Demythologizing Educational Reforms: Responses to the Political and Corporate Takeover of Education(Routledge Research in Education Policy and Politics)

There are dozens of myths surrounding educational reform today, maintaining the school’s role in economic competitiveness, the deficiency of teachers, the benefits of increased testing, and the worthiness of privatization. In this volume, the editors argue that this discussion has been co-opted to reflect the values and worldviews of special interest groups such as elites in power, politicians, corporate educational foundations, and the media. Prominent educational writers tackle contemporary issues such as neoliberalism, suburban schooling, charter schools and parental involvement. They expose the "logic behind the talk" and critically examine these problematic beliefs to uncover meaningful improvements in education which are better grounded in the social, economic, political and educational realities of contemporary society.

Table of Contents:
1. Demythologizing Educational Reforms: Thirty Years Since A Nation at Risk Arthur T. Costigan 2. The Neoliberal Myth: Narrative Resistance to Democratic Education Bryan Metcalfe 3. Class Struggle and Education: Neoliberalism, (Neo)-conservatism, and the Capitalist Assault on Public Education: A Marxist Analysis Dave Hill 4. Debunking the Myth of Standardized Education to Promote Equity and Rigor Debra A. Root 5. An Inquiry into the Myth of Neutrality: Curriculum and Pedagogy in an Age of Terrorism Jessica A. Heybach 6. Deceptive Data: How the Corporate Reform Movement Uses Standardized Tests to Achieve the Neoliberal Agenda David Hursh 7. Behind the Common Core Standards Movement: OECD’s PISA and Global Education Policy Richard D. Lakes 8. Charter Schools: Appearance Verses Essence Shawgi Tell 9. The Myth of Preparation and the Futility of Teacher Education Programs Eric C. Sheffield 10. From K-EdD: Understanding the Cycle of Compliance and Teacher Education’s Complicity in Neoliberal School Reform David Gabbard Afterword Leslee Grey

About the Author :
Arthur T. Costigan is Associate Professor of Education at Queens College, City University of New York, USA. Leslee Grey is Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations, Secondary Education and Youth at Queens College, City University of New York, USA.

Review :
"This book is one of only a handful of texts on school reform in recent memory that makes perfect sense. The collection of contemporary essays comprises a cohesive framework for debunking a variety of educational "myths" that have been perpetuated on the American people for the last 50 years. ... An exceptional, enlightening book for anyone interested in what is going on behind the scenes of education. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above." - J.D. Neal, University of Central Missouri, in CHOICE, April 2015