Abstract
In this chapter I highlight key points in a continuum of lifelong education that enable individuals and their communities to thrive and live, according to Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, “the kind of lives they value – and have reason to value.” These points begin at birth with an emphasis on the importance of maternal health, valuable and accessible early childhood care, and pre-K education programs. Building on these public policy interventions, I describe what a quality, equitable, and inclusive public education system requires to equip all individuals with the competencies, dispositions, and knowledge to be effective participating members of more just and democratic societies. Emphasis is placed on both the “what” (the content) and “how” (content) of teaching and learning. Not only public education, but a wholistic system of “convivial learning networks” (Ivan Illich) and formal, nonformal, and informal education (Philip Coombs) is envisioned for all stages of adult life. To achieve such a system, structural changes will need to be made. Such changes necessarily will come from progressive grassroots movements abetted by timely education. In imagining the future of lifelong learning, I have taken the liberty of citing various chapters in this volume that elaborate the arguments I make. I conclude describing how my personal journey as a university-based educator has led me to the values and vision I articulate in this chapter.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arnove, R. F. (1973). Community learning centers. Assignment Children, 22, 94–103.
Arnove, R. F. (1994). Education as contested terrain: The case of Nicaragua: 1979–1993. Boulder, CO: Westview.
Arnove, R. F. (2020). Imagining what education can be post-COVID 19. Prospects, 49, 43–46.
Arnove, R. F., & Graff, H. J. (1987). National literacy campaigns: Historical and comparative perspectives. New York, NY/London, England: Plenum.
Attenborough, D. (2020). A life on our planet. My witness statement and a vision for the future. New York: Grand Central Publishing.
Banks, J. A. (2018). An introduction to multicultural education (What’s new in foundations/intro to teaching) (6th ed.). Pearson.
Banks, J. A. (2020). Diversity, transformative knowledge, and civic education: Selected essays. New York, NY: Routledge.
Coombs, P. H. (1971). The need for a new strategy of educational development. Paris, France: UNESCO.
Coombs, P. H. (1974). Attacking rural poverty. How education can help. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Press.
Faure, E. (1970). Learning to be. The world of education today and tomorrow. Paris, France/London, England: UNESCO/Harrap.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed (M. B. Ramos, Trans.). New York, NY: Herder and Herder.
Gramsci, A. (2011). The prison notebooks (Vol. 1, 2 & 3). New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
Illich, I. (1971). Deschooling society. Plainfield, IN: Harper Collins.
Mayo, P. (1991). Gramsci, Freire and adult aducation: Possibilities for transformative action (global perspectives on adult education and training). London, England: Zed Books.
McElroy, M. (2013). While in womb, babies begin learning language from their mothers. Un https://www.washington.edu/news/2013/01/02/
Miller, C. C. (2021, October 7). Bill would aid. U.S. in closing child care gap. New York Times, A1, A10.
Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. New York, NY: Anchor Books.
Shapiro, A. (2021). The benefits of prekindergarten programs: Strong findings and open questions. Kappan, 101, 8–13.
Smith, T. K. (2021, October 10). Mind reader. New York Times Book Review, 1, 20.
Tarozzi, M., & Torres, C. A. (2016). Global citizenship education and the crises of multiculturalism: Comparative perspectives. London, England/Oxford: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Torres, C. A. (2007). Paulo Freire, education and transformative social justice learning. In C. A. Torres & A. Teodoro (Eds.), Critique and utopia. New developments in the sociology of education (pp. 155–160). Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Torres, C. A. (2013). Political sociology of adult education. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
World Economic Forum. (2021). Fourth industrial revolution. https://www.weforum.org/focus/fourth-industrial-revolution
Zinn, H. (2015). A people’s history of the United States with a new introduction by A. Arnove. New York, NY: Harper Collins.
Zinn, H., & Arnove, A. (2014). Voices of a people’s history of the United States (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Seven Stories Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Arnove, R.F. (2023). Imagining the Future of Lifelong Learning. In: Evans, K., Lee, W.O., Markowitsch, J., Zukas, M. (eds) Third International Handbook of Lifelong Learning. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19592-1_64
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19592-1_64
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-19591-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-19592-1
eBook Packages: EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education