The Politics of Education: A Critical Introduction

Description

The Politics of Education provides an introduction to both the political dimensions of schooling and the politics of recent educational reform debates. The book offers undergraduates and starting graduate students in education an understanding of numerous dimensions of the contested field of education, addressing questions of political economy, class, cultural politics, race, and gender. Noted scholar Kenneth Saltman introduces contemporary educational debates and seriously considers views across the political spectrum from the vantage point of critical education, emphasizing schooling for broader social equality and justice. Updates to this second edition work through contemporary reform debates that include topics such as the reauthorization of ESEA, race and diversity, standardized testing and common core, and classroom technology. With opportunities for readers to engage in deeper discussion through Questions for Further Discussion and a Glossary of key terms, The Politics of Education remains a much-needed, accessible primer, providing the critical tools needed to make sense of the current politics of education. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Series Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: What Are the “Politics” in the Politics of Education? Liberal, Conservative, and Critical Perspectives on the Politics of Education 1. The Cultural Politics of Education Cultural Politics: Stuart Hall’s Constructivist Theory of Culture Cultural Politics and the “Responsible” Teacher Cultural Politics and Class: Pierre Bourdieu and the Forms of Capital Implications for Contemporary Educational Policy Suggested Further Reading Questions for Discussion 2. The Political Economy of Education Political Economy and Social Reproduction in Schooling Schooling under Fordism and Post-Fordism Limitations of Economic Perspectives: Human Agency and Resistance Suggested Further Reading Questions for Discussion 3. The Political Psychology of Education A Critical Psychology of Education The Specificity of Context and Student Experience Society and Selves Constituted by Difference Repression The Productivity of Power in the Making of the Self Suggested Further Reading Questions for Discussion 4. Hegemony Gramsci and Hegemony The Poverty of “Good” Suburban Schooling Why It Matters Now Suggested Further Reading Questions for Discussion 5. Disciplinary Power, Race, and Examinations Disciplinary Power Disciplining the Black Student Body The Possibilities of Resistance Theoretical Problems with Foucauldian Power Conclusion Suggested Further Reading Questions for Discussion 6. Biopolitics and Education What Is Biopolitics? A Shift in Sovereignty Producing Knowledge of Life Making Subjects An Egalitarian and Emancipatory Biopolitics? Suggested Further Reading Questions for Discussion 7. Neoliberalism and Corporate School Reform What Is Neoliberalism? Neoliberal Educational Restructuring Profit Motives Ideological Motives Conclusion Suggested Further Reading Questions for Discussion 8. The Politics of Gender in the Current Education Reforms The Material War on Women in Education The Symbolic War on Women in Education The Gendered Rationality/Experience Split as a Political Tactic in Education Inclusion and School to Work Performativity Conclusion Suggested Further Reading Questions for Discussion 9. The Politics of Globalization and Education Global Corporate Schooling Supranational Organizations IMF/World Bank USAID Conclusion Suggested Further Reading Questions for Discussion 10. The Politics of the Status Quo or a New Common School Movement? The Original Common School Movement Corporate School Reform as an Enclosure of the Commons Distinguishing between Public and Private Control in Education Conclusion Questions for Discussion Case Studies Glossary About the Author Index