction	1
1	What Is Progressive Education?	9
2	Origins of Progressive Education	31
3	Progressive Education in Action: What Really Happens	59
4	Broken Promises: Why Progressive Education Has Failed to Deliver	91
5	Making Progressive Education Work: Perspectives, Conclusions, and Recommendations	117
	References	133
	Index	147
	About the Author	153

Editorial Reviews

In his book, Norris critiques progressive theories of education and answers the question, 'How has progressive education become a caricature of what the founders intended?' He further argues that education has become so institutionalized, standardized, and alignment crazy that none of the elements of progressive education can bear fruit. Norris...goes to the heart of progressive education's development and shows how it was misinterpreted and taken to extremes. He analyzes the practices of some school systems relative to the true tenets of progressive education and notes that several influential governing agencies have skewed their ideals in a progressive direction with no consideration for any other approach. Norris analyzes why claims regarding the superiority of progressive education have not been borne out by the actual results. He examines various societal and sociological phenomena that progressive education claims to 'fix.'…explores the idea of schools (and progressive education) as a tool for social reform and compares the social problems of a century ago to those of today; [and] discusses what must happen if progressive education is to survive and perform as promised.

Teachers College Record