Gustavo E. Fischman – författare

We are living in a time of resurgent global conflicts and imperialistic tensions_a time in which many children are being left behind by school systems that appear more concerned with developing accountability schemes and standardized models of testing than with defending the right of every child to have access to a good education. The efforts of countless teachers, activists, and families working and living in poor areas around the world are labeled as failures, entirely discredited on the basis of their expendability in relation to capital gains, or simply ignored. In response to these oppressive and challenging conditions, this book's contributors_a group of committed educators and activists working in an ethos of solidarity across geopolitical and geographical borders_have advanced arguments and strategies that link educational transformation to the larger struggle to transform oppressive social relations. In a clear attempt to move beyond both nostalgia and romanticism, Critical Theories, Radical Pedagogies, and Global Conflicts draws from a range of viewpoints-conceptual and thematic, transnational and crosscultural, First World and Third World_to articulate new directions for teachers and activists working to demonstrate that another education, and indeed, another world, is possible.

If you want to actually do something about providing excellent education for every child in America, this is the book for you. Using insights from cognitive science, educational research, and the social sciences, the authors examine the compelling nature of four “dumb ideas” at the center of current education policy and practice: (1) simplifying knowledge helps students learn more and faster, (2) teaching and learning are a matter of proper transmission of good content, (3) homogenous environments ease learning, and (4) more standardized data and rigorous controls of our schooling will solve all our problems. The authors then present research that consistently shows why smart K–12 education will not be achieved by current policies and practices, such as high-stakes standardized tests, homogenous grouping, and abbreviated teacher preparation. This lively book offers solutions for changing the harmful disconnect between our goals and the means we employ to get there, including key “smart ideas” and a set of how-to actions that will lead to great schools for every child.