Professor named Carnegie Scholar for book on school reform

A project looking at school reform in the light of social justice has made Harry Brighouse, a professor of philosophy and educational policy studies, a 2004 Carnegie Scholar.

“This project addresses hard questions about the reform of educational institutions through the prism of justice in education,” Brighouse says.

To do that, he will analyze systems of governance reform, such as school choice, school vouchers, charter schools, public school choice plans and school privatization. He also will study curriculum reforms, including education for democratic citizenship, religious education, and general federal and state standards.

Brighouse plans to write a book, “Justice in Education: Principles and Institutional Reform,” derived from his comparative study. The work will take him to several European countries as well as various Wisconsin communities. He says he hopes that the book will encourage educational policymakers to add to their standard for success.

“Most evaluations of social reform look at whether they raise the aggregate of achievement of children in the schools,” he says. “I will develop a theory of educational justice that demands that schooling enhance equality of opportunity to facilitate children’s prospective autonomy and to enable them to become effective, cooperating citizens.”

Brighouse, the author of “School Choice and Social Justice” (Oxford, 2000), has been a member of the UW–Madison faculty since 1992. He is one of 15 newly named Carnegie Scholars. His award carries $87,000.