Political Agendas for Education: From Change We Can Believe in to Putting America First

Bringing up-to-date Joel Spring’s ongoing documentation and analysis of political agendas for education in the US, the fourth edition of Political Agendas for Education focuses on the Republican and Democratic parties in the 2008 national election and post-2008 election era. In order to consider the similarities and differences in the evolution of the Republican and Democratic education agendas, this edition includes updated and new chapters on the Democratic education agenda, and updated discussions of the Republican education agenda.

Changes in the fourth edition:



relates previous Democratic education policies with President Obama's concerns with the global economy and human capital theory
highlights how Democrats came to support No Child Left Behind as a solution to civil rights issues related to schooling and Obama’s quest to close the achievement gap
deals with the Democratic side of the culture wars dividing the two political parties, particularly regarding multicultural education and language issues
includes a completely new chapter on "Teacher Agendas: Republicans and Democrats"
shows how the education agendas from the 2008 campaign of John McCain and Sarah Palin are compatible with previous Republican desires to protect socially conservative values in schools.


Political Agendas for Education is essential reading for courses dealing with the politics of education, foundations of education, educational leadership, and curriculum studies, and for educational scholars, professionals, policymakers, and all those concerned with the politics of education in the U.S. and its consequences for schools and society.

Joel Spring is Professor at Queens College and the Graduate Center, The City University of New York.

Preface
1. The Democrats' Educational Agenda: Globalization and Equality of Educational OpportunityGlobal Competition: The 2008 Democratic Platform and Democratic AgendaKnowledge Economy and the CurriculumPoverty and PreschoolNoncognitive Abilities and Success in School and WorkThe Perry Preschool StudyDemocratic Agenda: Universal Higher Education, Poverty, and the Global EconomyDemocrats: Reinventing Government or Expanding Government ResponsibilityConclusion: Global Economy, Poverty, Preschool and Government Intervention
2. Democratic Educational Agenda: Civil Rights, No Child Left Behind, Multiculturalism and LanguageDemocrats and Civil RightsBill Clinton: Standards, Accountability, and Equality of Educational OpportunityThe Democratic Education Agenda and No Child Left BehindStandards, Accountability, and John Kerry's 2004 Presidential CampaignPresident Obama, Civil Rights, and No Child Left BehindDemocratic Agenda: The Language and Culture of SchoolsConclusion
3. Teacher Agendas: Republicans and DemocratsTeachers' Unions and Campaign Financing: From Reagan to ObamaThe Politics of Teacher PayRod Paige: Teacher Pay and Unions Teacher Pay: Denver Breaks RanksWho Should Control Teacher Certification?Political Struggle Over Teacher CertificationConclusion: The Politics of Professionalism
4. The Republican Education Agenda for the Twenty-Firstst Century: The Culture WarsCelebration of American Values: McCain, Obama, and the 2008 Election The Republican Education Agenda and the Culture WarsStandards and Tests: The Politics of CultureRepublicans: Pro-Life, Abstinence and Creationism Compassionate Conservatism and George W. BushCompassionate Conservatives and No Child Left Behind No Child Left Behind and School Prayer Pornography, Family Planning, and Traditional MarriageEvolution vs.CreationismSarah Palin, the 2008 Election, and PentecostalismConclusion: The Cross and the Flag
5. The Republican Party, Neoconservatives, and Supporting Organizations Free Markets and School Choice Planning an Educational Revolution: The Trickle–Down Theory of Ideas and No Child Left Behind The Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute: Marketing School ReformThe Manhattan Institute and the Neoconservative AgendaChristian Coalition: Religious PoliticsThomas Fordham Institute and the Educational Excellence Network Neoconservatives, Business, and Human Capital Conclusion
6. Political Education Agendas: What's the Same, What's WrongThe Student as Statistical DataDo Society and Students Benefit from the Number Crunching Approach?Ralph Nader and Standardized TestingConclusion: How Are They Different?
NotesIndex