‘Why would you?’ A personal reflection on the purposes of education
FORUM - Print ISSN 1474-7685 - Online ISSN 2047-7171
Volume 67 Number 3 (2025)
‘Why would you?’ A personal reflection on the purposes of education
Diane Reay pages 28‑37
DOI: 10.3898/forum.2025.67.3.04
Abstract
Combining my personal experiences of education with educational research, the paper argues that social mobility and preparation for the labour market are both inadequate and unrealised goals of education. It attempts to answer the question of what education should be for, drawing on the radical philosophy of Theodore Brameld. Whilst recognising that transformation is much harder to achieve than reproduction, the paper concludes that a good educational system is one that educates and empowers in service of the common good.
To cite this article
Diane Reay (2025) ‘Why would you?’ A personal reflection on the purposes of education, FORUM, 67(3), 28-37 . https://doi.org/10.3898/forum.2025.67.3.04