Rethinking the framework for 21st-century education: Toward a communitarian conception

Abstract

The authors examine the current frameworks for 21st-century education by critiquing the individualist view of education that underpins them. It is argued that such a view of education over-emphasizes technical rationality and neglects the importance of moral values and the role of the community in shaping the individual’s identity, ethics, and behaviors. An alternative framework that underscores the centrality of the community and the inculcation of moral values and reasoning abilities is proposed.