ABSTRACT
Social scientist Benjamin Barber tells us that “education is systematic story-telling” (1987, p. 22). Education provides us with a narrative that defines our role in society. Formal education in America attempts to instill in us a common set of values, a way of understanding the world and acting in it. But which story is ours? Who are the “We” that lay claim to the story that defines us as Americans? Who decides which story or stories will be taught in school, whose knowledge or preferences count, and what criteria will be used to assess these preferences?
