Civic and Moral Learning in America - by D Warren & J Patrick (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From its formative years to the present, advocates of various persuasions have written and spoken about the country's need for moral and civic education. Responding in part to challenges posed by B. Edward McClellan, this book offers research findings on the ideas, people, and contexts that have influenced the acquisition of moral and civic learning in the America.

Review Quotes

'Don Warren's and John Patrick's edited volume has arrived just in time. Disputes currently rage about the nature and need for special civic and moral education in our nation. In these circumstances, roles of school and home and community and texts and traditions and hopes too commonly are savaged or dismissed or marginalized. This new book will not extinguish the inflammatory rhetoric of claims and counter claims nor will it muzzle partisans of special interests. Additionally and consistent with the robust ideas at the root of participatory democracy, it suggests no specific solutions to vexing circumstances and problems of the moment. On the other hand, it offers insights and, yes, wisdom that confront assumptions, inform positions, and stimulate the development and mindful deliberation of alternative possibilities. As timely as is this book, its special virtue is its concern for the timeless.' - O.L. Davis, Jr., Catherine Mae Parker Centennial Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, The University of Texas at Austin

'Don Warren and John Patrick have compiled a fascinating and provocative collection of readings on the history of civic and moral education in the United States. It conveys the diversity of thinking on the topic that has pervaded discussions throughout our history about the proper role of citizens in the American democratic republic and the responsibilities of our schools and other institutions in the preparation of young people for citizenship. This text is an invaluable resource for those concerned with the need to improve the civic and moral education of young people in America. It should also be found useful by those dedicated to advancing the cause of democracy in both advanced and emerging democracies throughout the world.' - Charles N. Quigley, Executive Director, Center for Civic Education

'In a political climate where the debate over moral values appears to leave us only two choices 'traditional' or none at all, Don Warren and John Patrick have compiled a fitting tribute to Ed McClellan and his life-long intellectual quest to educate us on the shifting sands of moral education throughout American history. Civic and Moral Learning builds upon McClellan's overarching point that moral education and civic virtue in America has undergone multiple transformations throughout history. Through scholarly analysis of didactic Christian morality as taught in early American schoolhouses to the rise of modern pragmatism and the eventual focus on the individual and back again to the emphasis on Christian morality in schools this volume questions the need to find a moral center in our pluralistic democracy. The multiple historical perspectives offered by the scholars in this work not only explicate the turbulent history of moral and civic learning in America, but also offer feminist, multicultural, and global perspectives on the seemingly unending quest for the elusive moral center of civic life in our democracy.'- Gregory E. Hamot, Associate Professor of Social Studies Education, The College of Education at The University of Iowa

About the Author

Donald Warren is Professor in the History of Education and Policy and University Dean of Education Emeritus at Indiana University at Bloomington. John J. Patrick is Professor of Education Emeritus and Director Emeritus of the Social Studies Development Center at Indiana University at Bloomington.