Conflict of Interests: The Politics of American Education » (5th Edition)

Joel Spring received his Ph.D. in educational policy studies from the University of Wisconsin. He is currently a Professor at Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His great-great-grandfather was the first Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory and his grandfather, Joel S. Spring, was a local district chief at the time Indian Territory became Oklahoma. He currently teaches at Queens College of the City University of New York.

His major research interests are history of education, multicultural education, Native American culture, the politics of education, global education, and human rights education. He is the author of over twenty books and the most recent are How Educational Ideologies are Shaping Global Society; Education and the Rise of the Global Economy; The Universal Right to Education: Justification, Definition, and Guidelines; Globalization and Educational Rights; and Educating the Consumer Citizen: A History of the Marriage of Schools, Advertising, and Media.

Spring (New School University) looks at the political and social forces shaping educational policy in the US and analyzes how policy is made for American schools. He argues that the politics of American education are driven by the interrelationships between politicians, private foundations, teachers' unions, special-interest groups, school administrators, and boards of education. He links current conflicts over educational policies to economics, culture, language, and equal opportunity. Discussion encompasses textbook publishing, standardized testing, and the political uses of the judicial system. This fourth edition offers expanded coverage of school finance, school choice and vouchers, and accountability. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)