In Political Agendas for Education: From the Religious Right to the Green Party, Second Edition, Joel Spring describes and analyzes the current educational agendas of major political players and organizations. His analyses of the interrelationships between right-wing think tanks and school reform, and the political background of proposals for school change, are unique among books dealing with the politics of education.
This second edition covers the changes that occurred during the 2000 presidential election that led to the inauguration of George W. Bush. In a lively, anecdotal style, Spring portrays the underlying ideologies, as well as the nitty-gritty, day-to-day doings of the various players involved. The players range from the Evangelical Christians, the conservative think tanks, and the Bush Republicans--with their ideology of "compassionate conservatism"--to the arenas of centrist and leftist politics, spanning the New Democrats, the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, and the Green Party under the leadership of Ralph Nader.
Additions and updates to the Second Edition include:
*Compassionate Conservatives: The Republican Educational Agenda for the 21st Century
*The Meaning of "Compassionate Conservatism"
*Evolution Versus Creationism
*The Manhattan Institute and George W. Bush's Educational Policies
*The Republican Agenda for the 21st Century
*Gore and the 2000 Presidential Campaign
*What's Left of the Left? Ralph Nader and the Green Party
*Ralph Nader, Consumerism, and Education
Political Agendas for Education is of broad interest to educational scholars, professionals, and policymakers, and highly appropriate as a text for courses on the politics of education, foundations of education, sociology of education, and curriculum theory.
