Description
Book SynopsisLosing America's Schools: The Fight to Reclaim Public Education is a call to save one of the last great democratic institutions in America. Corporatization, charter schools, misleading claims of skill gaps, the loss of Separation of Church and State, deprofessionalization, and the overuse of technology all threaten the existence of the schools that belong to all Americans. This book addresses the problems surrounding those issues, and is a tribute to the groups and individuals who are fighting draconian reforms in order to save our public schools. It is the sequel to Misguided Education Reform: Debating the Impact on Students.
Trade ReviewNancy Bailey’s Losing America’s Schools: The Fight to Reclaim Public Education reveals the shenanigans used by those who are busy turning public education into just another commodity. In a very well-researched and documented display of wisdom, Bailey offers a detailed look at school privatization from Reagan to current-day venture capitalists. I have learned a lot from Dr. Bailey. Her honesty shines on every page. This book is a must-read for parents, teachers, community leaders, politicians, and scholars. -- Doug Martin, author of “Hoosier School Heist: How Corporations and Theocrats Stole Democracy From Public Education”
Nancy Bailey's book is not just important for American schools, teachers, parents and children. The attack on publicly funded schools that she documents so clearly in her excellent book has also been taking place in parallel here in England. Her book deserves and needs to be widely read on both sides of the Atlantic. -- Roger Titcombe, retired headteacher, educational researcher and author of Learning Matters. https://rogertitcombelearningmatters.wordpress.com/
Bailey’s message, which reveals the ugly truth hidden behind the golden rhetoric of deep-pocketed “reformers,” has been ignored and/or suppressed by the mainstream media, but it is one that is vital for the American public to grasp. The philanthropist in the true sense, the one who loves human beings, is Nancy Bailey herself, for exposing the harm of the “reformers’” policies and for keeping the needs of all children for an engaging, enriching educational experience as her utmost concern. -- Sheila Resseger, retired ELA teacher at the RI School for the Deaf
Table of ContentsDedication Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1 Corporate Takeover School Privatization New American Schools Edison Schools The Sandia Report The Business Roundtable Venture Philanthropy Walton Family Foundation Broad Foundation Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation High-Stakes Testing Common Core State Standards Teachers Unions American Legislative Exchange Council Conclusion: America’s Schools Chapter 2 Replacing Public Schools with Charter Schools Lost Opportunity Non-Profit/For-Profit Charters v. Public Schools Segregation Special Education KIPP Conclusion: The End of Charter Schools Chapter 3 Students, Jobs and the Global Economy Scapegoats Standards College for All Privatized High School Programs STEM Vocational—Career and Technical Education Dropouts The Military Conclusion: Careers Chapter 4 Religion’s Threat to Public Schools Horace Mann Churches Charter Schools Vouchers Character Education Conclusion: Separation of Church and State Chapter 5 Vanishing Professions—Teachers and School Leaders Deprofessionalization Teach for America The New Teacher Project Colleges of Education Teacher Certification National Council on Teacher Quality New Leaders Superintendents and School Leaders Michelle Rhee Secretary of Education Conclusion: Educators Chapter 6 Virtual v. Brick and Mortar Public Schools Disruption Online Schools Privatizing Online Schools K12 Inc. School of the Future Rocketship Student Privacy Competency-Based Education Conclusion: Real Schools and Teachers Conclusion References About the author
