Political Agendas for Education: From Change We Can Believe in to Putting America First » (4th Edition)

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

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.

Preface

1. The Democrats' Educational Agenda: Globalization and Equality of Educational Opportunity Global Competition: The 2008 Democratic Platform and Democratic Agenda Knowledge Economy and the Curriculum Poverty and Preschool Noncognitive Abilities and Success in School and Work The Perry Preschool Study Democratic Agenda: Universal Higher Education, Poverty, and the Global Economy Democrats: Reinventing Government or Expanding Government Responsibility Conclusion: Global Economy, Poverty, Preschool and Government Intervention

2. Democratic Educational Agenda: Civil Rights, No Child Left Behind, Multiculturalism and Language Democrats and Civil Rights Bill Clinton: Standards, Accountability, and Equality of Educational Opportunity The Democratic Education Agenda and No Child Left Behind Standards, Accountability, and John Kerry's 2004 Presidential Campaign President Obama, Civil Rights, and No Child Left Behind Democratic Agenda: The Language and Culture of Schools Conclusion

3. Teacher Agendas: Republicans and Democrats Teachers' Unions and Campaign Financing: From Reagan to Obama The Politics of Teacher Pay Rod Paige: Teacher Pay and Unions Teacher Pay: Denver Breaks Ranks Who Should Control Teacher Certification?

Political Struggle Over Teacher Certification Conclusion: The Politics of Professionalism

4. The Republican Education Agenda for the Twenty-Firstst Century: The Culture Wars Celebration of American Values: McCain, Obama, and the 2008 Election The Republican Education Agenda and the Culture Wars Standards and Tests: The Politics of Culture Republicans: Pro-Life, Abstinence and Creationism Compassionate Conservatism and George W. Bush Compassionate Conservatives and No Child Left Behind No Child Left Behind and School Prayer Pornography, Family Planning, and Traditional Marriage Evolution vs.Creationism Sarah Palin, the 2008 Election, and Pentecostalism Conclusion: 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 Reform The Manhattan Institute and the Neoconservative Agenda Christian Coalition: Religious Politics Thomas Fordham Institute and the Educational Excellence Network Neoconservatives, Business, and Human Capital Conclusion

6. Political Education Agendas: What's the Same, What's Wrong The Student as Statistical Data Do Society and Students Benefit from the Number Crunching Approach?

Ralph Nader and Standardized Testing Conclusion: How Are They Different?

Notes Index