About “Dewey's Dream: Universities and Democracies in an Age of Education Reform”

This timely, persuasive, and hopeful book reexamines John Dewey's idea of schools, specifically community schools, as the best places to grow a democratic society that is based on racial, social, and economic justice. The authors assert that American colleges and universities bear a responsibility for-and would benefit substantially from-working with schools to develop democratic schools and communities.

Dewey's Dream opens with a reappraisal of Dewey's philosophy and an argument for its continued relevance today. The authors-all well-known in education circles-use illustrations from over 20 years of experience working with public schools in the University of Pennsylvania's local ecological community of West Philadelphia, to demonstrate how their ideas can be put into action. By emphasizing problem-solving as the foundation of education, their work has awakened university students to their social responsibilities. And while the project is still young, it demonstrates that Dewey's "Utopian ends" of creating optimally participatory democratic societies can lead to practical, constructive school, higher education and community change, development, and improvement.

Praise for Dewey’s Dream
“For 20 years, the University of Pennsylvania has been a model for how an urban university can engage creatively with its surrounding community. In this thoughtful book, architects of this program describe its philosophical roots and explain how a bold, imaginative effort can invigorate democracy and civic life in ways that enrich the lives of students and neighborhood residents alike.”
—Derek Bok, Interim President, HarvardUniversity

“Lee Benson, the noted historian; Ira Harkavy, a renowned urban leader; and John Puckett, who has written incisively about education, have produced an immensely valuable book exploring how community schools can strengthen the bonds between a society founded on the principles of justice and its equally deep commitment to participatory democracy. This volume is a welcome, indeed necessary, addition to our ongoing national conversation about how education and school will evolve in the years to come.”
—Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York

“Dewey’s Dream is a superb book. It brings alive the powerful legacy of John Dewey’s Chciago years. With colleagues like Jane Addams and Willima Rainey Harper, he crafted a philosophical foundation for participatory democracy and for powerful partnerships between schools and neighborhoods, and between universities and communities. Dewey’s Dream is a must-read for all who seek a firm conceptual and historical foundation for democratic educational reform at all levels.”
—Lee S. Shulman, President, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

"One of the most startlingly impressive aspects of the … text is that the authors have recast Dewey's work by a close reading and re-analysis of his legacy. In so doing, they have re-energized the progressive intent in his original work and provided a contemporary focus for a renewal of the progressive agenda in education. I found the argument compelling and exciting and, in my view, the authors have fully succeeded in identifying key tasks for a role for education in promoting participatory democracy."
—Henry Louis Taylor, Jr., Director of the Center for Urban Studies, The StateUniversity of New York at Buffalo

Publication information
March 2007
Temple University Press
ISBN: 1592135919
Hardcover, $59.50       ORDER          
ISBN: 1592135927
Softcover, $18.95        ORDER          
168 pages
5.5x8.25