COLLABORATIVE BOOK REVIEW: Baker, D. P. (2014). The Schooled Society: The Educational Transformation of Global Culture

For many years the discussion of education as a global and social institution has been prevalent in Comparative and International Education. In his book, The Schooled Society, David P. Baker offers up a unique perspective on a much-discussed theoretical framework in which to view education as an institution. Through this work, Baker uses a multidisciplinary approach to explain the influence that mass education has on societies and informs the readers of new educational paradoxes that are being discussed in the field. Not only is The Schooled Society an explanation of educational influence on society, but it also provides reason for further research to be done to explain the existing paradoxes found in modern society and education. The following book review, informed by the wide span of each contributing reviewer’s previous educational and professional experiences, provides a variety of reactions to The Schooled Society and is intended to provide the reader with a holistic examination of the book. The primary review, authored by Calley Stevens Taylor and Amanda Blain Pritt, presents an introductory review and critique of the book’s structure, premise, evidence, and conclusions as well as general statements about the book’s contents. Following the primary review, Maria Spinosa Ebert, Angel Oi Yee Cheng, and Xia Zhao respond to the primary review and offer their own reactions to The Schooled Society