The Importance of Being Urban: Designing the Progressive School District, 1890-1940 (Historical Studies of Urban America)

Gamson, David A.

ISBN 10: 022663454X / ISBN 13: 9780226634548

Published by University of Chicago Press, 2019

About this Item

HARDCOVER Good - Bumped and creased book with tears to the extremities, but not affecting the text block, may have remainder mark or previous owner's name - GOOD Standard-sized.

Seller Inventory # M022663454XZ3

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Importance of Being Urban: Designing the Progressive School District, 1890-1940 (Historical Studies of Urban America)
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication Date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 022663454X
• ISBN 13: 9780226634548
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

From the 1890s through World War II, the greatest hopes of American progressive reformers lay not in the government, the markets, or other seats of power but in urban school districts and classrooms. The Importance of Being Urban focuses on four western school systems—in Denver, Oakland, Portland, and Seattle—and their efforts to reconfigure public education in the face of rapid industrialization and the perceived perils [GDA1] of the modern city. In an era of accelerated immigration, shifting economic foundations, and widespread municipal shake-ups, reformers argued that the urban school district could provide the broad blend of social, cultural, and educational services needed to prepare students for twentieth-century life. These school districts were a crucial force not only in orchestrating educational change, but in delivering on the promise of democracy. David A. Gamson’s book provides eye-opening views of the histories of American education, urban politics, and the Progressive Era.

About the Author

David A. Gamson is associate professor of education in the Department of Education Policy Studies and the Educational Theory and Policy Program at the Pennsylvania State University.