Paul Wagner and Frank Fair ask readers to consider what is involved in engaging in an idealistic quest they call The Great Conversation of Humankind. They see schools as the constructed but necessary arenas for what they call student building, and part of that work is learning about domains of knowledge and engaging with them in a community of inquiry. Wagner and Fair draw upon philosophical texts and years of educational practice to make their case for student building, a vibrant metaphor for teaching and learning that captures the hope and energy of this text. I will use it in graduate classes.

AG Rud, distinguished professor, Washington State University

This book embraces student-building, by emphasizing stakeholder understanding of interdependent knowledge bases among administrators and researchers in particular, and derivatively, teachers and parents as well. The authors create insight into foundational expectations that often separate and blur stakeholder expectations. I am telling all my associates in senior administration this is an essential read in both practice and theory.

P.D. Pape, EdD, CPA, Asst. Supt. for Finance and Operations, Mesquite Independent School District; Former School Board President Goose Creek Independent School District

This book is perfect for graduate education courses that aim to “dig deep” into the ways in which theories of knowledge impact classroom teaching, school systems, and education policy. A bridge between disciplines, stakeholders, theory, and practice Education for Knowing: Theories of Knowledge for Effective Student Building sparks critical conversations and dialogue between education policy makers, researchers, and teachers. It calls on all of us to revisit the purpose of schooling and what it means to be educated. An important resource for our changing times, the authors of this book inspire students to be truth-seekers, deeply engaged in “The Great Conversation of Humankind."

Amber Strong Makaiau, specialist, Institute for Teacher Education, College of Education; CONCATENATED TEXT