Curren Edits Philosophy Volume and New Journal of Education Philosophy

Randall Curren, associate professor, educational leadership, has edited the recently published book A Companion to the Philosophy of Education (Blackwell Publishers, January 2003) and edited a new journal of educational philosophy and theory, Theory and Research in Education.

A Companion to the Philosophy of Education is a comprehensive guide to philosophical thinking about education, both historical and contemporary, and includes articles by more than 50 scholars of philosophy, education, political science, religion, law, psychology, and English. In 2001, the Spencer Foundation awarded Curren a $50,000 grant to support his work on the volume.

Contributors to the book address such topics as educational testing and measurement, knowledge and truth, critical thinking, intelligence, and learning disabilities. They also address a range of much-debated issues in the politics and ethics of schooling, including church-state issues, educational choice, educational justice, equality and standards of living, multiculturalism, the ethics of special education, and sex education.

The book also examines issues in the philosophy and ethics of higher education, including academic freedom, conflicts of academic and economic values, and racial justice.

In addition to his work on the book, Curren is also an editor of Theory and Research in Education, a Sage Publications journal of educational philosophy, beginning publication this month. The journal will be published three times a year, and according to Curren, "will bring together the best work in educational ethics, politics, and policy." Tyll van Geel, the Earl B. Taylor Professor and chair of the educational leadership program, will serve on the editorial board of Theory and Research in Education.

Curren, who holds a joint appointment as associate professor of philosophy, is also the author of Aristotle on the Necessity of Public Education (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., November 2000). He is currently working on another book, Philosophy of Education, for Prentice-Hall's Foundations of Philosophy series.