Most Interesting Books of 2006
Happiness and Education
by Nell Noddings
Cambridge University Press
Every week, it seems, the newpapers bring us the the sad chorus that American education -- at all levels -- is declining fast. Test scores are falling, violence rages, students are dropping out. Clearly, changes are necessary, not only to raise the math and English scores, but to improve the well-being of every teacher and child. Nel Noddings is not the first educator to call for an education revolution, but she is one of the most sensible and persuasive. Education is not merely for facts, but for life. The final chapter, "Educating for Public Life", decribes how to increase happiness in our schools. Here, Noddings states that schools assume more responsibility, and must become like good homes: caring and nurturing refuges, where children can be joyful and safe. Although these ideas are light-years ahead of our present education factories, Noddings has shown us where we must begin.
— Michael Pastore
