Assault on Kids

This collection of mostly academic pieces explores subjects often overlooked when attempting school reform. The underlying theme is that education in the United States is moving toward measurable efficiency, encompassed within a neoliberal philosophy. This has resulted in a growth in standardized testing, technological surveillance of students, hyper-accountability and a militaristic style in some private schools. Student differences from white middle class standards are often seen as deficits. All together, these pieces cover the social aspects of education, occasionally slipping into critical pedagogy. The editors, Ahlquist (secondary teacher education, San Jose State U.), Gorski (integrative studies, George Mason U.) and Montana (Chicana and Chicano studies, California State U., Northridge) are also the authors of three of the included papers. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Roberta Ahlquist has been a professor at San Jose State for over 30 years, supervising prospective high school teachers. Her areas of research include critical race theory, unlearning racism, critical multicultural education, indigenous education, and postcolonial studies.
Paul C. Gorski is the founder of EdChange and an assistant professor in integrative studies at George Mason University, where he teaches classes on social justice education, economic justice, environmental justice, and animal rights. He has published three books and more than 30 essays on these topics in Educational Leadership, Teachers College Record, Teaching and Teacher Education, Rethinking Schools, Teaching Tolerance, Equity & Excellence in Education, Intercultural Education, and Multicultural Education.
Theresa Montano is an associate professor of Chicana and Chicano studies at California State University Northridge. She teaches courses to prospective teachers in the area of equity and diversity in school, Chicano/a childhood and adolescence, and research in Chicano/a education. Her areas of research include the schooling of Chicano/a-Latino/a students; critical pedagogy; teacher activism; and bilingual/ELL instruction.