The Moral Life of Schools

"Rarely have I come across a book that so quickly provoked me to re-examine my own classroom behavior. There is no place to hide in this careful scrutiny of the teacher as crucial player in the daily morality tale that becomes the story of school life."
-- Vivian Gussin Paley, teacher, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

This book takes the reader on an eye-opening journey through a variety of elementary and high school classrooms, highlighting the moral significance of all that transpires there. Drawing on the results of a two-and-a-half year study, the authors examine the ways in which moral considerations permeate the everyday life of classrooms. In addition to providing teachers and teacher educators with a new framework for looking at and thinking about the moral dimensions of schooling, the authors also offer specific suggestions about how to look at classroom events from a moral perspective.

Contents

One. Looking for the Moral: An Observer's Guide

Two. Becoming Aware of Moral Complexity Within a School Setting: Four Sets of Observations

Three. Facing Moral Ambiguity and Tension: Four More Sets of Observations

Four. Cultivating Expressive Awareness in Schools and Classrooms

Postscript: Where Might One Go from Here?

Philip W. Jackson is the David Lee Shillinglaw Distinguished Service Professor of Education and Psychology and a member of the Committee on Ideas and Methods at the University of Chicago.

Robert E. Boostrom is a senior research associate of the Benton Center for Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Chicago.

David T. Hansen is an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago