This long awaited biography of Harold Rugg is a dramatic and compelling story with profound implications for today's educators. Harold Rugg, one of the leading progressive educators of the 20th century, developed an innovative social studies program and textbook series that was censured by conservative critics during the 1940s. Read the full story behind Rugg, the man and the educator, and the critics who attacked him. Harold O. Rugg was professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a key leader among the social frontier group that emerged in the 1930s to argue that schools should play a stronger role in helping to reconstruct society. He was author of a best selling social studies textbook series that came under attack from patriotic and business groups in the early years of World War II. The story of his rise and fall encapsulates a pivotal episode in the history of American education and reveals a great deal about the direction of schooling in American life, the many roads not taken, and possibilities for the future. This in-depth examination of Rugg's life and career provides historical perspective on the recurring struggles over education.It will be of interest to every citizen concerned about the future of our democracy. Includes more than 60 photos and graphics.

Social Reconstruction as a philosophy, stream of thought or ""official program"" ois often synonymous with Depression-era Progressivism. But, Social Reconstruction, unlike progressivism, enjoyed political stardom. The spirit of progressivism, at least in terms of education, found a home in those enthusiasts who supported a child-centered perspective of education. Others, such as the essentialists viewed their progressive role as one that advanced the view of essential or basic education as the most sound approach to curriculum and teaching. Still others, more radical in their outlook, believed that progress should be framed with questions about social justice and equity. Proponents of social reconstruction included Harold Rugg and George Counts, although the ""movement"" was rich with supporters. To date, social reconstruction is only a by word in most texts that deal with the Progressive Era or progressive education, perhaps, because Rugg and Counts, the two most visible proponents, sought and received the political limelight, no matter how glaring. In any event, the depths of social reconstruction have yet to be plumbed.Hence, the first book in this series will offer a comprehensive treatment of Social Reconstruction, which include chapters that examine its proponents, political nature, and social justice programs born of and within the tumultuous context of progressive politics.

Making the historical past come alive for students is a goal of most social studies teachers. Many youth find the people and events and movements portrayed in their textbooks to be wooden, remote, and empty. For history to become alive to them, students seek personal meanings as they use knowledge of context and ponder details. Currently most school history programs emphasize knowledge acquisition at the expense of these personal constructions of meaning. This new collection of essays provides practical assistance in the search for a more robust teaching of history and the social studies. Contributors to this volume offer insights from the discipline of history about the nature of empathy and the necessity of examining perspectives on the past. On the basis of recent classroom research, they suggest tested guides to more robust teaching. They also employ examples from classroom practice about how teachers can facilitate students' consideration of multiple and sometimes conflicting perspectives when seeking historical meanings. The contributors insist that with experienced history and social studies teachers, students can learn many historical details and, with the use of empathy, develop deepened and textured interpretations of the history that they study.

This long awaited biography of Harold Rugg is a dramatic and compelling story with profound implications for today's educators. Harold Rugg, one of the leading progressive educators of the 20th century, developed an innovative social studies program and textbook series that was censured by conservative critics during the 1940s. Read the full story behind Rugg, the man and the educator, and the critics who attacked him. Harold O. Rugg was professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a key leader among the social frontier group that emerged in the 1930s to argue that schools should play a stronger role in helping to reconstruct society. He was author of a best selling social studies textbook series that came under attack from patriotic and business groups in the early years of World War II. The story of his rise and fall encapsulates a pivotal episode in the history of American education and reveals a great deal about the direction of schooling in American life, the many roads not taken, and possibilities for the future. This in-depth examination of Rugg's life and career provides historical perspective on the recurring struggles over education.It will be of interest to every citizen concerned about the future of our democracy. Includes more than 60 photos and graphics.

Social Reconstruction as a philosophy, stream of thought or ""official program"" ois often synonymous with Depression-era Progressivism. But, Social Reconstruction, unlike progressivism, enjoyed political stardom. The spirit of progressivism, at least in terms of education, found a home in those enthusiasts who supported a child-centered perspective of education. Others, such as the essentialists viewed their progressive role as one that advanced the view of essential or basic education as the most sound approach to curriculum and teaching. Still others, more radical in their outlook, believed that progress should be framed with questions about social justice and equity. Proponents of social reconstruction included Harold Rugg and George Counts, although the ""movement"" was rich with supporters. To date, social reconstruction is only a by word in most texts that deal with the Progressive Era or progressive education, perhaps, because Rugg and Counts, the two most visible proponents, sought and received the political limelight, no matter how glaring. In any event, the depths of social reconstruction have yet to be plumbed. Hence, the first book in this series will offer a comprehensive treatment of Social Reconstruction, which include chapters that examine its proponents, political nature, and social justice programs born of and within the tumultuous context of progressive politics.