As a social studies teacher in 1981, Dr. Berman worked with a group of Boston-area educators to found Educators for Social Responsibility (ESR). This organization, much like Physicians for Social Responsibility which preceded ESR by a year, was originally focused on helping educators and students understand and respond to the fears and concerns about the nuclear arms race and the possibility of nuclear war. However, as the world changed and the organization grew, the focus shifted to a broader concern about issues of social responsibility, conflict resolution, and civic engagement. Dr. Berman led the development of three curriculum projects for ESR—Dialogue, Perspectives, and Taking Part. He later served as president of the organization and, after leaving that role to become the superintendent of schools in Hudson, Massachusetts, continued his involvement with ESR through service on its board until 2014. In May 2015, he was presented Board Service Award in recognition of his “commitment to social justice and leadership in educating for a safe, democratic and just world.” He was also appointed as Emeritus Director for Engaging Schools, the new name for Educators for Social Responsibility.
The early work with ESR led to his exploration in Children’s Social Consciousness and the Development of Social Responsibility of what motivated people to get involved in humanitarian, social justice, and political causes and how schools could nurture social responsibility and civic engagement in young people. He found that instructional strategies around empathy, ethics, and service were core to the development of social responsibility.
Beginning during his time at ESR and continuing throughout his tenure as a superintendent, he led each of his four districts in the implementation of civic education, service learning, and social-emotional learning initiatives. As the initiatives progressed, he published articles and book chapters illuminating the lessons he was learning.
Civic education in the elementary years. School Administrator, Vol. 77, No. 8, September 2020.
The goal is civic learning: Principles for administrators in times of uncertainty. In Meira Levinson and Jacob Fay (Eds.), Democratic Discord in Schools: Cases and Commentaries in Educational Ethics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press, 2019.
Leading for social responsibility. In Paul Houston, Alan Blankstein, & Robert Cole (Eds.), Leadership for Social Justice and Democracy in Our Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2011.
Civic education needs to begin early (with Natalie Bolton). Campaign to Promote Civic Education. Calabasas, CA: Center for Civic Education, Fall 2009.
A superintendent’s systemic notion of civics. School Administrator, Vol. 65, No. 9, October 2008.
Fulfilling our civic mission: Service-learning in Massachusetts. A report by Community Service-Learning Advisory Council to the Massachusetts Board of Education. (Advisory Council Co-Chair). Massachusetts Department of Education, March 2006.
The bridges to civility: Empathy, ethics, civics and service. In M. Seymour (Ed.), Educating for Humanity: Rethinking the Purposes of Education. Boulder, CO: Paradigm, 2004.
Teaching civics: A call to action. Principal Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 1, September 2004.
The civic mission of schools. Report by multiple contributing authors. New York, NY: Carnegie Corporation of New York & CIRCLE: The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, 2003.
Practicing democracy in high school. Educational Leadership, Vol. 61, No. 1, September 2003.
Thinking in context: Teaching for openmindedness and critical understanding. In A. Costa (Ed.), Developing Minds: A Resource Book for Teaching Thinking, 3rd ed. Arlington, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001.
Service as systemic reform. School Administrator, Vol 57, No. 7, August 2000.
The real ropes course: The development of social consciousness. In J. C. McDermott (Ed), Beyond the Silence: Listening for Democracy. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1999.
Integrating community service learning with school culture. Constitutional Rights Foundation Network, Vol. 7, No. 3, Spring, 1999.
The bridge to civility: Empathy, ethics and service. Educators for Social Responsibility Forum, Vol. 15, No. 3, Fall 1998.
The bridge to civility: Empathy, ethics and service. School Administrator, Vol. 55, No. 5, May 1998.
The development of children’s social consciousness. Educators for Social Responsibility Forum, Vol. 13, No. 3, Fall 1997.
Children’s Social Consciousness and the Development of Social Responsibility, Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1997.
School as a moral community (with Diane Berreth and Susan Anderson). In Amitai Etzioni (Ed.), Character Building for a Democratic, Civil Society, Washington D.C.: The Communitarian Network, 1997.
The moral dimensions of school (with Diane Berreth). Educational Leadership, Vol. 54, No. 8, May 1997.
Promising Practices in Teaching Social Responsibility, Sheldon Berman and Phyllis LaFarge (Eds.). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1993.
Awakening students’ social conscience. Planetary Citizen, Vol. 2, No. 2, Spring 1993.
The real ropes course: The development of social consciousness. ESR Journal: Educating for Social Responsibility, 1990.
Educating for social responsibility. Educational Leadership, Vol. 48, No. 3, November 1990.
The development of social consciousness. In J. Kendall (Ed.), Combining Service and Learning: A Resource Book for Community and Public Service, Vol. 1. Raleigh, NC: National Society for Internships and Experiential Education, 1989.
Beyond critical thinking: Teaching for synthesis. Educators for Social Responsibility Forum, Vol. 6, No. 1, Summer 1987.
