crossposted from Daily Kos for which it was first writtenFriday schools across Maryland were closed, so I went to the first show at Noon. On the way home I thought long and hard about what I would say.No matter how I parse it, my reaction has two key points.1. Davis Guggenheim feels guilty about not sending his kids to public schools, and the result is a film which basically trashes public schools, public school teachers, teachers unions, while unjustly glorifying Geoffrey Canada, Michelle Rhee, charters, Kipp, and union busting.2. The film is intellectually dishonest, so much so it is laughable.I...
New Book: Social Class, Social Action, and Education: The Failure of Progressive Democracy
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Shameless self-plug. My first book just came out. You can read the introduction here. Find it here. Middle-class progressives in the early 20th Century wanted to transform a corrupt and chaotic industrial America into an "authentic" democracy. But they were led astray by their privilege. Focused on enhancing the voices of individuals, generations of progressives remained blind to the rich culture of "democratic solidarity" infusing labor unions and organizing in poor communities. This book traces the problematic evolution of progressive democracy in America, focusing on schools as a key site...
A Bunker Mentality Among Inner-City Chicago Youth
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Miller McCune reports on a study by Mario Small about Chicago youth, arguing that the violence of these neighborhoods destroys trust on a very basic level. Youth have "associates" not friends. What does this do to any even minimal hope for collective empowerment in these areas?[See Small's website for links to a range of other really important work.]Small said they were floored when they found that a kind of “bunker mentality” held sway at both schools, even to the point that the children, both boys and girls, routinely tested their peers and were conducting “background checks” to see whether...
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