Dewey's Experience In Education and Tyack and Cuban's Tinkering With Utopia

Education reform always occur when an educational system is in unrest or crisis. Furthermore, teachers, business leaders, parents, school boards and presidents feel they have the right ingredient to solve the problems of our educational system. It is unfortunate, but history is repeating itself, and we are in a crisis. in education, in the 21st century. This paper compares Dewey’s Experience in Education written in 1938 to Tyack, and Cuban’s Tinkering with Utopia written in 1995 and the striking resemblance to problems voiced 74 years ago. To show the similarity of Dewey and Tyack and Cuban thoughts on education, this paper contrasts and compares their thinking on the purpose of public education, preserving the quality and integrity of education in politicization, in the United States.

Seventy-four years later: Comparison of Dewey, Tyack and Cuban

High dropout rates from high school, low academic scores, school violence and dull classrooms are all contributing to an educational crisis. It is obvious that we are not creating a school climate that engages the students’ mind and prepare students to be a viable part of society.

The span of years between the writing of Dewey’s Experience and Education and the present writing of Tyack and Cuban’s Tinkering Toward Utopia showed distinct differences in the beliefs of Dewey, Tyack and Cuban about the role of education, but conversely, similar views. Dewey based much of his writings on the philosophical perspectives of humanism, pragmatism and social reconstructionism (Dewey, 1938).

This essay will compare and contrast theorist David Tyack and Larry Cuban’s philosophy on education to John Dewey philosophy on education written seventy-four years apart. Although written in di...

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...ever eliminated from the education system (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2007). This idea grew steadily in the 17th century and continued to hold to the idea of developing the individual for society (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2007). Later John Dewey argued that the experimental method should be used for teaching children to recognize the changing environment and solve problems (Dewey, 1938).

Reforms in education always occur when the educational system is in a period of unrest or crisis. Century after century show how hotly debated this topic is. Moreover, individuals, including, business leaders, parents, school boards and presidents feel they have the right ingredient to solve the problems of our educational system. It is unfortunate, but history is repeating itself, and we are now in a period of crisis in the education system in the 21st century (Tyack and Cuban, 1995).