Out of Our Minds: Anti-Intellectualism and Talent Development in American Schooling. Education and Psychology of the Gifted Series

In interpreting the intellectual and cultural contexts of gifted education, this book considers how and why U.S. schooling fails to care for intellect and to develop the talents of all children. Rather than acting as stewards charged with nurturing intellectual development, schools concertedly deval...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author Howley, Craig B
Format Book
LanguageEnglish
Published Teachers College Press 1995
Subjects
Anti Intellectualism
Capitalism
Educational Environment
Educational Principles
Elementary Secondary Education
Gifted
Hidden Curriculum
Higher Education
Human Capital
Intellectual Development
Intelligence
Role of Education
School Culture
Social Stratification
Special Education
Student Development
Talent Development
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Summary:In interpreting the intellectual and cultural contexts of gifted education, this book considers how and why U.S. schooling fails to care for intellect and to develop the talents of all children. Rather than acting as stewards charged with nurturing intellectual development, schools concertedly devalue intellect, and this shortcoming is most striking in the case of the gifted. The culture of schools conditions responses from teachers, students, and parents that constrain learning to specific instrumental purposes. Such objectives are based in prevailing societal values and are part of the larger aims of preparing "competitive" workers to serve the nation's economic interest and, in the case of gifted students, producing efficient and pragmatic technicians and managers who will respond uncritically to what their employers ask of them. Chapters in this book discuss the origins and mechanisms of anti-intellectualism in U.S. schools; how gifted education devalues intellect; effects of poverty, sexism, and racism on intellect (schooling for the subservience of women and minorities); the intellectual potential of schooling and the imperative for thought in postmodern society; and rethinking the potential of schooling (including the role of teachers, equity issues, and prospects for postsecondary education). This book contains over 500 references and name and subject indexes. (SV)
ISBN:9780807734162
0807734160