Educational Theory Essay

Educational Theory is, according to Editor Chris Higgins, "an important forum for scholarship and debate in the foundations of education." First published in May of 1951, the journal is a bimonthly publication that seeks to promote and encourage the continuing development of educational theory, as well as a broad and effective discussion of theoretical problems within the educational profession. It also seeks to advance the development of educational theory within itself, and to address the wider issues of schools, politics, and society. As a future educator, the theories associated with my discipline, and the issues inherent in them, as they have changed over time and as they stand now, are of great interest and importance to me.

The journal was first published with the help of two sponsoring organizations: the John Dewey Society and The College of Education at the University of Illinois. Today, the Philosophy of Education Society and Wiley-Blackwell, a global partner of over 800 prestigious societies, have joined the university and the John Dewey Society to help produce one of the leading journals of theory in education, both in the country and worldwide. In every publication, the journal addresses issues both within the discipline of educational theory, as well other educational disciplines, and has always been a place where "philosophers and theoretically inclined scholars... engage in a shared conversation about educational ideas, values, and policy issues." Throughout the decades, the journal discusses the current educational theories at different moments and the challenges associated with them. These issues are often similar, though still different depending on the popular theories and social and political issues of the t...

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...xist, they are being transformed to apply to the current, postmodern world and are opening up to cross-cultural and international examination. In addition, as education in the United States is sub-par compared to other countries, the government is attempting to direct the field in a competitive direction. Unfortunately, the United States, in an attempt to align the education system in this country with systems in other, higher performing countries, created the Common Core State Standards. This development, while sound in theory, is failing in practice and education is heading towards being based in competition, rather than being based in what it ought to be, that is knowledge. Instead of attempting to compete with other nations, the United States needs to focus on the problems inherent in its systems and the affects of those problems on the students of this country.