Introduction

James T. Sears

Contemporary Curricular Debates

Book Organization

A Change of Thinking

PART I: FOUNDATIONS FOR CONVERSATIONS

1. History, Religion, and Schooling: A Context for Conversation

James C. Carper

Protestant Pluralism and Schooling in Early America

Evangelicals and the Establishment of "Common" Schools

Dealing with Dissenters

From Establishmentarians to Dissenters

2. Encounters in Law, Philosophy, Religion, and Education

Commentary

Richard John Neuhaus

Commentary

Martin E. Marty

Commentary

Maxine Greene

Commentary

George Marsden

Commentary

Michael W. McConnell

3. Crossing Boundaries and Becoming the Other: Voices Across Borders

James T. Sears

Tribalization of America

The New American Tribes

The Church and Academe: The Education of a Secularist

Voices Along the Border

The Evangelical Conservative Tradition A Historical Fundamentalist Voice

John Vaughn

The Orthodox Culturalist Tradition A Politically Conservative Voice

Charles W. Dunn

The Secular Humanist Tradition A Progressive Voice

William H. Schubert

The Postmodernist Tradition A Critical Postmodern Voice

Joe Kincheloe

J. Dan Marshall

Concluding Remarks

4. Dialogue, Religion, and Tolerance: How to Talk to People Who Are Wrong About (Almost) Everything

Kenneth A. Strike

Public Dialogue Should Be Governed by Conversational Restraint

Tolerance Does Not Depend on Moral Relativism

Absolutism and Relativism Are Not Useful Concepts

Distinguishing Between What Schools Can Discuss and What They Can Advocate

Dialogue Depends on an Adequate Grounding of People's Perspectives

Dialogue Depends on the Virtue of Reasonableness

PART II: TEXTBOOKS: WHOSE STORIES ARE TO BE TOLD?

5. Religion and the Textbooks

Gilbert T. Sewall

The Gablers and the Rutherford Institute

A Contemporary Critique of Civics and History Texts

Conclusion

6. It's Not About the Books: Textbook Controversies and the Need for Uncertain Conversations

J. Dan Marshall

Joe Kincheloe

Creating Oppositional Identities

Simplifying the Issues

Creating Silence

Viewing the Half-Full Glass

Community Dialogue: Questing for Certainty and Uncertainty: The Role of Teacher and Text

Carolyn Murphy

James T. Sears

Gary Burgess

Pamela Pritchett

James Carper

Aretha Pigford

Elaine Lindsey

Suggested Additional Readings on Textbooks

Elaine Lindsey

James T. Sears

PART III: VALUES IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: WHAT AND WHOSE VALUES SHOULD BE TAUGHT?

7. Why a Functional Definition of Religion Is Necessary If Justice Is to Be Achieved in Public Education

Richard A. Baer, Jr.

A Functional View of Religion

A Question of Choice

8. Moral Education as a Form of Life

Nel Noddings

Two Basic Approaches

Beyond Specific Programs

Community Dialogue: Is There a Common Moral Framework That Schools Can Embrace?

Carolyn Murphy

James T. Sears

Bob Shearer

Gary Burgess

Pamela Pritchett

James Carper

Aretha Pigford

Elaine Lindsey

Suggested Additional Readings on Values

Elaine Lindsey

James T. Sears

PART IV: SEXUALITY EDUCATION: WHAT DOES TEACHING SEXUAL RESPONSIBILITY MEAN?

9. Sex Education Should Exclusively Endorse Abstinence as the Only Effective Prevention of the Unacceptable Risks of Nonmarital Sexual Relations

George A. Rekers

Richard C. Hohn

Nonmarital Sexual Relations Cause Massive Problems

Decades of "Safer-Sex" Education Approaches Have Not Adequately Prevented Problematic Sexual Behavior

Unscientific Assumptions Pervading Failed Sex Education

Logic and Scientific Facts Indicate That Only Exclusive Abstinence Education Will Achieve Genuine Prevention

The Only Truly Compassionate Type of Sex Education Endorses Risk Elimination, Not Risk Reduction

Counseling for the Sexually Involved Minority

Conclusion: Universal Cross-Cultural, Compassionate Education

10. Teaching and Researching Sexualities in a Socially Responsible Manner

James T. Sears

Getting Back to Basics

The New Basics of Sexualities Education and Research: A Conflict Perspective

Conclusion

Community Dialogue: Sexual Behaviors and Sexual Cultures

Carolyn Murphy

Bob Shearer

Gary Burgess

Pamela Pritchett

James Carper

Aretha Pigford

Elaine Lindsey

Suggested Additional Readings on Sexuality Education

Elaine Lindsey

James T. Sears

PART V: OUTCOME-BASED EDUCATION: WHO SHOULD SET THE STANDARDS?

11. The Fundamentalist Right, the "New Paradigm," and Outcome-Based Education

Dennis Carlson

OBE, Post-Fordism, and the "New Paradigm" in School Restructuring

OBE and the Fundamentalist Right

Conclusion

12. Outcome-Based Education: Can It Be Redeemed?

Charles L. Glenn

Battleground States

Concerns About Scope and Values

Charter Schools

Conclusion

Community Dialogue: A Matter of Fairness and Equity

Carolyn Murphy

James T. Sears

Bob Shearer

Gary Burgess

Pamela Pritchett

James Carper

Aretha Pigford

Elaine Lindsey

Suggested Additional Readings on Outcome-Based Education

Elaine Lindsey

James T. Sears

PART VI: SCIENCE: WHO AND WHAT ARE WE?

13. The Problem of Dogmatism in Science Education

Nancy W. Brickhouse

William J. Letts IV

The Case of Evolution by Natural Selection

Lessons to Be Learned

14. The Two Controversies over Evolution

Phillip E. Johnson

Naturalism

Personal and Public Opinions

The Task for Science Educators

Community Dialogue: From Six Days to 4.6 Billion Years

Carolyn Murphy

James T. Sears

Bob Shearer

Gary Burgess

Pamela Pritchett

James Carper

Aretha Pigford

Elaine Lindsey

Suggested Additional Readings on Science

Elaine Lindsey

James T. Sears

PART VII: A CONCLUDING CONVERSATION AMONG EDUCATION SCHOLARS

James T. Sears

Richard Baer

Paul S. Brantley

Peter McLaren

Alan Peshkin

Eugene Provenzo

Paul C. Vitz

Index

About the Editor and the Contributors