(Re)presenting education: students, teachers, schools and the public imagination

Abstract

This book emerges within a context of unprecedented public discussion concerning the role and purpose of education. Arguments levelled towards the successes and (more commonly) failings of education are being formulated in various quarters of the public sphere and invariably involve the fundamental place that education, education professionals and students hold within contemporary society. Themes including the adequacy of education in preparing our young for positions within society, the expertise and trustworthiness of education professionals, the levels of engagement with specific discipline areas by schools and similar other debates are currently central topics of discussion within popular culture and the media.