Synopses & Reviews
With market-based school reforms grabbing political prominence from New York to Seattle, this book details what being accountable to the market really means for children and their families.
The commercialization of public education is upon us. With much fanfare and plenty of controversy, plans to cash in on our public schools are popping up all over the country. Educator and social commentator Alex Molnar has written the first book to both document the commercial invasion of public education and explain its alarming consequences.
Imagine your son is given a "Gushers" fruit snack, told to burst it between her teeth, and asked by his teacher to compare the sensation to a geothermic eruption (compliments of General Mills). Imagine your daughter being taught a lesson about self-esteem by being asked to think about "Good Hair Days" and "Bad Hair Days" (compliments of Revlon.) To cap off a day of "world class" learning, your child's teacher shows a videotape that explains that the Exxon Valdez oil spill wasn't so bad after all (compliments of Exxon). "Giving Kids the Business" explains how hot button proposals like Channel One, an advertising-fiddled television program for schools; for-profit public schools run by companies such as the Edison Project and Education Alternatives, Inc.; taxpayer-financed vouchers for private schools; and the relentless interference of corporations in the school curriculum spell trouble for America's children.
With political races, legislative issues, and judicial challenges regarding education reform from Massachusetts to California, this book will explain what's behind the headlines in every state.
"We have needed a book like this for a long time.Everyone who values public education will be grateful". Jonathan Kozol