The Schooled Society: The Educational Transformation of Global Culture
By David Baker (Stanford University Press, 2014)
It is easy to get so bogged down by the political disagreements surrounding education that we begin to think the whole endeavor is doomed. Sometimes I need to step back and be reminded of why I am so invested in the idea of education and to regain that sense of awe for the incredible human endeavor to shape lives and sharpen minds for each generation to come. For me, David Baker’s The Schooled Society serves as that reminder.
Baker looks at the long arc of global education trends. He notes how the expansion of mass education has turned once highly privileged knowledge — such as literacy and health practices — into a social bedrock accessible around the globe. Through his deep analysis of how society has been transforming, you can’t help but stand in reverence of the generations of teachers, aides, custodians, principals, bus drivers, nurses, and all others who have given their best in the monumental project of education. Those millions involved in the effort have quietly reshaped the world into a place where personal agency and social cooperation flourish in ways unthinkable a mere century ago.
For me, The Schooled Society serves as a reminder to appreciate how far we have come, to marvel at the society education has produced, and to keep charging ahead in the work we still must do. It reminds me that the search for ways to make education more inclusive, relevant, equitable, and empowering is absolutely, and unquestionably, worth it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Pendola
ANDREW PENDOLA is an associate professor of educational leadership at Auburn University, AL.
