Teaching, Learning, and Schooling: 21st Century argues that American society has undergone a series of profound social, cultural, and political changes since the 1960s that have redefined the meaning of teaching, learning, and schooling in a postmodern culture.

The text directs students toward many of the most vital issues in contemporary education. While drawing on traditional sources in educational sociology, history, and anthropology, it also addresses the work of educational theorists such as C. A. Bowers, Henry Giroux, Joe Kincheloe, Peter McClaren, and Shirley Steinberg. It covers traditional subjects in the Social Foundations of Education, such as the organization of schools and the Separation of Church and State, and also deals at length with newer issues, such as the impact of media and computing on children and the schools, the role of gender (including the rights of gay teachers and students), and the changing nature of the family.