New Press
A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door: The Dismantling of Public Education and the Future of School
Key Metrics
- Jack Schneider
- New Press
- Hardcover
- 9781620974940
- 8.5 X 5.4 X 1.1 inches
- 0.95 pounds
- Education > Educational Policy & Reform
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
A trenchant analysis of how public education is being destroyed in overt and deceptive ways--and how to fight back
There's no more time for tinkering around the edges. --Betsy DeVos, 2018 Rethink School tour
Betsy DeVos may be the most prominent face of the push to dismantle public education, but she is in fact part of a large movement that's been steadily gaining power and notching progress for decades--amassing funds, honing their messaging, and crafting policies. While support for public education today is stronger than ever, the movement to save our schools remains fragmented, variable, and voluntary. Meanwhile, those set on destroying this beloved institution are unified, patient, and well-resourced.
In A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door, Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider, co-hosts of the popular education podcast Have You Heard, lay out the increasingly potent network of conservative elected officials, advocacy groups, funders, and think tanks that have aligned behind a radical vision to unmake public education. They describe the dogma underpinning the work of the dismantlers and how it fits into the current political context, giving readers an up-close look at the policies--school vouchers, the war on teachers' unions, tax credit scholarships, virtual schools, and more--driving the movement's agenda. Finally they look forward, surveying the world the dismantlers threaten to build.
As teachers from coast to coast mobilize with renewed vigor, this smart, essential book sounds an alarm, one that should incite a public reckoning on behalf of the millions of families served by the American educational system--and many more who stand to suffer from its unmaking.
Author Bio
Jack Schneider, Ph.D., is a historian and policy analyst who studies the influence of politics, rhetoric, culture, and information in shaping attitudes and behaviors. His research examines how educators, policymakers, and the public develop particular views about what is true, what is effective, and what is important. Drawing on a diverse mix of methodological approaches, he has written about measurement and accountability, segregation and school choice, teacher preparation and pedagogy, and the relationship between research and practice.
His current work, on how school quality is conceptualized and quantified, has been supported by the Spencer Foundation and the Massachusetts State Legislature. The author of four books, Schneider is a regular contributor to outlets like the Washington Post and the Atlantic, and co-hosts the education policy podcast Have You Heard. He is also the co-founder and Director of Research for the Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education Assessment.
Education
- Ph.D.: History of Education, (2010), Stanford University - Stanford CA
MA: American History, (2007), Stanford University - Stanford CA
BA: Political Science, (2002), Haverford College - Haverford, PA
Source: University of Massachusetts Lowell
Videos
Community reviews
Write a ReviewNo Community reviews