About the Author
Thomas Mauhs-Pugh
Green Mountain College
One College Circle
Poultney, VT 05764(802) 287-8336
I created the piece on charter schools while a visiting assistant professor at Dartmouth College. Although I was and remain quite interested in charter schools, that was not my sole reason for undertaking that research project. I believe in making education as "real" as possible. Faced with a seminar on educational policy full of talented students, I decided to have them research a current policy issue with an eye toward creating a product that would benefit a larger audience. This article on charter schools is the result. We should tap the potential of youth. Professional Background
Before getting my Ph.D. I taught English in rural public schools in New England for five years. That experience was formative. I gained an abiding fascination with education policy and politics. Local democratic fora, such as town meeting and the annual school district meeting, hold a particular interest for me as important institutions for the civic education of the population. I retain an interest in rural schooling and the relationship between schools and their communities. Current Interests and Responsibilities
My current research, an outgrowth of my dissertation, is a historical study of the development of a school system in New York State and how that relates to the civic education mission of public schools.
I direct the secondary school teacher preparation program at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana. As director, my goal is to prepare excellent teachers by blending field experience, theory and research methods, and a "conscience of craft" (Thomas F. Green's phrase). Beyond subject area mastery and technical competence in educational psychology and teaching methods, teachers need to have a well-informed vision of the place of education in society. They also need a historical background and critical capacity that allows them to sort fact from fiction in the overheated rhetoric that swirls around school issues.Personal
When not researching, writing, or teaching, I'm hiking, canoeing, camping, skiing (cross-country) or otherwise playing out of doors with my wife and two daughters. Having lived in the Northeast for my entire life, I am enjoying learning the flora, fauna, and natural and human history of the intermountain West. Publications
"Developing the Good Person: The Role of Local Publics." Chapter 3 in Educating Tomorrow's Valuable Citizens. Joan M. Burstyn, ed. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1996.Book review: "Lawrence Blum, Moral Perception and Particularity," Journal of Educational Thought Vol. 30, no. 1. April, 1996.
"Charter Schools 1995: A Survey and Analysis of the Laws and Practices of the States." Education Policy Analysis Archives. Vol. 3, no. 13, July 12, 1995. This is a 219 page hypertext document co-authored by the students in my education policy class at Dartmouth College.
Degrees
Ph.D. in history and philosophy of education, Syracuse University, 1994.
M.A.T. in English, Brown University, 1984.
B.A. in English, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 1983.Awards and Honors
Larry J. Hackman Research Resident at the New York State Archives, 1996
The Doctoral Prize of the Graduate School of Syracuse University, 1995
Syracuse University Fellow, 1989-1992
All degrees awarded with distinction