ABSTRACT
This chapter considers not only what is taught, but how, under what conditions, and why teachers teach at all instead of emphasizing rubrics and test scores. In doing so, it helps the readers to think about the very purpose of schools in a democratic society, a purpose that must be based on social justice if teachers are to fulfil their promise of equal and quality education for all students, regardless of station or rank. It describes five implications for teaching with a social justice perspective and considers the purpose of schools. The chapter considers questions such as whether our schools are currently organized based on a Darwinian idea of the survival of the fittest. In the current mean-spirited discourse surrounding public education, the conditions in which poor students come to school often become a rationale for not having high expectations of them.
