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The Paideia Proposal: An Educational Manifesto
The Paideia Proposal An Educational Manifesto Author:Mortimer J. Adler The Paideia Proposal: An Educational Manifesto lays out the fundamentals of a Paideia education, based on the principle that all children can learn. — Mortimer Adler published The Paideia Proposal: An Educational Manifesto in 1982, on behalf of the members of the Paidea Group. The Paideia Group was an assemblage of 22 leaders in... more » education and philosophy, affiliated with colleges and universities, public school systems, private high schools, and research institutions. These leaders united in their call, in The Paideia Proposal, to educate all American schoolchildren so that they can earn a good living, enjoy full lives, and contribute to a democratic society.
This manifesto is based on the first principle of a Paideia education -- that all children can learn. The Paideia Proposal rejects the assumption that some children can be fully educated while others can only be trained for jobs. It asserts that all children can master critical thinking skills and that gaps in achievement will diminish as children rise to meet higher expectations. Adler declares, “There are no unteachable children.” Therefore, he asserts, “All children deserve the same quality of education, not just the same quantity.”
The book goes on to describe the Three Columns of a Paideia education: didactic instruction, intellectual coaching, and Socratic seminar.« less