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In the late 1950s plans were initiated to bring a higher level of professionalism to the training of educational professionals. New projects included introducing contemporary scholarship from the humanities and social sciences into colleges of education to revitalize the education knowledge base. In North America and the United Kingdom, analytical philosophers were recruited to inaugurate a ‘new philosophy of education.'Analytical philosophy of education soon spread throughout the English speaking world. By the 1980s this analytical impulse had largely subsided. Philosophers trained in analytical philosophy and their students turned to more ambitious normative pursuits related to problems of social justice and democracy. Meanwhile, feminist philosophers opened up new issues regarding the education of women and the nature of teaching and knowing, and a new wave of pragmatist philosophers turned to issues of educational policy. By the 1990s Anglo-American philosophers of education welcomed a dialogue with counterparts in Western Europe, and the field responded to established trends in European philosophy ranging from critical theory and phenomenology to post-structuralism. New leaders emerged in philosophy of education representing all of these various strands. This volume documents the emergence of contemporary philosophy of education as seen by those spearheading these trends. Based on these narratives, the Foreword by Jane Roland Martin and the Afterword by Leonard Waks argue that the field is at a crossroads: it can be strengthened through generous, mutually beneficial dialogue among the various strands, bolstered by cooperation on pressing global problems of educational policy and practice, or weakened by further fragmentation and external neglect. This presents a challenge for those working in philosophy of education now and in the coming years.

In the 1950s and 1960s school teaching became a university-based profession, and scholars and policy leaders looked to the humanities and social sciences in building an appropriate knowledge base. By the mid-1960s there was talk about a “new” philosophy, history, and sociology of education. Curriculum thinkers such as Joseph Schwab, Dwayne Heubner and Paul Hirst initiated new intellectual projects to supplement applied work in curriculum. By the 1970s the field was in the process of re-conceptualization, as a new generation of scholars provided deep critical insights into the social, political and cultural dynamics of school experience and templates for renewal of curriculum research and practice. In this book, 18 leading curriculum scholars since 1970 who remain influential today present the fascinating stories of their lives and important new contributions to the field. They trace their early experiences in teaching and curriculum development, creative directions in their work, mature ideas and perceptions of future directions for the field. Each chapter contains a list of works chosen by the authors as their personal favorites.

Since the 1960s we have witnessed the development of philosophy of education as a vital intellectual field. Beginning with the work of Israel Scheffler at Harvard, and spreading rapidly to the United Kingdom under the influence of R.S. Peters and Paul Hirst at the London Institute of Education, analytical philosophers of education worked toward a new understanding of such central educational concepts as teaching, learning, explanation, curriculum, aims and objectives, freedom and authority, equality and liberal education. They also examined theoretical issues in educational research and critiqued reigning ideas in educational psychology.By the 1970s interest in the analysis of educational concepts and research methods had waned. A new generation of philosophers of education turned to new issues, including: intellectual and practical virtues, individual well-being, the education of girls and women, the ethics of care, creative thinking and imagination, multicultural education, globalization and many others.In this book, 24 leading philosophers of education since 1970 who remain influential today present the fascinating stories of their lives and important new contributions to the field. They trace their early experiences, initial encounters with philosophy and philosophy of education, creative directions in their work, mature ideas, and perceptions of future directions for the field. Each chapter contains a list of works chosen by the authors as their personal favorites.