The Council of Social Foundations in Education (CSFE) is a national federation of professional associations and societies in the educational foundations, educational studies, and educational policy studies fields devoted to maintaining and strengthening the role of those foundations disciplines in the preparation of educational personnel, in the study and analysis of education, and in policymaking related to education at all levels in the United States.
The foundations of education, educational studies, and educational policy studies involve the study of education utilizing such disciplines as history, philosophy, sociology, psychology, social psychology, anthopology, economics, and political science, or such interdisciplinary fields as comparative and international education, multicultural education, community and adult education, and many others. All such study stresses interpretive, normative, and critical perspectives in understanding, analyzing, and implementing educational theory and practice.
Over eighteen years ago, in 1986, the Council for Learned Societies in Education, renamed to Council for Social Foundations in Education in 2000 reissued the Standards for Academic and Professional Instruction in Foundations of Education, Educational Studies, and Educational Policy Studies, originally developed in 1978 by a Task Force of the American Educational Studies Association. These Standards, republished in a revised second edition by CLSE in 1996, offer guidance to institutions of higher education, state education agencies, and other national educational and policymaking organizations concerning the definition, role, and significance of study in the foundations of education. Those Standards may be obtained by clicking on link above.
The Council for Social Foundations in Education is affiliated with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). CSFE leaders sit on key boards and committees of NCATE and individuals appointed by CSFE serve on the NCATE Board of Examiners, whose members comprise the accreditation teams which visit individual campuses and programs. CSFE participates in NCATE as one means of assuring that professional preparation programs adhere to the stipulations in NCATE Standards that all preparation programs for prospective teachers and other professional educators include study in the foundations of education.
The twenty member societies of the Council for Social Foundations in Education are:
Association for Philosophy of Education
Florida Foundations of Education and Policy Studies Society
Middle Atlantic States Philosophy of Education Society
New York State Foundations of Education Association
Pennsylvania Educational Studies Association
South Atlantic Philosophy of Education Society
Texas Educational Foundations Society
For information on officers of these member societies, including contact addresses and telephone numbers, see attached information.
The Council for Social Foundations in Education holds business meetings twice each year, in the spring in conjunction with the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, and in the fall in conjunction with the annual conference of the American Educational Studies Association. The time and place of those CSFE business meetings appear on the AERA and AESA annual programs, and all CSFE meetings are open to any interested individuals. Each member society may send three voting delegates to each business meeting, but all persons attending may participate in the discussion.
The Council for Social Foundations in Education functions without a paid staff or office. The current President of CSFE is Sandra Winn Tutwiler, professor of education at Washburn University, Topeka, KS. Immediate past-president is Steven Tozer, professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The current The Secretary-Treasurer is Mary Abascal-Hildebrand who may be contacted at mabascal@earthlink.net. The officers are elected every three years at the fall business meeting.
CSFE operates on a modest budget through support from annual dues from the twenty member societies and contributions from individual scholars in the foundations of education fields. CSFE is recognized as a tax-exempt organization by the Internal Revenue Service, and contributions are tax deductible. An endowment committee is currently being formed.
Requests for information about CSFE or contributions to support its work may be addressed to:
Council for Social Foundations in Education
c/o Steve Tozer
College of Education University of Illinois@ Chicago
1040 W. Harrrison M/C 147
Chicago Illinois 60010
312-413-2414