Social Reconstruction and Education

Social reconstruction is a philosophy focused on achieving social change. As a practice, it strives to achieve social justice and equity by altering the various social systems upon which society rests. It is based upon two major understandings. The first is that society tends to develop systems that marginalize and oppress others, and thus the ideologies that perpetuate marginalization and oppression need to change. Second, achieving this change requires creating a system that serves as a change agent and is open to changing its own purposes and structures as the social contexts in which it exists naturally evolve.

Because we live in a world of seemingly endless and diverse challenges, and because educational systems and schools are one of the primary means by which we develop understanding and skills related to functioning in society, social reconstruction requires that social reform serve as the primary goal of every student's education. As an educational philosophy, educational institutions at all levels are viewed as the main means by which students are prepared to reconstruct the systems through which inequality and the oppression and marginalization of other people occur. Educational reconstruction purposefully and explicitly requires that our schools function as change agents, empowering students to question the very systems in which they live and work and to create a society that is more equitable and just.

This entry provides an overview of social reconstruction, outlines its development, and places it in context. It also briefly describes the ways that social reconstruction has been understood in education in the United States and examines criticisms of social reconstruction.