1: Booker T. and W.E.B.â? Read the poem by Dudley Randall in Chapter 4,
which briefly represents the contrasting views of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois regarding the education of blacks in the antebellum South. Students will respond to W.E.B. Du Bois critique of Washington’s theories.
1. To what extent are the issues raised in the poem still relevant today?
2. What should be the primary mission of education?
3. Should the primary mission of education remain constant, or should it change depending upon the economic, social, political, and ideological context of the times? Explain.
4. Who should define the mission of education? Are the economically and politically powerful in the best position to judge what education will best serve the interests of the majority of students? Explain.
5. Is it possible to achieve education for all? Explain.