Foundations of American Education

Ten Questions for New Teachers

Christian P. Wilkens

• Publisher: SUNY Press
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN: 9798855801019
• eBook ISBN: 9798855801026
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Teaching Methods

Answers all the questions that students preparing for a career in education ask.

Foundations of American Education asks many of the questions new teachers face: How should I handle classroom management? How will I know if students are learning what they should? What should I do in class my first year? How can I make things better for students? This book addresses major topics covered by introductory-level education classes, such as the history of US public schools, curriculum and assessment, classroom management, school governance, law, and more. Each chapter includes stories and examples from real teachers and schools and closes with a major US court case about public education. A major goal for the volume is to develop a sense for what US public school teachers do now and how we might be able to do better in the years ahead.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Introduction: Why Should Anyone Read a Book about Foundations of Education?
• Chapter 1: Teachers and Schools: What Is It Like to Be a Teacher?
• Chapter 2: History: What’s the History of Public Schools in the United States?
• Chapter 3: Governance and Finance: Why Does It Matter that Public Schools Have Local Control?
• Chapter 4: Communities: What Should I Learn about My Students, Their Families, and Their Communities?
• Chapter 5: Curriculum: How Will I Know What to Teach?
• Chapter 6: Instruction: What Should I Do in Class My First Year?
• Chapter 7: Classroom Management: How Should I Manage My Classroom?
• Chapter 8: Assessment: How Will I Know If Students Are Learning What They Should?
• Chapter 9: Law and Ethics: How Can I Get Fired?
• Chapter 10: What Comes Next: How Can I Make Things Better for Students?
• Bibliography
• Index
• Back Cover