Abstract

The slim size of Paul Theobald's new book belies its ambitious vision for transforming not only the educational system in the United States, but the structure of political and economic systems as well. In the last century, Theobald argues, education has become merely about students' future economic roles in the country rather than their roles as citizens that more broadly account for being participants in the economy, democracy, and community. The purpose of Theobald's book is to examine how education has become this way, and how we can change it. He argues that the many ideas forwarded as school "reform" are not viable solutions to the nation's educational problems, and that an overhaul of "the purposes for which [schools] exist" is needed (2). The central assumption undergirding Education Now is that governance, schooling, and economics are deeply intertwined, and therefore meaningful transformations in our educational system cannot occur as long as our political and economic spheres remain unchanged. Thus, Theobald's book is spent demonstrating how U.S. society, like most modern democracies, has made economics its primary concern, delineating the consequences of this choice, and proposing possibilities for how the nation must change its political and economic institutions to save its system of education.

How to Cite:

Hogg, C., (2009) “Book Review: Education Now: How Rethinking America's Past Can Change Its Future”, Journal of Research in Rural Education 24(14), 1–2.

Rights: Copyright