The “foundations of education” are three distinct scholarly traditions of practice – philosophy of education, history of education, and sociology of education – that inform education and conceptualize frameworks for education research. Sociologists of education study social phenomena such as racism and homophobia and how they exist in and are affected by formal and informal educational contexts. Historians of education research documents and artifacts of value to our understanding of past educational practices and their influence today. Philosophers of education analyse key educational concepts such as ‘teaching’ and ‘authority’ and make significant distinctions for educational policy-making and practice.