John I. Goodlad has been an unflagging voice for humanistic ideals in education for more than six decades and has helped reframe the modern discourse on the role and function of schools. For Goodlad the goal of public education is to help children become free and full participants in a democratic society by instilling them with a love of learning and a sense of civic responsibility—goals that are incompatible with our present system of schooling that teaches to standardized tests. In Romances with Schools, John Goodlad steps out from behind the public persona of distinguished scholar and advocate for public schooling to offer a moving personal account of a life devoted to educating the young. He deftly interweaves fascinating personal details with reflections on many of the larger issues in education that he has explored throughout his career. John’s early encounters with formal schooling began just before the Great Depression in Canada with the humble North Star School. From there we are taken through sixty-plus years in education, starting with John’s first teaching job as the sole instructor of a one-room schoolhouse through his years as an education activist, dean of the UCLA Graduate School of Education, and national voice for educational renewal. Along the way, he treats us to vivid characterizations of the men, women, and above all, children who shaped him as a person and inspired his thinking on education. Romances with Schools is both a poignant memoir and a persuasive argument for the need to renew public education to fit the demands of a free society. Stephen Goodlad, John’s son, has written a moving Prologue to the book that provides behind-the-scenes insight into John’s life. An Epilogue by Roger Soder, a long-time colleague, places John’s work of school renewal in the context of political change.

"[Goodlad’s] reminiscing is interwoven with a deep understanding of changing educational policy and reform movements, substantiated by learning theory. His work, Romances with Schools: A Life of Education, represents more than one person’s account of his education; it is an argument for democratic schooling that captures students’ imaginations and acts as an invitation to educators to engage in continual inquiry into the purposes and practices of schooling, what Goodlad refers to as ‘educational renewal’…. For those who are familiar with Dr. Goodlad’s work on educational renewal, this book provides a nice perspective on the work that came before his national network…. [T]his genre-crossing book that chronicles the hybrid career of an educational innovator deserves critical engagement, wherever one should choose to place it in their collection." - Education Review

"Throughout this book Goodlad presents himself as the smart, sober voice in the room. He keeps us grounded, reminding us of the key issues, the monsters in the night, the things we must remember. One chapter is titled ‘Tidying the Mind in an Untidy World,’ and this is what Goodlad does in his writing. All educators have their own romances with schools. It is difficult to read this book without recalling our own experiences as educators and relating our experiences to his. He takes on the issues that we educators—whether novice or seasoned—have struggled with and will continue to face, and shows us how to fight and win. This book marks the vitality of these ideas, shows how important they are to our democracy, and elucidates how quickly they might slip away. We always recognize the fear of change. The danger of not changing, however, should be the greater terror, and that is the moral imperative the thoughtful reader of this book must take away.… Romances with Schools is a fitting paean to his life’s work: the education of our youth and those who teach them." - Mid-Western Educational Researcher (MWER)