Demythologizing Educational Reforms

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.

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, prominent educational writers tackle contemporary issues such as neoliberalism, suburban schooling, charter schools and parental involvement to uncover meaningful improvements in education which are better grounded in the social, economic, political and educational realities of today's society.

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