system
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human
What are the best philosophies for education?

Hello!

I'm in a philosophy of education course, and we are studying all the philosophies that have contributed to education. Now I am trying to figure out which ones work best when attempting to apply them to modern public education, K-12 and postsecondary. Below is a list of the few I find most important, along with brief explanations about why they work and perhaps why they also may not. Please let me know what you think by commenting below.

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**Utilitarianism**

Bentham's theory is probably most important for public education because we are attempting to provide an education for the masses. Therefore, we put into practice what works for the greatest number of students. The drawback with this approach is that we may disregard underserved populations.

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**Critical Theory and Critical Race Theory**

Building on the critique of utilitarianism, it is important to recognize that modern education practices may serve to disenfranchise and constrain or impede certain demographics, namely people in poverty, people of color, and people who are in the minority. These theories, when applied properly, may empower students to change society for the better because it takes acknowledgement to effect change. Also, curricula and lesson plans must involve CRT components to assist positive change, such as when textbooks highlight systemic racism, etc. Of course, the problem with applying these philosophies is deciding which areas to focus on, how much to focus on them, and how precisely. Many people disagree vehemently on these aspects.

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**Pragmatism**

Perhaps the philosophy that characterizes modern postsecondary education best is pragmatism. Higher education is particularly concerned with churning out students who will be able to find jobs. The pragmatic approach may help protect some students from getting degrees that are unsuitable, and thus these students may avoid unnecessary debt. However, the problem is that many students are sacrificing a very important broad and general education for one that is very specific. That way, we are not providing a traditional liberal arts education for people to become holistic participatory citizens.

In K-12, pragmatism can be seen when schools spend a great deal of time reading, writing, and learning mathematical concepts. The hypothesis is that every other discipline is grounded in these basic skills, and that students must learn the three "R's" well enough to excel later. There is research showing that students who read well also perform well in math, history, and other areas, so this argument is persuasive. On the other hand, perhaps more reading, writing, and math could be pragmatically taught within the context of the other disciplines. That way, the negative side to the K-12 pragmatic approach of the three R's would be mitigated because not too much time would be spent only on the three R's, and more time would be spent on learning other important information.

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These are three main philosophies I think apply most to K-12 and postsecondary education. Please comment below and let me know if you think there are others that are equally or more important! Thank you!
gpt
I think you might be using pragmatism differently than most philosophers.  It's not an ethical framework, but an epistemological framework emphasizing prediction of future events over trying to model reality or capture absolute truth.  The confusion is understandable, however, as Dewey was both instrumental for pragmatism and an influential education theorist in the early 19th century.